| "Natural disasters like floods and droughts have always been something common since our earliest kings, and the reign of Emperor Qianlong, despite its prosperity, was no exception". It was actually one of the historical periods in China that witnessed the most natural disasters coming in great varieties and with high frequencies, inflicting damages on numerous people in large areas. In face of such frequent natural disasters, Emperor Qianlong, showing great pity on the victims, ordered officials of all levels to take the sufferings of the victims as their own and to regard disaster relief as the most important of all state affairs, instructing that they should never tolerate one single family being rendered homeless, however much it'd cost the state revenue. He also formulated and put into effect a series of policies regarding disaster relief, which we now refer to as Emperor Qianlong's policy of reliving victims of disaster. Natural disasters as well as the policy of reliving victims of disaster during Emperor Qianlong reign had great influences on politics, economy, social stability and the life of the grassroots people, though his period of prosperity eventually passed into oblivion after all.Yet, little fruitful study has so far been done by historians in this realm. Study into natural disasters and their management during the Qianlong reign will, on the one hand, provide a comprehensive view of the various aspects of natural disasters of that period, thus enabling us to better explore into the rule governing the various natural disasters. On the other hand, the policy of reliving victims of disaster during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, which had its sway not only in its own time, but also in later times, will still undoubtedly provide reference and experience for disaster prevention and relief work today. Besides, historians studying the decline of the Kangxi-Qianlong's period of prosperity have always ignored the part that natural disasters and the policy of reliving victims of disaster played in it, regardless of the irrefutable intrinsic relationship between the three. The present study will deal with the natural disasters and the policy of reliving victims of disaster during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, hoping to reveal their relationship with the decline of Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity. This present study, based on historical data of the natural disasters in 18 provincesduring the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736AD──1795AD), tries to present acomprehensive view of the natural disasters of this period and, by systematically studying the policy of reliving victims of disaster and their implementation, tries to reveal the part that natural disasters played in the decline of Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity. Taking advantage of possession of extensive historical documents and data, under the guidelines of dialectic materialism and historical materialism, this research adopts historical evidence study as a basic approach, combining theories with historical evidence. It applies metrological, deductive and inductive instruments, makes full use of relevant previous research results in the realm of the history of natural disasters and its policy of reliving victims of disaster, and employs theories and research instruments of disciplines like disaster sociology, disaster economics etc, so as to give a comprehensive introduction of disasters during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and its policy of reliving victims of disaster system, and to reveal the intrinsic relationship among natural disasters, the policy of reliving victims of disaster and the decline of the Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity, which is in line with the preset research scheme. As for the structuring of this research, it incorporates case studies into the general study, presenting not only a general description of disasters and implementation of relief policies in the period but also descriptions of typical individual cases. To enhance the literal narration, it also provides illustrations like diagrams and charts.The whole paper comprises the following six component chapters:Chapter One is mainly on the present situation of related research both at home and abroad, the significance, purposes, theoretical background and methodology of the research, what's new about this present research and problems for further study.Chapter Two gives a detailed description of eight kinds of natural disasters during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, namely floods, droughts, hailstorms, insect plagues, frosts, windstorms, epidemic diseases and earthquakes etc. In the year of Qianlong 60, various natural disasters struck frequently, especially floods and droughts. According to official statistics of the imperial government, the number of counties affected by floods that year reached 8074, the number by droughts 3770,1148 by hailstorms, 163 by frosts, 271 by windstorms, 68 by either human plague or cattle plague, and 111 counties were affected by earthquakes. Considering that all those disasters differed greatly in range and severity, the author only picks some severe ones for monographic examination. Chapter Three. First, we will reveal and compare the general picture of natural disasters during KangXi, YongZheng and QianLong reign. Then, examining their characteristics and human factors of the disasters in QianLong reign. General speaking, natural disasters of this period displayed certain characteristics, e.g. diversity