Disaster Relief during the Hongzhi Era

Timeline

1. 1490Shandong · East ChinaIn spring and summer 1490, several provinces in North and East China successively reported drought and flood damage; crops were harmed and starving people fled. Governors and censors submitted reports as usual, requesting tax exemptions and relief. The Hongzhi Emperor immediately ordered the relevant agencies to verify the severity of the damage in preparation for subsequent relief and exemptions.
2. 1490Beijing · North ChinaThe court ordered disaster areas to open granaries, allocating grain from the Grand Granary, the Linqing granaries, and canal-transported grain to relieve the starving, and exempting or deferring autumn grain and summer taxes in affected areas as appropriate. The Ministry of Revenue worked with provincial administrations and provincial administration commissioners, combining work-relief with direct grain distribution, so that the 1490 disaster did not escalate into large-scale revolt, reflecting Hongzhi-era disaster governance.