| Abstract |
During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1654-1722), a sophisticated system of reporting rainfall levels and grain harvests was put in place, enabling the Qing government to provide timely relief when natural disasters occurred. Just how effective this system actually was can be seen by studying the response of the regional government to a natural disaster that struck the Girin Ula area (in modern-day Jilin province) in 1750. First, price increases were strictly forbidden by the government, to make sure that victims of the disaster would be able to maintain their basic livelihood. In addition, the lands of those affected were carefully assessed and classified, so that appropriate levels of assistance could be given. These and other measures played an important role in ensuring social stability in the disaster-stricken areas, and facilitated the subsequent process of recovery. It can be seen that the grain reserve system, put in place for dealing with crises, was one of the main reasons for the emergence of a golden era during the early period of the Qing dynasty. |
