Social Relief Research In Songjiang Prefecture In The Qing Dynasty

Throughout Qing Dynasty, natural disasters took place frequently in Songjiangfu, which bring great harm to people's production and life. From the point of socio-economic, cotton and other economic crops were the chief crop in the rural areas,which cause the lack of food during the disaster;high rate of tenancy,prevailing of usury, businessman hoarding to drive up prices,all increased people's difficulties.Due to the combined action of negative natural environment and socio-economic conditions,people in urgent need of social relief.There were three main parts of the social relief in Songjiangfu.l, The official relief. The official relief including emergent relief, such as exempt from taxation or postpone it, release material and pension.But emergent relief wasn't a long-term strategy, so the government developed the long-term relief such as storage.In the early Qing Dynasty, no matter Changping storage or She storage, bad official supervision led to unsatisfactory effectAt the last stage of Qing Dynasty, the government initiated the Jigu storage, different financing mode made the sources of funds stable, more emphasis on government's supervision.made the relief effect relatively better.But the embezzlement of fund and material still existed,which restricted the relief effect.2? The folk relief. The folk relief generated to remedy the shortage of official relief,which including relief the widows? babies and support the funeral. To a certain extent, although the three parts played a positive role, in the face of the expansion of the relief the fund usually was lack, the relief became a corvee which made the gentry lose enthusiasm,eventually restricted the development of relief.In this case, the sponsor from the government maintain the relief, purchase an estate set a foundation for long-term development, alternative financing modes to adopt Yuan Juan was a good method equally.3? The clan relief. In Songjiangfu during Qing Dynasty, the base of the clan relief was the clan field. The small-scale clan field usually managed by gentry or took turns. The large-scale clan field usually set up the Free estate, the direct descendant as the principal administrator. By the end of the Qing Dynasty,the management of the clan field became reasonable.The clan field always rent to farmers. The clan used the income of the clan field to help the poor,subsidize the wedding? funeral and the school work. Limited to economic strength and clan concept,the clan relief mainly helped clansman and the direct descendant,but when the economic strength was enough,the clan relief would beyond the clan. There were some connections between these three reliefs.The government supported the folk and clan relief, the problem of the official relief needed folk's help, the folk relief generated to remedy the shortage of official relief,but the lack of fund also need the sponsor from the government.The government advocated ? encouraged and protected the development of the clan field which was the foundation of the clan relief, when the economic strength was enough, the clan relief became folk relief to some degree. Although the three reliefs worked together not close, the integration wasn't effective.the relief also stabilized and developed the local society.Studying the social relief in Songjiangfu during Qing Dynasty is an important lesson and inspiration to current relief.First of all, social relief should build long-term mechanism;Secondly, create the awareness that establish the rules is the prerequisite to the relief; Last but not least,social relief need the lead and participation of the government,but during the concrete operation,the government should handle the relationship with the folk properly.The government must be the supervisor and manager, prevent intervention directly, to avoid the corruption during officialization and the decline of relief eventually.