Study Of Chen Hongmou's Relief Policy And Practice

Concerned about the frequent occurrence of natural disasters, Chen Hongmou's relief policy has come into being in the middle period of the Qing Dynasty, thanks to the education he received during his school days and lessons he learned from others'successful experiences. As an important government official at that time, Chen insisted on the people-oriented relief thought and put it into practice. He put great emphasis on precaution measures before disasters, such as building water conservancy projects and barns for food storage. In times of disasters, he sent aid to the victims and comforted the widespread distress. After the disaster, he was concerned about social stability and resumed the development of agricultural production. Chen not only improved the relief measures in bad years, but also called upon local communities to assist in the disaster relief along with government. His measures proved to be very efficient and also enriched his experiences. It is greatly commendable that Chen's relief policy is so fruitful, given to the decline of emperor's concern in people's welfare. Chen devoted himself to the relief enterprise and made great contribution to its development in the middle period of the Qing Dynasty.This paper attempts to study Chen hongmou's relief policy by analyzing his relief thoughts and practice and its impact on the future development of relief enterprise. It summarizes the development course of relief thoughts and measures in the middle period of the Qing Dynasty and hopefully it could be of some help for the further study in this field.