This is a call by the Qing officials, "the eternal odd disaster, is a heart of stone would also be conducted cried," the Great Famine: From 1876 to 1879 afternoon, went on for four years; include Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Zhili , five provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu spread, northern Anhui, Gansu, northern Sichuan; hundreds of millions of victims, at least 10 million people starved to death. Particularly among the most intense years 1877,1878, respectively, because of its two-year reign Lunar Landmarks, Tiger, therefore called the "DE surprising shortage."
Famine, as also of the late Qing empty capsule regime, it is a huge challenge - traditional agricultural empire under the "Famine" has long been in heaven after the chaos of dismembered pieces, modern system of social assistance and protection and far from established. But the paradox is that such a tragic famine, after four years, despite countless small-scale public riots, but in the end there is not even developed into a riot with the traditional sense of the "peasant revolt." Government control can not reach out in the bottom of the late Qing era, this is a miracle.
Why is there such a miracle? |
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| Foreigners: Shanxi famine as hell, why is no one to grab well-off? |
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Timothy (Timothy Richard) is a British Baptist missionary, came to China in 1870. 1876, DE surprising shortage originated from Shandong, Li Timothy just missionary in Shandong, then began his surprising shortage with the DE phase is always a long and arduous rescue operations.
[Shandong hungry to lead their uprising request] Timothy Lee
The arrival of the famine that summer, living in Shandong Qingzhou Timothy Lee. Disaster in May has been very serious, civilians have begun rallied together, "eat big", Timothy wrote in his memoirs:
"A group of women rushed into a wealthy home, occupied it, where cooking, and then flocked to eat another meal. Men who see this approach is very good, they formed groups of five hundred people. a village a village looted feeding. " |
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Timothy Lee left in the diary and selling these children to grab big woman vend recorded at the same time, not exposure to famine itself, the identity of its foreigners, hungry people who strive to become a "valuable resource":
"June 30 that day, two scholars come to visit me, they are scholar, aged between three decades and 40, one from Shouguang, one from Yidu. I'm too busy, no time reception, they agreed to come back the next day next day, the door, they knelt down, and request to be my disciples. conversation, I figured out, both of whom are sent on behalf of a large group of people, you want me to do them leader, at uprising, because authorities can not provide food, they can not live, they have arranged the house, and there are numerous people ready to accept my order and I told the two people said, I never thought To do such a thing, because it will only aggravate the suffering of the people. riots, once started, no one knows how it will end, but will no doubt cause massive bleeding, I suggest they take a constructive approach, rather than to improve the people by destroying the situation. "
A similar episode occurred more than once. July 3 evening, a town east of Green Island also sent representatives to invite Timothy to do their rebel army leader. There is a reason this phenomenon, but he did not realize that Timothy Lee - official is strongly suppressed hungry grab big, hungry people are afraid of foreigners is considered official; in their view, led by the foreigners who try to steal big, can compete from official repression.
Timothy hungry people who did not agree to become a leader, but more than a year in Shandong to do disaster relief work. Until the fall of 1877, Shanxi famine more serious news.
[Timothy confusion Shanxi people living hell on earth, why no one rob well-]
Diary of Timothy Lee's 1878 presentation of Shanxi, is a true hell on earth:
January 29, Taiyuan, south of the 140 in:
After four of the dead lying in the road. There is also a person fours, crawling, has no strength to stand up; run into a funeral: A mother has been dead about carrying shoulder-year-old son, she is the only "bearers", "priest" and funeral who placed the child outside the walls of snow.
l 30, 270 years from the Taiyuan:
Passing two people who apparently just breathe. A clothes bright, but die of starvation. Did not move forward a few miles and found an approximately four-year-old man walking in front of us, staggered like a drunk, after being blown down by a gust of wind, never get up.
