Modern Transformation Of Charities In Jiangnan

Songjiang Sanshantang is combined of Songjiang Yuyingtang,Quanjietang and Pujitang. Sanshantang was established in Qing Dynasty and maintained operations in the Republic of China, then it was not received and managed uniformly by charity board until 1923. Compared with Qing Dynasty, Songjiang Sanshantang in the Republic of China occurred a series of changes in the management system, relief work, funding sources and other aspects. In the aspect of management system, Songjiang Sanshantang was developed gradually from initial rotating system of directors to the system of board directors. The strict organization and clear division of charity board directors protected the smooth progress of the charity effectively. In the relief work, Sanshantang maintained the original pattern and scale in the aspect of life relief, while in education relief, it had a considerable changed. Education level of educational institutions tended to be more perfect and education scale had been expanded, meanwhile, school for girls was established. All these showed signs of further transition to the education and upbringing. In the aspect of funding sources, income of Sanshantang mainly came from field rent, at the same time, with the development of modernization; revenue was increased by housing rental, interest payments, stock purchase and other ways. However, due to the world situation changes, deep-rooted traditional values and agriculture economy limitations, Sanshantang became more dependent on field rent. Also, fund misappropriation and development limitation were existed in the terms of funds. The above situations present that traditional economic resources are difficult to support the modern transformation of charities, which is also a major problem in the development of Chinese modern charity relief.