History of disaster relief

China is a country with many kinds of natural disasters and high frequency, especially floods and droughts. According to statistics, from 206 BC to 2 155 BC, there were more than 1750 recorded floods and droughts. In order to ease class contradictions and maintain the dominant position, rulers of past dynasties had to take some disaster prevention and relief measures. In terms of disaster prevention, successive dynasties advocated "agriculture-oriented", implemented the policy of attaching importance to agriculture and devoted themselves to farming; Set up a storage system to accumulate millet for standby; In order to build water conservancy projects, famous irrigation projects such as Zheng Guoqu and Dujiangyan were built during the Warring States Period. There are eight kinds of disaster relief measures: ① Relief. Relief with food, clothes and coins or relief with work. 2 adjust the millet. Immigrants will be short of millet, or will be short of millet. 3 pension. Including porridge, set up temporary shelters for the victims and redeem the children sold by the victims. (4) pest control. Eliminate locusts and treat epidemics. ⑤ settle down. The government sent the fleeing refugees back to China, exempted them from taxes, or gave them land to live a quiet life. 6. Slow down. Including tax exemption, labor exemption, cessation of food arrears, lenient punishment, etc. 7. loans. Lend cash to the victims, or buy food, cattle, farm tools, seeds and other necessities on credit. ⑧ Economy. Advocate frugality and prohibit wine making. Although the rulers took a number of disaster relief measures, due to political corruption, local strongmen used the famine to deepen the exploitation and oppression of the people, and the disaster relief force was weak. Every time there was a major disaster, there would be a tragic scene of population flight, famine and economic recession, which became one of the reasons for poverty and backwardness in China's history.