January 30, from 290 in Taiyuan:
Saw four bodies lying on the roadside. One wearing only socks, appears to have no weight, a dog is dragging movement. Two are women, people held a funeral for them, just placed it face down. Passers-by on the kindness of some one more, not stripped of her clothes. The third body has become a group of crows and magpies feast. Obese male wild everywhere, rabbits, foxes and wolves, but. Male. And a woman but can not find food to sustain life. When I slowly climbed the hill, encountered an old man, he told me sadly unusual, said: "Our mules and donkeys are eaten, strong labor also have starved to death, what sin we have made, Such penalties incurred God? "
On Feb. l, 450 in the south of Taiyuan:
Within half a day saw six bodies, four of which are woman's body. One lying in a shed in the open, naked, wrapped a belt around the waist; a ditch lying in the river; a dip in the water, because dogs drag, half-exposed on the ice; a half-length wearing tattered clothes, lying in a hole next to the roadside; there a flesh-eating birds and animals have been shredded, half eaten, but also hit two seventeen-year-old young man, walking stick stumble The line looks like ninety-year-old man. Another young man carrying his mother - she has no strength to walk, see me staring at them, I help young Bianxiang, Taiyuan, this is the first time after I left someone told me to beg.
February 2, 530 in the south of Taiyuan:
The next city I have ever seen the most horrible scene. Early in the morning, I went to the gate. The side door is a pile of naked male corpse, as has been like a pig slaughterhouse play together. The other side of the door is also a pile of corpses, all body of a woman. Was also stripped of their clothes to go for food to go. Have the body transported to the carriage two pit next to it the body of a man thrown into a pit, the woman whose body was thrown into another pit.
... ...
Long walks in the body between hunger and Timothy Lee, a deeply confused by the question: Why is society still "orderly"? He ultimately provide to their explanation is -
"I always wonder why no one rob well-off today with the answer to this question: in each village have posted notices that the governor has made, no one dares to mugging, heads of villages and towns were entitled to summary execution of the robbery, Thus the phenomenon of crime is surprisingly small. we all luck, I only see people shed tears for the scene is buried in the mothers when their children. "
However, Timothy Lee seems to forget - Shandong governor Yamen to the same repressive measures, but there are still big rush of people constantly, but also want to find a foreigner to do their leaders, to act as umbrella.
[Behind the man-made disaster: over and over opium-free grain storage well-off can result in Shanxi] looting
Timothy failed to get a glimpse of Shanxi big people do not grab the real reason is because he did not know the real cause of the famine. While continuing drought is the most important reason for the famine, but the man-made weight should not be ignored -
In 1859 the Qing court promulgated the "Regulations imposed soil determined drug tax", thus legitimizing domestic opium cultivation. After just over ten years, farmers in Shanxi, "the semi-abandoned fields with opium poppy," but more than grain crops because of opium poppy to make money, "tend to Gao Yu paddy fields all over the opium poppy, while the grain of the anti-swept Qiao barren zone", to dynasty dynasty, Shanxi has become a major opium producing areas the local. Censor Liu Enpu said Shanxi situation is "several ten thousand ares Gao Yu of the field, a few grains of soil-tree arts"; when people estimate that: "Since the prevalence of opium poppy, opium poppy fields for each county are no fewer than ten of the three, four, all together terms of the provincial Tsuchida, share one hundred and fifty thousand ares. " Zhang also said: Shanxi everywhere opium cultivation, "a few no's in no county."
A lot of land and labor transfer up to the consequences of opium, is the rapid decline in food production in Shanxi province. "Declaration" had analyzed the year: "Shanxi from the extensive cultivation of poppy has been gradually produced less grain, no cover private possession, a case of Han Huang Qi Li Zhuo see, that this damage is still not as poppy, who doubted its ? "
The spread of opium cultivation, though the most intense in Shanxi, but the phenomenon is not unique to Shanxi. Belong to the affected areas of Henan, Shandong, but also the importance of the local opium producing areas. Ultimately, this malformation of the rural "economic development model", leading to famine during the civil hard to find large grain storage, natural, Timothy would be difficult to see in Shanxi Province is expected to see him grab the big picture of the kind; Moreover, when Timothy arrived in Shanxi, famine has occurred for a very long time, there are a handful of grain in Shanxi had been quickly steal a large.
Really need deep reflection later, is another paradoxical question: such a spread to hundreds of millions, almost covering the entire North China's great famine, which led to numerous violent incidents, group incidents, but in the end, actually not made this many incidents of violent groups to develop one or two derived the so-called "peasant revolt" (so-called "uprising", no different from the general political demands of the riots).
If we take the "uprising" to simplify the definition of "political aspirations of the riots", then, this paradox might be a different perspectives on the issue: in this unprecedented famine in the Chinese gentry literati who, where? And who they stand with?
