Licentiates And The Famine Policy In The Ming Dynasty

The measures taken in the famine policy in the Ming Dynasty are mainly consisted of promoting agriculture while consolidating foundation,setting warehouse and constructing of farmland and water conservancy, along with some other disaster-relieving precautions of dispensation,relief,loan and so on. The relationship between licentiates and the famine policy is scarcely discussed by the predecessors. Licentiates also can be called Xiucai,maocai,xiangsheng,stuff of boshi,xianggong,cuoda,guanren,qingjin,zaizhang,qiongbanzi,apprentice and etc, which can classified into two groups: local Confucian licentiates and gongru-guozijian. The ways of official promotion include zhongshi,chugong,najian and commending. Licentiates carry out the disaster relief work primarily through reporting disaster case,offering advice,distributing food, expiating relief,najian relief, donating food stuff, selecting officials and implementing relief. The famine policy and licentiates in the Ming Dynasty are involved in a mutual influence relationship. On the one hand, the actions taken in the famine policy not only promote the adjustment of the government famine policy, but enrich the essences of measures in the famine policy. On the other hand, the government offers the relief to the poor licentiates so as to ensure their living condition and maintain their dignity. The famine policy in the Ming Dynasty has gradually deepened its connotation in the diversification of the licentiates'relief methods. However the participant of licentiates still can not solve the issue of famines. Even worse, due to the involvement of licentiates, it brings up some new problems between society and government. Even under the government famine policy, the relief to the poor licentiates can not possibly change the tendency of the pauperization of them. As a result, they feel quite disappointed to the government.The government carries out the policy passionately and licentiates actively participate in and cooperate.both of them has made a great effort to practice the famine policy, but the consequent situation turns out to be truly awkward. Thus this article tries to explore the mutual relations between the licentiates and the famine policy so as to reveal the reasons why the government and the licentiates get stuck in such a dilemma.