Study On Natural Disaster And Countermeasures In Southwest China During Sui Tang And Five Dynasties

Natural Disasters are harmful events and phenomena which are primarily caused by natural variation. They do harm to human lives, property, social function and resource environment. China has been a traditional agricultural country since ancient times. However, because of the special geographical position, complex climate conditions as well as vast territory areas, China is frequently destroyed by all kinds of natural disasters. With times goes by, people have deepened the knowledge of natural disasters and taken some active measures, and Sui Tang and Five Dynasties period is no exception. The previous achievements about natural disasters history of Sui Tang and Five Dynasties, especially Tang Dynasties are quite a lot. And researches on natural disasters in southwest China are involved, too. But they are not comprehensive enough. Taking the southwest region as a specific area, do the whole research of its natural disasters and countermeasures during Sui Tang and Five Dynasties. It can not only deepen the understanding of natural disasters history of southwest China, and even the history of ancient China, but it also provides useful historical reference for overcoming natural disasters, promoting the economic and social development of southwest China as well as the whole country.Natural disasters during Sui Tang and Five Dynasties are mainly 8 types:drought, flood, locust disaster, rodent damage, wind hazard, plague, landslide and earthquake. There are 58 times of disasters during this period, including 19 times of earthquake, 32.8 percent of total number; flood is 22.4 percent,13 times; 7 times of drought,12.1 percent of total number; locust disaster, wind hazard, and landslide, each is 8.6 percent, 5 times; 2 times of rodent damage and plague,3.4 percent of total number.The trend of outbreak during this period is from a suddenly increase to a decrease. That is from 1 time in Sui Dynasty to 35 times in Tang Dynasties, and then to 22 times during Five Dynasties, which increase by 3400 percent and then decrease by 37.1 percent. Therefore, the development tendency of natural disasters in southwest China is a "single hump" development.Natural disasters in southwest China are feature in obvious seasonality, wide and imbalanced outbreak region, following up outstandingly, negative correlation between natural disasters and social economy. What’s more, natural disaster is a serious harm, for its threatening to the safety of people, increasing social unrest and undermining social and economic development.As the countermeasures to natural disasters, central government takes both active and positive measures. Active measures are relieving victims, food allocation, victim condolence, improvement of relief mechanism; positive measures are valuing water conservation, storing grain to prepare disasters as well as rewarding and punishing strictly. Local officials take active measures, too. They contribute to water conservation, victim condolence, social stability, and disaster reports. Government encourages people to save themselves. And there are various measures, especially monks and "bei tian yang bing fang" established in temples play important roles. The countermeasures and activities of natural disasters in southwest China during Sui Tang and Five Dynasties provide active reference for developing regional economy, building effective disasters-reaction system and improving the coping ability to public emergencies.