The Research In Tianjin Guanren Tang And It’s Philanthropy(1878-1935)

Tianjin Guangren Tang is a charitable organization dedicated to helping the helpless andlonely people in Tianjin and Hejian founded by a southern gentry, an investment manager, andhas developed a school of its own among the many charitable organizations in Tianjin. Thedirect cause of its foundation is the Northern Chinese Famine of1876–1949, which broughtabout the selling of women by wicked and crafty people in disaster area and business elitescan not bear to see it. The deeper cause is the influence of beneficence idea in Chinese socialtradition, the spread of new ideological thoughts such as freedom and equality in moderntimes and the expansion of the force of southern gentry and the further enhancement of socialresponsibility. From1878when it was founded to1949when it was ended, Tianjin GuangrenTang has undergone two phrases. The period from1878to1900is the pioneering stage andthe period from1900to1949is the stage for expansion, development and declination.Tianjin Guangren Tang was mainly established by the gentry in three provinces includingJiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. In its interior, it has a complete organization system and cleardivision about responsibilities. It also absorbed some organizations to form a widely reliefnetwork. The expenditure includes rental income, administrative appropriations, businessincome and charity donations with the rental income being the main sources. The rentalincome also influences the ups and downs of the career directly.There are a multitude of things about saving the kidnapped women and children. TianjinTongren tang mainly included burning paper money for the dead during festivals, giving reliefto the widows, education and medical treatment and carried forward its business orderly.Their painstaking effort maintained the constant running of relief career and saved someinjured women and children from the bandits’ claws and brothel and they gained the broadconfidence in the society. In particular, teaching the women and children knowledge, trainingthem the skills are helpful for them to earn their own living in the society. Especially inaspects of education, it pursued the footstep of modernization tightly, emphasized vocationaleducation to make sure that the relieved ones can avoid the second poverty. In measures of medical treatment, the imperfect relief system also embodied the dream of realizing apowerful country by virtue of medical treatment.During the process of the business operation, the Women and Children GeneralAssembly, Tianjin Chamber of Commerce and Tianjin Guangren Tang joined the educationand medical treatment with a positive attitude, They assisted the government office anddefended people’s livelihood. Shanghai administration office felt the arduousness of themission and supported the involvement of non-governmental organizations under the situationwhich is difficult for the government and police to handle. The cooperation between the twogained obvious results for the anti-kidnapping and relief. The research of Tianjin GuangrenTang showed clearly that although philanthropy involves many problems such as laws, society,customs, it will become the important auxiliary power for social stability with the activeparticipation of non-governmental organizations and active support of administrativeorganizations.