清代慈善机构的地域分布及其原因

The Regional Distribution of Charity in Qing Dynasty and Its Reasons

清代慈善机构地域分布的均衡程度与政府介入的多少成正比,完全由官方办理的养济院分布均匀;政府起主导作用的育婴堂、普济堂分布比较均衡;民间自行办理的地方善堂、宗族义庄和工商业者的会馆公所等则分布最不平衡,集中在江南地区。这种分布特征源于政府政策、救济需求和各地经济文化差异等因素的互相作用。清政府的政策由各州县等地方政府来执行,所以政府起决定作用的慈善活动,其分布便比较均衡。清中期以后,随着救济需求的增加,政府对举办慈善活动力有不逮,主要依靠社会来兴办慈善事业。以苏州、上海为中心的江南地区经济发达,为慈善活动的开展提供了充足的经济基础。再加上当地文化发达,善书传播广泛,行善的思想相应也得到了广泛传播,好善风气的盛行进一步推动了民间慈善事业的兴盛。

With the interaction of various factors such as relief needs, government policy, and differences in local culture and economy, the regional distribution of charity in Qing Dynasty bears the following characteristics： government-sponsored charities are most equally distributed; government-dominated charity is a little less equally distributed ; unofficial charity is least equally distributed. Taken as a whole, of the charity in Qing Dynasty, are as equally distributed as how much government is in volved.