- As a traditional agricultural society, the direct integration of the underlying Chinese who gentry literati involvement of farmers riot upgraded to "revolt" of the most crucial factor - their knowledge of the political demands made possible; their social relations forces will be integrated into the core of the link. |
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| Gentry: the fall in the foreign religion of salvation is far more important than the relief of victims of child |
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Lunar calendar in late February 1877, Suzhou gentleman Xie Jiafu has just completed a difficult task: escorting a group of hungry people from the South to return to their places of origin. In the way home, Xie Jiafu heard, represented by Timothy Western missionaries in Shandong relief news. A seemingly "innate" let Xie Jiafu sensitivity immediately tense up, he later recorded in the diary up and said:
"(A message that foreigners relief) Well put deep fear of the enemy, heresy by Stanford, can not remain indifferent. Care to only slightly Li Bo, Mo concerned to restore, troubled the heart, words difficult to own."
[Worried about foreigners buying people] by the Disaster Relief
In such a "heart" of the emotions under control, Xie Jiafu immediately familiar to their group wrote a number of southern gentry, stressed the need for foreigners in China's disaster relief actions to take measures. Xie said: |
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"Westerners in Shandong relief, playing the guise of disaster relief shirt neighbors, is secretly doing clean up people's conspiracy. Failure to take measures, I am afraid the people will lead to the loss of rampant paganism, and finally as the scourge of China."
Xie further recommended that the issue should be relief to compete with foreigners fighting, "to track economic relief" to track foreigners relief routes to relief against relief, it is not so enough to prevent foreigners cheated hearts and minds of people. Xie believes that this is all a matter of conscience by the bounden duty of the patriotic scholar and obligations, and this generous write a poem:
Soldiers later Xiongnian, the national economy and what Jianlian? Andhra relief money three hundred thousand, but with discipline overwhelming Mu!
However, with Mu and Timothy, is the Western missionaries in Shandong Relief representatives.
[Children starve to death is still small, is lured to the Catholic Church, the largest non-]
In Xie Jiafu view, relief against foreigners by people buying the first order of business, with the missionaries in the adoption of children affected by hunger to compete. In his May 4, 1877 letter to a friend Li Jinyong mentioned wrote: "East province after the disaster, displaced children who can not count, for his adoptive family who heard as much as several hundred. Fear of the people outside are stolen, differences that run amok, as the scourge of the Zou Lu ... "
In such a "serious" situation, the TSE stands for "acute symptoms", the "standard" for children on the grounds that children's intellectual is not open, the situation sinus does not pass, more likely to be alien to confuse. Xie excitedly wrote: Seeing these children were foreigners flooding into the "trap", it can no longer be a fresh start, whenever flesh who "can no cone darling, vertical hair, urgent plans to remedy indeed!"
Initiative in literati circles has been generally recognized. For example, Suzhou Yuan gentry then reply to the TSE, said: "Westerners want to adopt orphans of famine, it is absolutely not. ... If we can adopt more than one, then the little one to join the church, especially large merit."
Another example is the plot of another spring called the gentleman in particular, to speak at the party: "The children still starve to death is small, lured to the Catholic, the largest not, whether the lead of the Church, should be matched proportionally, do exceedingly well . "
With the support of these literati, Xie Jiafu the relief operation was immediately launched. But Xie Jiafu I do not think this activity is initiated by their own relief efforts. In a letter to a friend, he solemnly declared: "This brother of the barbarian acts of the enemy, not for relief. Relief Jen deliberately places, meaning when read kiss Jen, Yi is the enemy but know that cause, although the top tax elk heel, have to endure "- meaning that: The main purpose of my visit is to resist the barbarians, not to relief; relief stress is benevolence; against the barbarians the emphasis is righteous, and I was fire and water, without any hesitation .
This position has won high praise from many of the literati. Such as Shanghai Bao Wang Geng gentleman letter praised the TSE on the number of orphans from the darkness of the "beast of the field," the behavior of saving is a great feat, we can see that things are still viable. And expressed its willingness to fight side by side with, continue to promote this cause.