of disasters with floods, droughts and hailstorms striking most frequently, uneven distribution of earthquakes both in space and in time, their swings determined mainly by local geographical features and landscapes etc. which signify that natural disasters were caused by different factors though Chapter Three highlights mainly human activities as an important factor of the occurrence of natural disasters in the Qianlong era, such as the government's malfunction in and people's passive attitude towards maintenance of irrigation works, the common phenomenon of demanding farming land from lakes all over the country, the deteriorating eco-system, as well as the prevalence of feudalistic superstitious ideas. All the above added to the frequency and destructiveness of natural disasters.Chapter Four.First,it gives a brief description of the policy of reliving victims of disasters before QianLong period, mainly about the basic procedures and main measures reliving victims of disasters, preparation for famine. So we will roughly know the survey of the policy of reliving victims of disasters before QianLong period, so also provides essential preparation for the following study about the development and change of it during QianLong reign.Then, it systematically examines how the imperial government during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, by referring to disaster relief measures taken in earlier times, worked out comprehensive laws, systems and policies to enhance disaster relief work and how it promoted their implementation. Though no complete written law governing disaster relief work was made in this period, present disaster relief measures would mean guidelines for future times in the Qing Dynasty, where "the ready-made examples ruled as laws" Within about ten years after he ascended the throne, Emperor Qianlong managed standardization and systematization of the government's disaster relief work. The Qianlong era deserves to be called an era that achieved the most in ancient Chinese history in terms of disaster management with its most comprehensive disaster management policies, even when it is put into comparison with all preceding dynasties and reigns in ancient china, even including the reigns of every emperors in Qing dynasty.With the coming of civil society in china, the policy of reliving victims of disasters appeared with natural disasters. At the beginning of Qin dynasty, in ShunZhi, KangXi and YongZheng period, the basic procedure of reliving victims of disasters includes reporting disaster, prospecting disaster and checking househould, and the main measure contains post-disaster relief work, loans making, postponing and exemption of taxes. In this time, the government usually stored grains preparing for famine in ChangPing, She and Yi barns. The government's practice of disaster management in the Qianlong era was largely the same as those of Kangxi and Yongzheng times except for certain time adjustments to better accommodate post-disaster relief work, Loans making and postponing and exemption of taxes etc. As for disaster relief work, Emperor Qianlong had always stuck to the principle that relief aids should be available to anyone victimized, which involved distribution of pensions, routine relief aids, additional relief aids and free porridge service, The disaster relief policies were generous, especially when it came to additional relief aids that were distributed almost every year. All relief aids came from state revenue and the emperor was against any official's personal involvement in relief aids distribution except in the free porridge service to villagers. During the 60 years under Emperor Qianlong's reign, mere relief aids cost the imperial government as much as beyond means of statistics and estimation. Emperor Qianlong also went further than preceding reigns in loans making and tax exemption, staging increasingly generous policies, which did allow disaster victims enough resources to sustain themselves and did have positive effects on stabilization of food prices. Tax exemptions in victimized areas were an important part of Emperor Qianlong's disaster management policies. Not only were the exemption policies substantially carried out, but disaster victims were also often given preferential treatments in times of war etc. which cost surprisingly much at times. Emperor Qianlong sold government food reserves to disaster victims at lower prices than they had been bought in, which actually meant government food subsidy, so as to better ensure that the victims could make it through natural disasters. Besides food and fund allocations to disaster stricken areas, the emperor also made use of the market mechanism to promote easy transference of food throughout the country. All the above eventually helped guarantee food supply in victimized areas. Yet despite his continuous hectic efforts to promote disaster relief work, the emperor somehow ignored disaster-oriented food reserves, especially food reserves in localities, thus forcing the central government into having to undertake the burden of relief aids, even though the emperor himself had always been aware of the fact that food reserves at the county and city levels were far from enough. In his ardent efforts to sustain his feudalist dictatorship, Emperor Qianlong made tedious attempts with natural disaster management, formulating his disaster management policies that had certain characteristics. This present research will also, by looking into individual disaster management cases, try to reveal how these disaster management policies were carried out, hoping to reveal the many