Research on Chinese Institutional History

Introduction "Bureaucracy and Famine Government in Eighteenth-Century China" is the earliest post-traditional analysis of the role of the traditional state in preventing and relieving famine. The author Wei Pixin takes the disaster relief in Zhili in 1743-1744 as an example, looking forward and backward to study the country's famine relief system, measures and their effectiveness. The discussion extends to the bureaucracy and management, national finance, local society, food security, business and market, rural economy and life, etc. His views are sharp and his vision is broad. The historical materials cited in the book are novel and interesting, which provide important help in understanding the operation of the pre-modern Chinese state. Regarding the state and its role in social economy during the Ming and Qing dynasties, at least before the 1990s, negative views dominated the academic circles. Wei Pixin, the author of "Bureaucracy and Famine Government in Eighteenth-Century China", has been re-examining the above issues with famine relief as the center since the 1970s. The author's positive spirit of the 18th-century country and its high degree of organizational ability, Quanwei and efficiency in managing the economy have been affirmed by the academic community, which also proves the groundbreaking academic status of this book.