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15 May 2001, Volume 0 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Epidemics in Jiangnan during the Jiaqing and Daoguang Reigns YU Xin-Zhong 2001, 0(2): 1-18.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1750KB) ( )   This article places epidemics in Jiangnan during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns in context of evolution of modem Chinese society and thoroughly examines issues related to epidemics. The article finds that cholera epidemics repeatedly broke out and were related to contacts with the West as well as to factors peculiar to the Jiangnan region itself. These internal factors included Jiangnan’s geographical features, the economic developments that took place during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns, the flourishing of seaborne and riverborne traffic, and the increase in environmental degradation and pollution. After the appearance of epidemics in Jiangnan, various circles, particularly medical circles, took many effective measures to control such epidemics, thereby manifesting the vivacity and dynamism of local Jiangnan society. This history of epidemics in Jiangnan indicates that we should not conceal the rapid advance of Western civilization, nor should we overlook developments within Chinese society. Related Articles | Metrics

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Plague and Mortality during the Moslem Rebellion in Yunnan Province LI Yu-Shang, CAO Shu-Ji 2001, 0(2): 19-32.  Abstract ( )   PDF (959KB) ( )   Due to a lack of statistical documentation few scholars have researched the number of deaths from the great plague during the Muslim Rebellion in the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns. The author utilizes reports from the 1950s written by a specialist to estimate how many people died of plague in Yunnan and what proportion of deaths during the war came from plague. The author then explains the reasons for the high number of deaths during the war, and concludes that war itself is also a type of “ecological disaster.” Related Articles | Metrics

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Clear and Muddy Flows: Environmental Change and Special Features of the Water-Control of the Da Qing River Lower Reaches WANG Jian-Ge 2001, 0(2): 33-42.  Abstract ( )   PDF (909KB) ( )   Population pressure and the opening of new land in the Qing brought about the deforestation of the Taihang mountains, which led to severe soil erosion; silt then built up in the Yongding and Ziya rivers to the point where the lower reaches of the Da Qing River became increasingly clogged. Thus levees in these rivers burst and floods were more prevalent. In order to ameliorate the damage from floods, the Qing government concentrated on water control and the construction and repair of silt-damaged dykes and dams in the Yongding and Ziya rivers, but the results were not very effective. This unsuccessful process of water control was a typical reflection of the special features of water conservancy of an autocratic court in its twilight years. Related Articles | Metrics

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Water Conservancy and Natural Disasters as Seen from Steles in the Late Qing Southern Shaanxi Region ZHANG Jian-Min 2001, 0(2): 43-55.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1152KB) ( )   Due to excessive opening of new lands during the Ming-Qing period, the ecology and hydrology of the mountainous areas of Shaanxi witnessed some distinctly negative changes. Serious soil erosion led to increasingly ineffective irrigation canals and other types of water conservancy, as well as to the rapidly growing number of natural disasters, especially floods. This essay relies on stele inscriptions from Hanzhong and Xingan prefectures to investigate the changes that irrigation and water conservancy induced in Shaanxi during the late Qing. The article also examines the special characteristics of natural disasters, and the relationship between natural disasters and human activities in this locale. Related Articles | Metrics

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Lineages and Charitable Granaries: Charitable Relief in the Yixing and Jingxi Areas during the Qing Dynasty WU Tao 2001, 0(2): 56-71.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1478KB) ( )   This article uses local gazetteers and clan genealogies from the Yixing and Jingxi regions in order to analyze lineage-organized charitable granaries. It focuses on the relationship between kinship and regional social structures in the management of charitable granaries and relief. The article concludes that in Qing-era Jiangnan society, lineage control of local communities could not be realized until the lineage fulfilled its service function to the entire community rather than limiting its attention solely to its own lineage. Related Articles | Metrics

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Investigation of Famine and Famine Relief in Late Qing Zhili CHI Zi-Hua, LI Hong-Ying 2001, 0(2): 72-92.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1948KB) ( )   Zhili was the area most affected by famine in the late Qing, and the province was first in the nation in the rate for all natural disasters. The three sections of this essay examine the patterns, influences and policies for reducing famine. Part one examines the severity and length of droughts and floods in Zhili. Part two explains how natural disasters not only created social and economic decline, homelessness, and death, but also how natural disasters caused psychological shocks that disrupted social order and heightened social contradictions. Part three looks at policies for alleviating natural disasters. Despite the fact that new methods for alleviating famine were introduced and used along with traditional formulas for disaster relief, these efforts yielded limited results and their overall impact was not great. Related Articles | Metrics

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Famine and People’s Livelihood: A New Perspective on the Economic Thought of Chen Chi XU Yan 2001, 0(2): 93-104.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1139KB) ( )   This article systematically examines the economic thought of Chen Chi from the perspective of his personal background and individual experiences. This study reveals that his economic theory, which placed the people’s livelihood at the center, was greatly influenced by China’s experience with famine in the late Qing. This article states that Chen was the first economic theorist to take environmental change into account when analyzing the impoverishment of northern China and the rising frequency of famine. Chen thus contributed to the advance of modern demographic, environmental, economic, and social policies, and introduced new ideas for development of China’s economy that had a significant influence on later economic theoreticians. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Relationship between Natural Disasters and Popular Beliefs and Customs in Qing Dynasty Huizhou WANG Zhen-Zhong 2001, 0(2): 105-119.  Abstract ( )   Documentary collections for Huizhou have been important historical resources for the study of society in Ming and Qing Huizhou. In order to examine the relationship between natural disasters and popular belief, this article concentrates on “Yingchou Bianlan,”a compilation concerning Fengteng village in the Xiaodi 1i of Zheyuan township in Wuyuan county in Huizhou, along with a large cache of newly discovered and closely related historical materials. The article allows us to understand this infrequently examined aspect of everyday life in the Huizhou area. Related Articles | Metrics

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Tiger-related Disasters in Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi during the Ming and Qing Dynasties LIU Zheng-Gang 2001, 0(2): 120-124.  Abstract ( )   PDF (479KB) ( )   This article focuses on the causes, negative impact, distribution and rise and fall of tiger-related disasters in Ming-Qing era Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi. This article discusses how environmental destruction was caused by population pressures which led to heavy migration into mountain areas, the introduction of new plants, and the opening of new lands. This then resulted in more frequent conflicts between tigers and humans. When humans first began to invade mountain areas, tigers often attacked and killed them. Later, when the opening of new lands in mountain areas reached its peak, tigers were constantly killed by humans. By the end of the process, tigers in south China had become extinct; thus tiger disasters also ceased. Related Articles | Metrics