Research On Disaster Relief Activities Of Businessmen In Northeast China In Modern Times(1905—1931)

Although the development of commerce in the northeastern region of China were slow and not high,many people inside ShanHaiGuan Pass?had moved into the northeastern region to engage in commercial activities since the opening of the region in modern times.This movement had brought new development methods to the commerce in the northeastern region and promoted the development of the commodity economy.Moreover,after the opening of Yingkou,a large number of foreign capitalists entered the northeastern region of China and established many foreign firms within the region.As they invaded China,they also brought in advanced production technology and management methods and to a certain extent,improved the commerce development in the northeastern region.As the commerce in the northeastern region of China develop during the modern times,businessmen from both local and other areas in the region had gained a certain economic foundation.By participating in social activities,these businessmen could improve not only their own security,but also their social status.Therefore,they had actively participated in various disaster relief activities and become one of the main forces for disaster relief in modern northeastern region of China.The research object of this paper is the group of businessmen in the modern northeastern region of China.Starting from the background and methods of their disaster relief,this paper analyzes the characteristics of modern northeastern region businessmen's disaster relief,and further summarizes the impact of their disaster relief and the factors restricting their disaster relief.Natural disasters in the northeastern region had occurred from time to time during the modern time.Among the disasters,floods and droughts occurred relatively frequent,while plagues caused the greatest harm to society and humanity.During this period,the political situation in the northeastern region was turbulent,and the government's ability to respond to disasters was limited.It began to strongly encourage all sectors of society to participate in the disaster relief,and implemented certain incentive policies.Northeastern region businessmen,especially the gentry businessmen,grew up under the influence of traditional culture and had a strong sense of social responsibility.Some of the self-made successful businessmen also understood the lives of the poor people and wanted to help.With the development of commerce,these businessmen had accumulated a certain amount of wealth and wanted to improve their political status,so they began to actively participate in various disaster relief activities.