interacting factors underlying the issue.Chapter 5 mainly study the relation among the natural disasters, famine relief and the decline of the Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity-the last prosperity in ancient china, based on chapter 2,3 and 4.It is known to all that the Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity begins to decline at the middle-age in the QianLong era. But no one in the academic circles connects the decline of the Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity to the natural disasters and policy of reliving victims of disasters in the QianLong reign so far. In fact, there is inherent and essential law among them. It mainly shows that: The natural disasters destroy the agriculture,and makes the traditional stagnant agriculture lag behind. In form, the policy of reliving victims of disasters in the QianLong reign helps the agriculture recover and develop, but next to nothing in fact. On one hand, frequent natural disasters compel the government to relive victims of disasters in the disaster area. On the other hand, lending money or grain and postponing in the disaster area, makes huge sum of money or grain end up with nothing definite, also impact the public revenue. The government and the common pauper contact firmly temporary faced with severe natural disasters, because the pauper can not subsist without the government. In the meantime, the victims of a natural calamity are more clear about the situation of corruption,etc.And the frequent floods and droughts are the manifestation of maimed water conservancy. In the feudal society, the peasants are the most poor. Undoubtedly, the peasants suffer the natural disasters and famine, and they are very poor originally, labour all the year round, always feel hungry and cold, so we may visualize that the life of the victims of a natural calamity must be worse than anything imaginable. Although Emperor Qianlong makes great efforts to rescue the victims of a natural calamity, the total of grain is insufficient severely throughout the country, and with frequent natural disaster and severe corruption, the policy of reliving victims of disasters in the QianLong reign can not resolve the fundamental questions of the victims of a natural calamity. At the same time, the victims of a natural calamity usually struggle for grain, although all is defeated by the government. The victims of a natural calamity roam about uninterruptedly, the government also takes measures to help them settle down, but can not keep the tide of roaming about within limits. At last, the victims of a natural calamity are the chief force of the insurrectionary army rebelling against the feudal lords in the middle and later period. Now we draw a conclusion that the natural disasters in the QianLong reign cause turbulence and unrest. At last, the Kangxi-Qianlong prosperity disappears accompanying with the natural disasters and people's rebellion.Chapter 6 is a summery and refinement of Chapters 2 through 5, concluding that the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty was a time with the most frequent natural disasters in ancient China. Natural disasters of this period displayed certain characteristics, e.g. diversity and high frequencies of disasters, uneven distribution both in space and in time and their close connection with local geographical features and landscapes etc. Natural disasters greatly affected agriculture and state revenue of the time as well as threatening people's lives and property and causing the severe problems like homelessness and social instability.Basically, it was to sustain his feudalist dictatorship that Emperor Qianlong spared no effort in disaster management though his faith in Buddhism also played an important part in all this. Disaster management of the time had the following features: vigilance and discretion of government officials of all levels; policies and measures varied according to actual situations; state revenue playing the sole key role; overwhelming formality with few substantial achievements; disaster aids unbalanced among provinces etc.The reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong as the last period of prosperity in China's ancient history began its decline in the middle of the Qianlong era. Frequent natural disasters and their management were important reasons for the decline though many other factors lay behind it as well. We'd draw the following conclusions out of our comprehensive investigation into the natural disasters and their management during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, as well as the affect they had on the decline of his reign: First, natural disasters are inevitable; Second, Natural disasters are a key factor hindering social and economic development; Third, disaster management policies are a double-edge sword and requires vigilant implementation; Fourth, Construction of a harmonious socialist society presupposes priority being given to scientific disaster prevention and relief work.Despite the author's ardent work with data collection and statistical analysis, inaccuracies and defects in the paper would still be inevitable considering the limitations of time and resources available, e.g. inaccuracy with the sequences in which certain disasters affected certain cities and counties, incomplete statistics regarding disaster management, analysis only made on human factors of disasters, description of the relationship between decline of the Kanxi-Qianlong period of prosperity and natural disasters being insufficient and incomplete etc.
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