Study On Charity Events In Yuan Dynasty

Charity especially refers to a social phenomenon and practical actions that civic groups and individuals give help to people who are suffering difficulties. As a major supplement of government social relief, it belongs to social assistance. So far, academia has already had lots of study on charity in Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. However, study on charity in Yuan dynasty mostly remains on official security system, and few charity events are involved in the study, let alone papers on these events. Therefore, talking about ancient charity events, experts are apt to speak little about it in Yuan dynasty or even brush over it. Consequently, the author chooses charity in Yuan dynasty as subject to study in the hope to present a faithful condition of charity at that certain time.After analyzing historical materials, the author found out that charity in Yuan dynasty has the same thoughts, relief system and encourage mechanism as those in Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties. Besides, among the folk, a large number of people with different status dedicated to charity and did influential charity events. As for the contents of charity in Yuan dynasty, it involves relief of famine and disaster, social charity, mutual aid among folk and other forms just as it in Song dynasty. Meanwhile, charity in Yuan dynasty has its own characters. For example, the government widened the security system to the county and established Public Pharmacy and Charity Granary. Support to these relief groups from nongovernmental strength makes it possible for the government to advocate grass-root relief groups, which has great inspiration to today’s society.They found it impossible to reverse the situation of frequent wars, disasters, and political unrest in Yuan dynasty. On the one hand, social turbulence stimulated the booming of charity in Yuan dynasty. On the other hand, it caused a large number of people in difficulties and made the charity useless. Nevertheless, charity events in Yuan dynasty made great contributions to keep the society mobile and people alive. It also benefited the explosion of charity in Ming and Qing dynasties and set an example to the future security system. Based on a systematic summary of historical material about charity, this paper employs history, documentation science, sociology and statistics to summarize the main types and modes of carrying out the charity in Yuan dynasty, with a full understanding and comprehensive analysis of charity in Yuan dynasty. Meanwhile, this paper carries out a thorough study of charity from two aspects. One aspect is elaboration on charity’s social influence from the main content of the charity events at that time. The other aspect is to sum up the relations between charity thoughts in Yuan dynasty and Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Then this paper sums up the important features, social functions and historical influence of charity in Yuan dynasty.This paper consists of the six parts:Introduction introduced the meaning of the selected title in academic study, and related research results. Meanwhile, it elaborates the main idea, research theories, research methods and problems worthy of notice so as to know the theory, methods and data.The first part is the main content of charity in Yuan dynasty. This part generalizes a conclusion of the main content and modes of carrying out it from inducting and coordinating the charity in Yuan dynasty.The second part is the main types of charity events in Yuan dynasty. By analyzing the charity events and cataloging them, this part discusses the charity and social influence of different types of charity events from five aspects, that is consanguinity, geography, teaching reasons, occupation and contingency.The third part concentrates on the philanthropy of the social philanthropist group and typical event in Yuan dynasty through historical material. This part focuses on the typical philanthropist and events.Part four is the development of charity thoughts of Yuan dynasty. This part discusses how the charity thoughts of Yuan dynasty are promoted under the influence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism to find out the relation between charity thoughts of Yuan dynasty and the situation of society and ideology and culture.At the end of the paper, there is a brief summary of the main characters, social functions and historical influences of charity in Yuan dynasty. Among these questions, part one and part four are crucial. Through sorting out the charity events and systematically researching into the development of charity thoughts, this paper reveals the relation between charity thoughts of Yuan dynasty and the situation of society and ideology and culture in the hope to be beneficial to a deeper study of the history of charity and social history in Yuan dynasty.