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Public health in Qing Dynasty Jiangnan: Focusing on environment and water supply

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of History in China

Abstract

The legislation on public health was almost vacant in traditional China; however, related concepts and activities of local governments and communities helped maintain ecological balance. Since the reigns of the Emperor Jiaqing and Daoguang, Jiangnan has witnessed drastic changes in her society and environment, and has saw the advent of western civilizations. Scholars advocated the government administration to deal with the public health, and thus transferred the public health from individual activities which were free from external influence and destitute of specialized management to systematic and organized conducts which were in charge of governments at various levels.

摘要

在传统时期, 国家基本没有关于公共卫生的立法, 但地方官府和社会的相关行为大致保持了自然和社会生态的平衡。 嘉道以降, 随着江南社会环境的变化和西方文明的输入, 众多士人主张直接以公共和国家的权力介入卫生的经常性管理, 从而使卫生事业逐渐由个别的、 自为的、 #x7F3A;乏专门管理的行为转变成系统化的、 有组织的、 纳入官方职权范围的工作。

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  1. Center for Chinese Social History, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Yu Xinzhong

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Correspondence to Yu Xinzhong.

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Translated by Chen Dan from Qingshi yanjiu 清史研究 (Studies in Qing History), 2006, (2): 12–26

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Yu, X. Public health in Qing Dynasty Jiangnan: Focusing on environment and water supply. Front. Hist. China 2, 379–415 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11462-007-0021-9

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