Heavenly Misfortune Years: Famine in the Qing Dynasty and Chinese Society

Author: Li Wenhai. Xia Mingfang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In the past two decades, academic circles both domestically and internationally have shown strong interest in the study of Chinese disaster history, publishing a large number of insightful academic achievements. Among these, the Qing Dynasty's disaster history has become a focal point of research. This is determined by three key reasons: First, the Qing Dynasty was the last feudal monarchy in China and also the one closest to us in terms of feudal history. Many of the economic, political, military, diplomatic, and ethnic relations issues in contemporary China have evolved from the Qing Dynasty. Studying Qing-era disasters holds the most direct reference value for today. Second, the Qing Dynasty experienced extremely severe disasters, and the people's disaster resistance efforts accumulated rich experience. The government's disaster relief mechanisms and actual operations also represented the pinnacle of ancient disaster governance, becoming more comprehensive and systematic, reaching a high level of development. Finally, the historical records available to date on disasters are most abundant during the Qing Dynasty. For example, in the Comprehensive Collection of Chinese Disaster Governance, the works on disaster governance written by Qing scholars account for over 90% of the entire collection, demonstrating its vastness. Building on previous research, how to further deepen and expand the study of Qing-era disaster history in the 21st century is a major historical challenge we face. Below, I will share some of my own thoughts.