Huizhou In The Ming And Qing Dynasties Of Disasters And Their Social Response

This disertation is organized into three relatively indepentdent parts: what the disasters was factually in the history of Huizhou district, certain issues about the relationship between disasters and the local society, and how people dealt with disaters.In the first part ,the treatise begins with an historical overview of the disaster occurrence in the past 550 years of Huizhou district. Through ordering large amounts of data, presentes the general circumstance of following ten disasters, those was flood, drought, fire, wild animals, locust, pest, extremely cold, hurricane, hail and earthquake. The primary goal of this part is to show how the disasters were in the past and what the people did over time. In terms of flood and drought were the most often disasters in this area, and fortunately the flood and drought can be compared in the sense of rainfall, the article produces a flood and drought rating chart.The second part comprises three special topics.Section one focuses on how the flood and drought impact on agriculture. Although not only the degree but also the extention of the flood and drought disaster in Huizhou was not serious, the high frequency effected the local agriculture still greatly. They deteriorated the agricultural conditions in some areas greatly, accordingly adjusted the planting structure virtually and continuely. For short of foodstuff, the plenteous and regular rice import became the important guarantee of the stability of local society in the history, this chapter then discusses the foodstuff transportation net and manner , gives a detailed description of the local rice market picture, as well as the rice price fluctuation in those disaster years.Section two traces the basic practices of the Ming and Qing civilian granary system from its inception to its demise.Through analyzeing its organization and management, success and failure, clarifies the significance in maintaining the social stability and concludes three characteristics. Scetion three is given over to a description of city and country life. The public affair ranges from city drainage system, agricultural irrigation to conflict and regulation of water-using. The question of how the country enviornment changed certers on the movement of PengMing(a given name to the people who settled in Huizhou moutains mainly in middle Qing). The attempt of discovering the change of forest protect regulations is the last point of this section.The third part composes of three cases studies, providing variant practices in diffrent social fields. Case one centers on two food supplies holding-up incidents. Case two focus on how an agricultural irrigation works which locates in west She County(歙县) excavated and managed. Case three concerntrates on a flood occurred in 1908, described the situation of a disaster and analyzed the relief process.