The Chinese famine of 1906–1907 struck the middle and lower course of
Huai River in
Qing Dynasty from Autumn 1906 to Spring 1907, administratively in northern
Anhui and northern
Jiangsu provinces.
This
Chinese famine was directly caused by the
1906 China floods (April–October 1906), which hit the Huai River particularly hard and destroyed both the summer and autumn harvest.
Affected area
Northern Anhui
On 21 December 1906, ''
Shen Bao
''Shen Bao'', formerly transliterated as ''Shun Pao'' or ''Shen-pao'' (), known in English as ''Shanghai News'', was a newspaper published from 30 April 1872 to 27 May 1949 in Shanghai, China. The name is short for ''Shenjiang Xinbao'', Shenjian ...
'' reported 16 counties in northern Anhui to have particular high mortalities.
[ As cited in ] The
edict by
Emperor Guangxu on 9 February 1907 waived
agricultural taxes to 40 counties in northern
Anhui. The 40 counties were:.
Northern Jiangsu
On 29 November 1906,
Duanfang
Duanfang (; 20 April 1861 – 27 November 1911), courtesy name Wuqiao (), was a Manchu politician, educator and collector who lived in the late Qing dynasty. He was a member of the Tohoro () clan and the Plain White Banner of the Eight Banners.
...
, the
Viceroy of the Two Yangtze Provinces requested
Emperor Guangxu to permit Jiangsu to redirect the imperial taxes to disaster relief. He cited 13 counties to be disaster-stricken.
Death toll
The primary sources only report fatalities in selected villages or counties.
On 21 December 1906, ''
Shen Bao
''Shen Bao'', formerly transliterated as ''Shun Pao'' or ''Shen-pao'' (), known in English as ''Shanghai News'', was a newspaper published from 30 April 1872 to 27 May 1949 in Shanghai, China. The name is short for ''Shenjiang Xinbao'', Shenjian ...
'', a leading Shanghai newspaper, reported "a precise death toll has become clear recently in 16 respective counties in Anhui" and amounted to 23,300.
Another newspaper reported that victims amounted to 5,000 daily.
Anhui and Jiangsu had a combined population of 42.1 million as of 1911. Two modern commentaries estimate the total famine deaths in the range of 20–25 million, implying that most of the population of northern Anhui and northern Jiangsu population were wiped out, but offering no explanation on how the calculation is made.
As author Bas Dianda commented:
It is very difficult to distinguish fatalities due to the famine from deaths caused by the violence; however, some estimate placed the excess of lethality of the period at 20–25 million dead ..Such a figure, though including deaths from starvation as well as repression, are appalling."
Relief work
It is the first time in Qing dynasty history when the government formally acknowledged and collaborated with private organizations in disaster relief work ("官义合办"), which attracted a lot of academic interest. The relief campaign is coordinated by
Sheng Xuanhuai and
Lü Haihuan
Lu, Lü, or LU may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Lu (music), Tibetan folk music
* Lu (duo), a Mexican band
** ''Lu'' (album)
* Character from Mike, Lu & Og
* Lupe Fiasco or Lu (born 1982), American musician
* Lebor na hUidre, a manuscrip ...
, two statesmen of Jiangsu origin. The lack of Anhui elites in Shanghai, however, led to a huge funding disparity to the much more stricken northern Anhui.
Most of the foreign relief fund came from American missionaries. The
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
and the American newspaper ''
Christian Herald
The ''Christian Herald'' was an American weekly newspaper reporting on topics relevant to Evangelical Christianity, with an emphasis on engaging with humanitarian causes at home and abroad. It was inspired by the London-based newspaper which cease ...
'' furnished over two-thirds of foreign funds sent to China. The Central China Famine Relief Fund Committee was established to coordinate foreign efforts.
On 26 June 1907, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' reported that the crisis was at an end.
See also
*
List of famines in China
References
External links
*
CHINESE FAMINE A PERIL.; American Consul Predicts Dangerous Outcome of Terrible Conditions.*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese famine of 1906-1907
1906
Events
January–February
* January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...
1906 in China
1907 in China
20th-century famines
Disasters in Henan
Disasters in Anhui
Disasters in Jiangsu
Disasters in Qing dynasty
1906 disasters in China
1907 disasters in China