Natural Disasters In The Late Qing Shandong And Rural Society

Natural calamity happened frequently and seriously in Shandong Province during the Late Qing Dynasty. It was very serious almost every year . Because of the Late Qing Dynasty declining , the official corrupting, big powers plundering , society upheaval , economy withering, the ability of people ' s resisting natural calamity seriously atrophied. When natural calamity occured, it would cause serious famine. Village population , social economy , calamity relief , social conflict and village custom etc. were influenced significantly by natural calamity in Shandong Province during the Late Qing Dynasty.Natural calamities were frequent and serious, especially the flood and drought. The Yellow River changed its route from Tongwaxiang in Henan Province in 1855 years and brought more flood to Shandong . Natural calamity was caused not only by the natural reason, but also social reason, in which, social reason was major. I think corrupt of the official was the most important reason . Natural calamity also caused serious damage to ecological environment and vicious circle.Natural calamity was not only caused plenty of people' s death and migration, but also caused population structure to lose balance, population quality lower and brought unfavorable influence to the people ' s value orientation etc, especially the people who were easily suffered from the flood of Yellow River and drought in north and southwest area in Shandong Province.In Shandong Province during the Qing Dynasty natural calamity caused social economy great loss and brought huge unfavorable influence to agricultural operation .Refugees had to rely on borrowing to live. It accelerated the process of land taken over. The people who lost land had to be hired as labour or tenant, the rent of tenant did not mitigate when natural calamity occured. It made the peasant ' s life more difficult.The Late Qing government' s calamity relief campaign was unworthy of the name because the government declining increasingly , financial scarcity, especially the official treat rotten 5.which made it unable to give the refugee practical relief . But the government ' s calamity relief was major. The handicraft and the farming reform of the Late Qing Dynasty not only increased the income of the government, but also strengthened people' s ability of resisting natural calamity, but it effected not obviously. So villager helped each other and the justice relief played important role. Foreign missionary also played actively in it. Nongovernmental strength had played great role in relieving the refugee.Natural calamity made the lives of peasants more embarrassed and social contradictory more intense. Bandits and the struggle for reducing tax occured continually when calamity happend. Some refugees revolted . Nnatural calamity also aroused the religion conflict of thepeople. Social stability and lives were destroyed.Natural calamity also caused great influence on the custom of the villager. Because productivity level was low , scientific cultural was not developed and could not make scientific explanation to the calamity refugees often relied on religion and gods to eliminate calamity , so that the faith for Christianity, secret religion , the Dragon King and river god very populer. The activities of the villager during festival also permeated invariably for eliminating natural calamity and prayed for harvest and longevity. The marriage and bury customs of the villager changed. Villagers residence custom was also influenced by natural calamity.