Evolution of the social relief system in late Qing and its impacts

ABSTRACT

The Chinese social relief system, first established in the eighteenth century, had already faced enormous pressure during the late Qing period. Impacted by the West and galvanized by China’s domestic social transformation, however, the Chinese social relief system embarked on some new development unseen before, including diversified famine relief mechanisms, socialization of famine relief granaries, and the development of inclusive philanthropy. The above development is a testament to the fact that the social relief system of late Qing gradually moved away from the old, state-dominated model and became an integral part of the social transformation in modern China.

KEYWORDS:

• Social relief
• social transformation
• charitable donation
• charity granary
• Late Qing period

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Glossary

Chen Xianshu 陈贤书

chuangong 传供

Dalisi 大理寺

Da Qing lüli 《大清律例》

Duchayuan 都察院

Du Fengzhi 杜凤治

fanshi qian 饭食钱

Foshan 佛山

Guangning 广宁

Guangxin tang 广信堂

Hu Guocun 胡国存

Jiang Chaobo 蒋超伯

Jiang Yahua 江亚华

jiu di zheng fa 就地正法

kanyu 看语

Lan Dingyuan 蓝鼎元

Liang Dingyi 梁丁义

Liang Zhaojin 梁肇晋

Liu Biao 刘标

Liu Kunyi 刘坤一

Luoding 罗定

Luo Jiayou 罗家有

Luo Qilin 罗绮林

Luo Wenlai 罗文来

Luo Yayou 罗亚有

Luzhou gongan 《鹿州公案》

Nanhai 南海

Panyu 番禺

Qingyuan 清远

qiu shen 秋审

shi chu 失出

Sihui 四会

song lei 讼累

Song Xigeng 宋锡庚

Tan Chengkun 谭成坤

Tongzhi 同治

waiban 外办

wang fa 王法

wuxing 五刑

Xingbu 刑部

xingming muke 刑名幕客

Xinhui 新会

Xiyuan lu 《洗冤录》

Xu Zhongming 徐忠明

Zhang Yan 张研

Notes

¹ Li Xiangjun, Qingdai huangzheng yanjiu, 191-193.

² Will, 18 shiji Zhongguo de guanliao, “Preface,” 223.

³ Jia Guojing, Huanghe Tongwaxiang juekou gaidao, 47.

⁴ Li, Fighting Famine in North China, 268-272.

⁵ As for the overall situations and results of the official famine relief efforts, please see He Hanwei, He Hanwei, Guanxu chunian (1876-1879) huabei.

⁶ See Zhu Hu, Jiangnanren zai Huabei, 114-148.

⁷ Jing Yuanshan, “Chouzhen tonglun,” 217.

⁸ See Li Wenhai, “Wanqing yizhen de xingqi,” 27-35.

⁹ See Zhu Hu, “Difang xipu xiang guojia,” 27-38.

¹⁰ Zhu Hu, Difangxing liudong jiqi chaoyue, 444.

¹¹ de la Servière, Jiangnan chuanjiao shi, vol. 1, 165-183.

¹² Muirhead, The Great Famine.

¹³ For the activities of the China International Famine Relief Commission, see Report of the Central China Famine Relief Fund Committee. As for the charitable giving statistics, please see “Huayang yizhenhui jingshou juankuan zongshu baogao.”

¹⁴ Huang Wende, Fei zhengfu zuzhi yu guoji hezuo, 29.

¹⁵ Central China Famine Relief Committee, Report and Accounts, From October 1, 1911 to June 30, 1912, 8-10.

¹⁶ Huayang yizhenhui, Huayang yizhenhui zaizhen wenjian huilu.

¹⁷ Will, and Wong, Nourish the People, 498, 524.

¹⁸ Wu Siwu, Qingdai cangchu de zhidu kunjing, 135.

¹⁹ See Zhu Hu’s “Shi wei min tian,” 20-25.

²⁰ Wu Siwu, Qingdai cangchu de zhidu kunjing, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4.

²¹ Wu Siwu, Qingdai cangchu de zhidu kunjing, 159-194.

²² Wu Tao, “Zongzu yu yicang,” 56-71.

²³ See Chen Chunshen, “Lun Qingmo Guangdong yicang,” 50-66.

²⁴ Foshan zhongyixiang zhi, vol. 7, 1-2.

²⁵ Zhou Qiuguang, and Zeng Guilin, Zhongguo cishan jianshi, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.

²⁶ Fuma Susumu, Zhongguo shanhui shantang shi yanjiu, 516-518, 600-602.

²⁷ Li Wenhai, “Wanqing yizhen de xingqi,” 27-35.

²⁸ Zhu Hu, “Kua difang de difangxing shijian,” 33-50.

²⁹ Zhu Ying, “Wuxu shiqi minjian cishan,” 66-71.

³⁰ Zhou Qiuguang, and Zeng Guilin, Zhongguo cishan jianshi, 244-247.

³¹ Li Xixia, Zhongguo jindai cishan sixiang yanjiu, 104-109.

³² Wang Weiping, Huang Hongshan, and Zeng Guilin, Zhongguo cishan shigang, 118-124.

³³ Gu Changsheng, Chuanjiaoshi yu jindai Zhongguo, 211-214, 257-264.

³⁴ Zhou Qiuguang, and Zeng Guilin, Zhongguo cishan jianshi, 348.

³⁵ Chi Zihua, Hongshizi yu jindai Zhongguo, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hu ZHU

ZHU Hu is a professor in the Institute of Qing History, Renmin University of China. His major research interests include the history of famine in China, and the history of late Qing. He is the author of Difangxing liudong jiqi chaoyue: Wan Qing yizhen yu jindai Zhongguo de xinchen daixie (The Fluidity and Transcendence of Localism: Late-Qing Charity Relief and the Supersession of the Old by New in Modern China, Beijing: Renmin University of China Press, 2006) and Yangwu yu zhenwu: Sheng xuanhuai de wan Qing sishi nian (Self-strengthening and Famine Relief: Sheng xuanhuai’s Forty Years in Late Qing, Beijing: Renmin University of China Press, 2021).