1915 Flood And Guangdong Society From Late Qing Dynasty To The Early Years Of Republic Of China

In July, the fourth year of Republic of China (1915), there were frequent rainstorms in south China centering in South of the Five Ridges, the most areas of Guangdong were attacked by the extremely serious flood, thus the situation of flood in Three River ( East River, West River and North River) breaking out at the same time came into being. It was a extremely serious flood which broke out after successive years of floods in Pearl River since Late Qing Dynasty. This serious disaster happened in 1915, thus it was called 1915 Flood in history.Not only natural factors but also deeper social background caused the flood. From Late Qing Dynasty to the early years of Republic of China, successive years of domestic strife and wars in Guangdong destroyed the city and country, what made the advantageous social environment of preventing disaster in Guangdong was extremely absent. That's why the natural disaster frequently happened in Guangdong in the early years of Republic of China. Long Jiguang warlord regime ruling tyrannically in Guangdong resulted in withered economy and financial crisis, what made government and people's ability of preventing and withstanding natural disaster declined universally. Pearl River Delta was assarted overly and water conservancy was destroyed in Late Qing Dynasty, what directly led to frequent floods for years in Guangdong.1915 Flood as well as the big fire in Guangzhou was extremely serious, what attracted wide attention and brought large-scale relief activities in society. It takes on the times characteristics of great transformation in modern Chinese society. On one side, the main kind of relief in traditional China, i.e. governmental relief, maintained difficultly. On the other side, the large-scale nongovernmental relief launched and organized by modern gentry-businessmen prevailed and became an important part in relief activities at that time. Furthermore, the flood had a profound influence upon the society of Guangdong. The economy was seriously destroyed, the society became more unstable, Long Jiguang warlord regime was overthrew more quickly. At the same time, a series of new changes took place after the flood, the new relief system further came into being, the idea of water-control and preventing flood, and the technology of water conservancy further developed, the social status of businessmenwas heightened, the social relations between the cities were strengthened, etc.By the specific study on 1915 Flood, including concrete illustration in social background of the flood, detailed analysis in social relief as well as the times characteristic and the influence of the disaster to Guangdong society, the original condition of the flood is tried to be reverted in the thesis. It is valuable to further study the relation between natural disaster and Guangdong society from Late Qing Dynasty to the early years of Republic of China, to further observation China society in the early years of Republic of China and to further our understanding of modern Chinese society by the flood.