A Study Of The Government's Supplement & Relief To The Famine Stricken Of Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region During The Anti-Japanese War Period

During the period of the Anti-Japanese War,serious natural disasters and man-made disasters occurred in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region under the harsh natural environment,less-developed social conditions and the war.Disaster triggered the unrest in the border area,and it tested the local governments' governing capacity.Under such circumstances,relief has become an important part of the political power construction for the local governments.At the same time,the disaster caused a large number of victims and refugees in the border area,it was therefore,restricting the progress of Anti-Japanese social mobilization.The question that how to properly deal with the relation between "the distributed grain for the refugees" and "the hand-in grain to the government" has become a necessary requirement of the Anti-Japanese War for the local governments.The local government combined with the situation of the war and the actual situation,gradually formed a more comprehensive relief system in the practice of fighting against the famine.The “people-oriented” thought has also been established.The idea that "prevention first" and "people will conquer the nature" have also guided the direction of the disaster relief work.In order to make sure that the disaster relief policies and instructions are properly carried out,the local governments set up a leading institutions at the top level.Besides,it also set up some grassroots relief agencies in the local areas,formed temporary relief organizations,and strengthen the guidance of civil disaster relief organizations.In the case of economic backwardness and financial difficulties,the local governments have to raise food funds,which includes: seeking aids,government funding,government self-financing,saving and donating,and some other ways,to solve the problem of food funds.On the basis of summing up the disaster relief experience,they formed a set of strict and flexible relief procedures,and greatly enhanced the disaster relief efficiency.In the face of serious famine,a series of effective disaster relief measures have been implemented by the local governments.The author,in accordance with the relief content,classified the disaster relief measures into many,as the present disaster relief measures,post-disaster self-saving measures and disaster prevention and mitigation measures.For the present disaster relief measures,It helped the refugees go through the difficulties and to relieve the burden from the victims by distributing them foods and funds,giving them employment instead of outright grand,carrying out conservation and donation programmes,encouraging the victims to help each other,controlling the foods and its price,etc.For the post disaster self-saving measures,it helped to improve the victims' lives by settling down the refugees,granting of agriculture loans,encouraging them to open up wastelands,making full use of the farming season to sow seeds,replant,etc,opening up refugee factories,developing the farm sideline,etc.For the disaster prevention and mitigation measures,it helped to prevent the famine by reducing the costs,setting up warehouses,strengthening the epidemic disease prevention work,constructing water conservancy projects,etc.Thanks to the local governments' effort and practice,obvious results have been achieved in the disaster relief work.The loss of manpower and horsepower have also been reduced to the minimum.The atmosphere in the border region have been greatly improved.The local people's awareness of disaster prevention and mitigation has also been enhanced.After the local people were relieved,they became more confident and enthusiastic in throwing themselves into the Anti-Japanese War.It is no deny that during the war,there are still some problems in the disaster relief work under the constraints of both the subjective and objective conditions.For instance,the shortage of finance makes it impossible to relieve every one.Besides,the local environment was also badly destroyed after the locals were encouraged to open up wastelands.During the war,the local governments have accumulated rich experience in the disaster relief work,they are mainly: to regard the disaster relief work as the main solution of overcoming the famine.To rely on the locals and to motivate them to overcome the famine,they regard this as the key to success.To regard the relief work as well as the disaster prevention work as the 2 most crucial reasons.To some extent,the above mentioned experience is of great significance to our today's relief work,especially in the remote areas,and the economy less-developed areas.