Qin And Han Social Disaster Prevention And Mitigation System

China has had a wide length and breadth of land as well as a variety of natural environment from ancient times, which provides advantages for the eruption of natural disaster. During Qin and Han dynasty, natural disasters have broken out for a great number of times. According to the statistics of the author, there have been floods 114 times, droughts 113 times, earthquake 117 times, grass hopper and locus infestations 68 times, epidemic diseases 42 times, wind disasters 40 times, hail disasters 37 time, frost disasters 40 times, fires 85 times, and famine disasters 73 times altogether during that time. As there have been altogether 729 times of disasters happening in this time, the disaster eruption frequency of Qin and Han dynasty is 1.653 times per year, which is a higher figure than that of Pre-Qin and Tang dynasty and has brought calamity for people. A large quantity of farmlands and houses were destroyed, people became destitute and homeless and even the tragic of human being eating each other took place.In order to mitigate and eliminate the effects of natural disasters, the governments of Qin and Han Dynasty have established a set of institutions for preventing and reducing disasters after many years of experience. The institutions are the following:1. The institution of dispelling disasters through sacrifice. Developing from the customs of revering ghosts and gods from the time of Pre-Qin, this institution is implemented through people invoking or controlling some supra natural power to preventing or eliminating natural disasters. The approaches of dispelling disasters could be divided into cultural approaches which included emperor self-accusation, prayer and Yansheng, and political approaches which included changing the title of an emperor's reign, removing prime minister in feudal China from office, electing a worthy person, general pardon and retrying prisoners. People in Qin Dynasty attached high importance to this institution and regarded it as a significant way of eliminating disasters. After the eruption of a disaster, people normally dispelled disaster through sacrifice first, then began to reducing the influence of the disaster. Although sacrificing can make people peaceful, it delayed the government to organize victims of a natural disaster to rescue the disasters.2. The institution of reducing disasters. This institution refers to those developed from decreasing the influence of disasters. The governments of Qin and Han dynasty took much account of organize the society to reduce disasters as well. The institution could be again divided into three sub-institutions.First. The institution of preventing natural disasters. The development of astronomy reflects the recognition of preventing disasters by the government. Grasping the farm time reflects the idea of evading disasters and obtaining the greatest benefit of agriculturist of Qin and Han dynasty. The institutional development of warehouse storage reflects the government's understanding of storage. The construction of the project of irrigation works is the fruit of people combating with nature. The revision and improvement of agricultural production institution shows the government's recognition of the approach to decreasing the effects of the disasters.Second. The institution of controlling disasters. This mainly includes saving the victims, water-control, catching locster and fire fighting.Third. The institution of reducing disasters through allocating resources. This includes:a. curtailing expenses of the government and encouraging the economy of the victims.b. by issuing the law of water right and conditional opening the state-owned lands to promote market economy and realize rationalization of resources allocation, c. exempting tax and carrying on loan to help the victims to renew production, d. taking advantage of the local or out-of-town resources to guarantee the victim's life. e. settling down the civilians to ensure them to produce at ease. f. encouraging the country gentlemen and the landed aristocracy to relieve the victims of the disa...