A Study On Water Lifesaving Cause In Modern Guangdong(1859—1925)

Guangdong is located in the southernmost part of our country,is a province with both sea and land,its river network is dense,the water system is developed,the coastline is tortuous and long,the sea area is vast.After entering modern times,with the opening of commercial ports along the coast of Guangdong Province and Xijiang River Basin,there are more and more commercial and passenger ships running on various waterways.At the same time of bringing convenience to people,people's life and property are often threatened by the strong wind and waves,reef and shoal.In order to ensure the safety of people's navigation,Guangdong's Customs and Excise Department and the new folk Shantang work together to promote the further development of Guangdong's water life-saving business.The marine accidents in the waters of modern Guangdong were not only caused by wind,reef and grounding,but also by burning,collision,overload and hijacking.In order to strengthen the prevention and rescue of these shipwrecks,government agencies and non-governmental charity organizations have taken a number of measures,such as relief and pension,setting up navigation marks,preventing ships from collision,lifting and removing sunken ships.In terms of promoting the modern inland river life-saving cause in Guangdong,the new Shantang carried out such good deeds as life-saving,salvage and bury;in order to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of life-saving activities,it also formulated relevant system specifications for the management and operation of life-saving personnel and life-saving assets.One of the distinctive features of charity relief in China since modern times is the cooperation of officials and gentry,officials and the people,which was well reflected in the water rescue and aftercare work of GuangzhouDashatou flower boat fire robbery in the late Qing Dynasty.The significant changes of Chinese society under the influence of modern Western forces are also fully manifested in charity relief.Take the water life-saving enterprise as an example,its rescue main body,rescue process and life-saving methods have undergone profound changes.Some experiences and lessons in Modern Guangdong's water rescue have certain enlightenment and mirror effect on the development of charity relief in our country,especially in the aspect of water safety rescue.