雍正時期江浙風暴潮與政府應對

Storm Tides and Government Response during the Yongzheng Period

雍正時期，江蘇、浙江沿海遭遇了兩次風暴潮災害，對江浙沿海特別是江南地區經濟與社會生活造成巨大的負面影響；蘇州、杭州的米價達到了十八世紀前期每石1.5兩的最高價位，危及清政府財賦中心的社會安定。清政府積極賑災，自雍正皇帝以下各級官員都特別關注災區糧食供給這個核心問題，將救災重點放在平抑災區糧價上，採取截漕平糶、跨省域採買、調撥倉貯協濟、敦促開放區域糧食市場等措施。既注意發揮政府行政力量的調劑作用，又積極疏通糧食市場，在平抑糧價的同時，給糧食市場留有一定的贏利空間；鼓勵商販、政府與市場力量共同發揮，從而增加了災區的糧食供應，有效緩解災害對相關地區的糧價衡擊。這次災賑中的政府表現說明，在十八世紀前期國家是災後賑濟的主要力量，也只有一個強勢的中央政府和各級地方政府的有效組織，才能完成如此長期的大規模糧食調控。清代的各級官員能夠較妥善地制定和執行相關的救災規程，落實救災政策，承擔了當時體制下政府所能夠承擔的救災責任。清政府借助市場力量開展災害救濟的選擇，是對當時糧食市場供需關係理性認識的結果，也是中國傳統荒政措施一個有效益的發展。

Two storm tides swept the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang during the Yongzheng reign, greatly damaging the economic and social life of the local people. The government mobilized officials at all levels to fully engage in disaster relief. Thus the entire Qing administration was able to emphasize the core issue of grain supply in stricken areas. The government not only emphasized the role of administrative measures in controlling grain prices, but also actively engaged in mediating the inter-provincial grain markets. This considerably improved the grain supplies in stricken areas and effectively alleviated the impact of the disasters on grain prices in the affected regions. The government's performance in this disaster relief indicated that governmental effort was the primary resource for disaster relief during the early eighteenth century. The decision of the Qing government to carry out disaster relief campaigns with the aid of market power resulted from a sensible understanding of the supply-and-demand relations of the grain market, and this blend of government and market powers also served as an effective model for the development of traditional famine relief strategies in China.