1840年长江三角洲水灾的时空分布与社会响应

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of the Flood in the Yangtze River Delta in 1840 A.D.and the Social Response

本文利用《翁心存日记》等历史文献资料,重建了1840年长江三角洲水灾的时空分布。本次水灾的主要天气成因为梅雨期偏长、雨量偏多。其灾害程度一般。对常熟区域社会对水灾的响应进行了研究,发现直接受灾的农民能迅速对灾害做出反应,驱动社会力量的动员。官府和士绅以维护社会的稳定为目的,组织赈济。无论官赈和民赈,皆操于胥吏之手,使得赈济的效率低下,而鸦片战争亦使得该年灾害的社会赈济更加困难和复杂。江南区域社会存在的赈济体系能使灾害损失在社会范围内得到一定程度的转移,从而维持社会的正常运转,但更大时空尺度上的制度及事件对区域响应机制的运作有重要影响。

This paper reconstructed the temporal and spatial distribution of the flood in the Yan- gtze River Delta in 1840 based on Weng Xincun Dairy and other historical literature. The comparably long Meiyu period and more precipitation during this period were the main reason for this flood in 1840. This flood counted as a general disaster in the Yangtze River Delta. Research on the social re- sponse to the flood in Changshu suggests that the peasants who were directly affected by the flood were able to response quickly, thus drove the reaction of other social power. The local government and the gentry organized relief on the purpose of sustaining the stability of the society. Both official relief and populace relief were operated by petty official which lead to a relatively lower relief efficien- cy. What＇s more, the First Opium War created a more complicated situation and added more difficul- ties in the process of relief. The relief system in Jiangnan region can transfer flood damage to certain extent to maintain er level of tempora region. the function and order of the society. 1 and spatial scale can greatly affected However, the system and events from a high- the response operating mechanism within the