The Conversion of Grain into Currency and the Monetization of Famine Relief in Qing Dynasty
Monetization,as an important feature of the national financial system reform in Ming and Qing dynasties,had different influencing factors and historical performance.Famine relief,being an important expenditure of national finance,showed a distinct tendency of monetization since Qianlong,which had experienced a complex historical process.For example,the approach to promote changed from"active"to"passive",the way of famine relief transformed from"depending on both silver and grain"into"totally depending on silver",the function of currency changed from"subordination"to"dominance".In the early years of Qianlong,officials proposed the method of"depending on both silver and grain for famine relief",achieving the aim of benefiting both the official and the civil by taking advantages of currency.Since then,depending on currency for famine relief had gradually been regarded as a substitute for grain shortage.In order to ensure its effectiveness,the government had to improve the purchasing power of the victims by increasing price which is the ratio of currency to grain.During the period of Jiadao,with the shortage of local grain reserves,the proportion of depending on currency for famine relief increased greatly.As a result,the role of currency,as a substitute for grain,became increasingly prominent.However,the effectiveness of depending on currency for famine relief was reduced,partly because of the low price which is the ratio of currency to grain,and the corruption of official system,but principally because of the decline in the whole level of grain.Eventually,under multiple predicaments,the role of nation in famine relief,mainly including currency as a substitute for grain had been progressively weakened in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
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