Abstract
Abstract Based on the works by Qi Biaojia (1602-0645) and a number of local gazetteers, this thesis analyzes local elite’s ideas of famine relief and the process through which their ideas were discussed and put into practice. It also pays attention to how practice would in turn contribute to the modifications of their ideas. Qi Biaojia’s grand work, A Complete Collection Of Famine Relief, is a product out of this process, which not only documents a wide variety of discourses, but also classifies them into carefully structured categories for convenient reference and coherent understanding of the issues. This thesis argues that famine relief was done in the collaboration between local officials and the local gentry elite – their relationships were not equal because the administrative power was essential in making the efforts successful and usually it was not, as much existing literature has described, delegated to the local elite. Furthermore, the role of merchants is taken into consideration in their relations with the above two groups of actors. How the flow of grain was secured because of, or sometimes despite of, the participation of merchants is a focus of this thesis. Therefore, the function of the grain market network is carefully evaluated by this study of the food shortage crisis of Zhejiang in 1640 and 1641. Keywords: Qi Biaojia, Shaoxing County, Famine Relief