The Research On Famine Relief During The Qianlong Reign In The Qing Dynasty

As a feudalism king longest in power in reality in the Chinese history, Qianlong bragged as a sagacious monarch eternally, he made "Perfectly Records" himself and outlined "ten perfect achievements". Some of the posterities know that he raised wins but concealed faults and defeats. As one of the "prosperous times" few in number in ancient China, there is special time pulsation at the period of Qianlong. But "Qianlong Prosperous Time" simultaneously a historical transition which contradictories massed and crisis ridden. As the China feudal society's final dynasty, the accomplishment system of Qing Dynasty assimilated all previous dynasties', the famine relief also developed to the acme above a generation of foundation. At the Qianlong time it reached the crest. But because of the feudal dictatorship principle centralization's historical limitation, the ruling class was constantly conservative and do not strive for the innovation, the lump illness which formed by the system ossified also gradually became the shackles which influenced history advance. Famine relief did not break through after displaying its intrinsic function, falling into the predicament. Therefore, the research on the famine relief of the Qianlong reign is really significant, no matter to the famine history, the famine relief history research or to its function which learns from history. It is necessary also valuable to make this rigid exploration.After the comprehensive survey on the former results of famine relief during Qianlong reign, the several aspects are worth paying attention:First, the research of disaster is already made concrete. We can understand this issue of disaster from the survey of disaster state county; Second, some researchers obtain from the administrative style and achievements of local officials as well as the government function aspect, then carry on the appraisal for execution process of famine relief measures and its effect and so on; Third, take region as inspection key, conduct the research on operational practice of famine relief in various places during the Qianlong reign; Fourth, the concrete research on the concrete action such as warehousing construction, the grain policy, to relief remits and so on under the thought of preparing for natural disasters and providing famine relief instruction; Fifth, the contrast research with other historical period's famine relief. In addition, the results of famine relief research by sinologists are also worth reading earnestly for reference.Summarize according to the historical data and the predecessor's research results, the author makes a classification analysis of disaster condition during the Qianlong reign, the author thinks that although the Qianlong time is regarded as "the country is peaceful and people live happily". But the survival requirement was not rich, for the disaster was also frequent. Looking from disaster's regional distribution, the land was basically the disaster area at that time, only had a difference in the disaster area and the type; Specifically speaking, Chili, Shandong, Jiangsu, Gansu disaster were most serious provincial capital area during Qianlong reign; Water areas of coverage such as river, lake and so on are the flood centralism erupt region. It is harm to the political situation, the economic development and social stability, and its influence is profound. The concrete manifestation is:The agricultural production suffers the attack, famine victim causing trouble events continuously happened; The famine caused the large-scale population went into exile, then influenced political situation; After the wild evil occurs, the hunger hard to take the disaster victims often eat somewhat do not treat as food originally like rice polishing, bark, weeds, guanyin clay and so on, the tragedy "people eat people" sometimes occurs. Under the common stimulations of several factors such as the disaster intensifies, the famine relief to be weak, political difficult position and so on, "the Qianlong prosperous times" collapsed the plate, moved toward the later middle period when is going to decline and making the people to grasp the wrists to sigh.The famine relief of the ancient China was the important measure for all previous dynasties ruler to maintain the social stability, maintain politics Pure Brightness and guarantee the society reproduced carried on normally. The ability of famine treatment reflects a mature degree of political power to a certain extent. This article gives the separately analysis on positive, negative cognition and the behavior from three stratification planes such as the Qing Gao Zong himself, all levels of officials and the manner government take on helping oneself to populace, then makes the success and failure appraisal for famine relief during Qianlong reign as a whole. Any king who has the sober consciousness to the Chinese history or the present situation will not neglect the famine relief. Qianlong realized that most important status of food policy for people in its state policy, therefore he took the agriculture as the foundation in the national policy, started construction the water conservation and the construction of warehousing in the normal year's harvest. When the famine approaches he can also not count the cost to remit the land tax to treat and cure with all one's heart. Although he make the massive effort in preparing for natural disasters, provided famine relief and so on, but because of the limited of the time, the social class, the nationality, simultaneously as a result of the his own knowledge limitation, Qianlong had not broken through in the understanding. The national management pattern was still for ancient times. It was primitive one person ruled, the people to obey, not democratically.1640 Britain bourgeois revolution and the Industrial Revolution already took the lead to sound the innovation bugle, the world during Qianlong time had already entered a brand-new historical period. But my vast China's rulers still immersed in its conjecture world pattern, how could it not be pain? The achievements of famine relief during Qianlong reign mainly benefits from large numbers of officials who were in high morality, have the ability and were willing to make an effort to do something. The famine relief effective tradition mechanism affects and famine relief the life merit culture incites the quilt:Provides famine relief like the fire fighting, the government officials provided disaster relief by the salary or the family capital to give aid to those in need. The outstanding official and the folk behavior often must be higher than the emperor's in the value and the significance. But simultaneously, official's negative achievement even corrupt during disaster relief process is worth the people thinking deeply. Although the government already reduced the production destroy the disaster brings and the tried to solve life problems through the numerous measures, in fact it is not enough only depends on government's relief. Sometimes it is too far to make, sometimes the disaster relief official embezzled, the grain arrive at the common people hand's could not satisfied the big and hungry belly's demand. Therefore, besides government's relief motion the populace helps oneself also occupy the important position during famine period. This kind of folk good works excessive appeared suggested the government responsibility's flaw, it is also the challenge and the satire to the official behavior. In the history, the ruler always tacitly consents to or encourages the folk good works. Government of Qianlong reign also responds with the reward to this. Because of the serious values by the Central authority, famine relief was carried out firmly during Qianlong reign, but its contradiction is also simultaneously irreconcilable. The population rises suddenly, the famine relief is weak day after day; the ecological environment destroys, famine relief futile attempt. Famine relief paces back and forth in the fond illusion "long-term peace and good government" by the ruler. It doomed the emergency stratification plane at most, but non-science prevention.The article was elaborating the importance of food, the historical fact to maintain its rule the government finally struggled the food with the people and the reality profits function from the famine relief. No matter in the history or the realistic society, the food problem has been the first foundations of the state. The national decision is complicated; the food is the first important matter. The elaboration of "eight governmental functions:the first is food......" confirms food matter had already been mentioned to key position of the national big decision several thousand years ago. "People regard food as their prime want" is not one simple slogan which indicates the importance of grain, but has contained the hard and dangerous historical development of Chinese nation and the fighting with nature for the survival experienced the hardships of life for Chinese. Levies grain taxes is government's inherent policy, regardless of the abundant harvest or the famine, the common people must fulfill its subject "responsibility". To the poor common people, the limited grain is drafted, they are forced below "The full stomach line", momentarily live in the edge of life and death, suffers the famine to attack. Even if were the young landlord they also think the land tax to be overweight and they were unable to withstand the load, it is difficult to run away the misfortune of grain lack. The disaster and famine in China and even the whole world have not obtained the alleviation because of the advance in technology; it even has the aggravation tendency in the certain extent. In the future, we should consider the population and the resources rational distribution in city construction. Because disaster once occurs, the population concentrate excessively will then become the enormous barrier of the disaster relief. Ancient Chinese had the intimate understanding of ecological damage's consequence; nowadays the problems of environmental pollution, food safety and health and so on produce piercing sorrowful. When related environmental policy formulated, fully consideration should be made on the harm of living environment destroys.