Study On Northern Wei Dynasty’s Response To Natural Disasters From Imperial Orders

Northern Wei Dynasty witnessed a social unrest and people suffered a lot from it.However, the frequent natural disasters make things worse. Then, the work of preventin g and responding to natural disasters from the rulers become essential to maintain the do mination and social stability. Based on the research productions that have been obtained, the paper aims to discuss the relief response detailedly. There are three chapters in the paper.The first chapter is about the sources of the imperial orders on disaster relief. Imperial orders include orders and instructions from emperors. Different sources of the orders stand for the governor’s corresponding response to the natural disaster, actively or passively.The second chapter is about the contents of the imperial orders on disaster relief. It is involved in economy, politics, ideology and cultures and reflected in three aspects: direct relief, indirect relief and adjustment for social relations.The last chapter is about the influences of the imperial orders on disaster relief. Its main influences are to save lives, guarantee the labor forces, promote agricultural production, balance economic development, ease social conflicts, and maintain national dominance. Besides, it helps to keep files for later inspection, guide public opinion and spread the theory of famine relief.