Carry out the work when confronted with difficulties, often as a way to encourage Xie own: "destroyed the life of barbarians of the blog, can not forget the moment, ... (now get this opportunity) and the loss of the cross-arm, the body exists in reality dead, the world is not with this person, do not have to have this child Xie also. "
It is also based on a "barbarian enemy" rather than "disaster relief" concept, Xie Shandong region in the activities of the famine was focused on the resettlement of children. It has been suggested that it will raise capital from the south to set up soup kitchens, to alleviate the urgent needs of victims of Qingzhou, the result was his refusal. TSE, while agreeing that the original Qingzhou porridge factory has stopped, victims of the situation is very dangerous, but in his eyes, children and adults are different: children of ignorance, do not know how to starve to death is a small matter, nothing disloyal in the Spring and Autumn Yixia cause, so can not ask them like adults and generous to Chijie die, therefore, limited funds should be given priority to give relief to children. Xie said in his diary: because of this consideration, so decide on their own "truth get peace of mind", no guilt.
[Squire their success: many victims would rather starve to death, not foreigners of relief]
A similar concept, Xie in many different occasions have repeatedly explained the. June 22, 1877 night, went to visit a number of Shanghai gentleman Xie, Li Chen church accept the dangers of Chinese children, just one seat in the church to raise relief funds for those who, for the church to say a word that should not be Jesus taught and confuse the Catholic Church, beat him to death. TSE immediately attracted intense refute:
"The run by a who's good and bad has nothing to do with the religion, the concern is the limits of foreign Shandong victims Relief shirt by foreigners, more than in March, almost only aware of foreigners, I do not know Chinese men. Dwellers lose what is good music , if people have to go the next solid people, the prosperity of the country's strength training, it is much the loyal and righteous and if in turn, also raise funds for the church, so why not a traitor? relief of those who accept the church, must convert foreign teach, and finally no longer a citizen of China. the most miserable, those who have not yet opened Mongolian boy, how do you know these, seeing them fall in the church among the heartless? Zhu said that although no students to self-reliance, not If the death of the security, so my view is: save the children occupied in the church, is more important than the relief of victims. "
Xie Jiafu relief activities of foreigners resistance, represents the day of the mainstream view of Chinese literati. This is obtained from the TSE can get a glimpse of the broad support. This attitude of resistance, also popular in the Qing court level. April 1878, the Henan Hong Qu political machine learning foreigners relief to hear the news, immediately memorial, accusing foreigners "whose motives are dangerous unpredictable", aims to take advantage of my "people Duochou storm" opportunity to "take care of people "to achieve their sinister plot. Qing court after receiving the memorial, then the instructions in Shanxi and Henan provinces, the governor (this due to the inland provinces, foreigners have not yet had time to enter the relief, but the disaster has been very severe), whenever they run into a foreigner to enter the disaster area, must be "wan to enlighten, trying to discourage. "
Victims who resist the foreigners relief equally strong emotions. Historical records, Guangxu three years (1877), victims of Changle County, Shandong Province, "by Vladimir foreign relief"; victims of the County of Shandong music "all willing to starve to death, not foreigners of relief." Henan, the most decisive attitude of the victims, not only refused to accept relief, missionaries also touted the "ulterior motives." West, who was in the "declaration" published an article on such a description:
"Where hungry big Bujie Shi, Henan, in the clergy are given to the bank, refused to receive, which means that the West priests served the people intended to buy, attractive church, so special to me and other money, Shen Wu falling their surgery. ring each other, not even one person willing to lead. and fake tears map of the type of iron, all sorts of evil-like artificial, that the priest inviting the church and so abused. also posted multiple points in an effort to incite the people, the province without official Gazette How can. "
To follow "Iron Tears map" produced posters, and widely disseminated, there must be behind this is, Henan intellectuals who participate in the local gentry literati.
Nevertheless, many still try to send missionaries into the Henan relief, but the result is that local people and the government does not allow them to stay, but not allow them in any way involved in the local relief services, and claimed that if they do not leave there will be in Henan life-threatening. Henan province's strong anti-religion sentiment much better than his province, Kaifeng residents heard about the missionaries, who reached the Hong flowers, then paste over the confession, the "barbarians prefer to eat meat, not eating Yi Su," the sentence, even a college strike declared that "war with the Westerners." Eventually, the missionaries had to abandon relief Henan plans. Shortage during the entire D E odd, actually did not let the West of Henan Province in its distribution within the slightest degree of relief supplies, the local gentry with their full, deserve full recognition. |
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