“丁戊奇荒”中山西的灾荒与救济

The Relief of "Ding-Wu Famine" in Shanxi Province

清光绪初年华北地区爆发了"丁戊奇荒",山西地区不仅旱灾持续时间长而且夹杂着狼灾、鼠灾及各种瘟疫等,灾情之烈无以复加,堪称华北五省之最。突如其来的特大灾荒给山西社会造成了巨大的破坏性后果:饿殍遍野、人口锐减、经济凋敝、社会秩序混乱不堪。"丁戊奇荒"中出现的官赈、商赈、教赈等联合救灾的模式,其成效虽不理想,但却证明了中国传统荒政的衰败,促进了近代慈善理念的"西学东渐"和中国传统救灾模式的本土化、规模化、正规化,并成为近代中国社会整合方式调整的开端。

In 1876-1879, at the beginning of the Period of Guangxu, Qing Dynasty, a severe drought broke out in North China. The situation in Shanxi was the worst with long-time drought and various plagues. The suddenly stricken famine had brought about huge destructive results to the province： countless bodies of those who died of hunger, sharp population decrease, depressing economy, chaotic social order. Despite united relieves from the government, business community, religion, the unsatisfied effect completely indicated the failure of governmental traditional relief policy in years of famine. The effect promoted finally the gradual acceptance of modern western philanthropy idea and formed the localization, scale and regulation of Chinese disaster relief mode, which was regarded as the beginning of adjustment reunifying of modem Chinese society.