A Study On The Concept And System Of Autonomous Welfare In Qing Dynasty

Nowadays, our country is in the period of all-round construction of social security system, people’s wellbeing has made a salient significant achievement. But as the social security system develop, government has become the most important welfare organization, the development of self-governing welfare organizations is relatively weak. Therefore, by using the documentation research method, the paper attempts to review the traditions of self-governing welfare system of Qing Dynasty and make a specialized、systematic basic research for them. The purpose is to provide an empirical evidence for current development of self-governing welfare,and to obtain enlightenments for our country’s self-governing welfare system and social security system.The paper defined the connotation of self-governing welfare firstly, self-governing welfare was a kind of self-provided and self-governed welfare, it is different from official welfare. In the Qing Dynasty, the grass-roots society was governed by officials and gentries, the rulers advocated self-governing welfare actively. Besides, the specific historical situation and social foundation also accelerated the establishment of self-governing welfare organizations. The self-governing welfare ideas of Qing Dynasty have two main aspects, one is the charity thoughts from traditional Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, on the other hand, the thoughts of “laying equal stress on care and cultivation” and “laying different stress on diligence and laziness” came into being in that changeful age. They promote the self-governing welfare to build and sustain, affect the development direction of self-governing welfare. Above related social background and self-governing welfare ideas promoted the development of self-governing welfare system. Based on them, this paper introduced and evaluated the lineage welfare system、charity association and charity hall system、industry welfare system and “He Hui” system in Qing Dynasty respectively.Combining with the above evaluations for self-governing welfare system in Qing Dynasty, this paper analyzes the forming mechanisms and modern implications of self-governing welfare system in Qing Dynasty. Analysis found that: the crux of forming self-governing welfare systems are good political environment, positive action subjects and “differential supply” modal which is comply with people’s ethical demand. The development of self-governing welfare systems in Qing Dynasty have many implications to modern self-governing welfare: We should give self-governing welfare organizations a great political environment and reduce government intervention; forming a charity group in the new period; reshaping and referencing the ideas of self-governing welfare in Qing Dynasty. The development of self-governing welfare systems in Qing Dynasty also have many implications to modern social security system: today’s China still needs to develop self-governing welfare; being vigilant against top layer design in social security system; respecting the traditional ways of self-help and mutual aid, let the self-governing welfare develop naturally.