Abstract
There are many causes for the White Lotus’s wide-spread in Dong Xiang county in Sichuan province in the mid-Qing Dynasty. For example, Dong Xiang county is mountainous; there are more forests than arable land in its territory. It is impossible to provide the growing population with farm produce by means of the local poor soil and backward agricultural production. Moreover, it can’t provide extra resources to support the large-scale development of industry and commerce, therefore a large number of people are separated from social production. As a result, these refugees have become important targets for the spread of the White Lotus. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are all existing in Dong Xiang county. And in the meantime, witchcraft is generally advocated by the local residents, so this provided the ideological base for the spread of the White Lotus. The religious idea of Doomsday promoted by the White Lotus is very attractive to both the rich and the poor. The corruption of grass-roots officials and their endless extortion forced more and more poor people to join the White Lotus.
Highlights
There are many causes for the White Lotus’s wide-spread in Dong Xiang county in Sichuan province in the mid-Qing Dynasty
Taoism and Confucianism are all existing in Dong Xiang county
Witchcraft is generally advocated by the local residents, so this provided the ideological base for the spread of the White Lotus
Summary
In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the overall social environment was relatively stable, this led to an unprecedented increase in the population of China. Qing Empire were gradually decreasing, most of them can only maintain low production and consumption, and they barely had adequate food and clothing all the year It was more difficult for them who lived in the area of Qinba Mountains, compared with the poor in other places because of the special geographical environment where they lived. As a result of the unfavorable natural environment in the mountainous areas, the livelihoods of a large number of landless people in Dongxiang County are mostly seasonal economic labor. This seasonal work brings bigger risks and uncertainties to the survival of famers, industries such as harvesting are too dependent on nature. A large number of people who separated from social production provided an excellent target for the spread of White Lotus in Dongxiang County
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