Vol. 2 No. 5

Thematic Section: Modern China and Shanghai

The Modern Predicament of Chinese Charity Performances in the Context of The Ding Wu Severe Famine

Published 2026-05-31

  • Pengxing Yue
    • ,
  • Jing Qiao

Pengxing Yue
Henan University image/svg+xml

Jing Qiao
Henan University image/svg+xml

Abstract

The emergence of charitable performances in China was inseparable from famines. The occurrence of the Ding Wu Severe Famine in the late Qing period provided the spatiotemporal context for the rise of charitable performances. While in Shanxi Province, the core disaster area, local practices of traditional theatre that featured “performance for charity” persisted, in Shanghai, far from the disaster-stricken region, the earliest case of “using theatrical proceeds for famine relief” emerged, marking a breakthrough from traditional performances and constituting the fundamental situation of the early stage of charitable performances in modern circumstances.

中国慈善演艺的产生与灾荒密不可分。晚清时期“丁戊奇荒”的发生为慈善演艺的出现提供了时空背景。灾情的核心地区山西省内传统演剧“演艺为善”的地方实践依然持续。而远在灾区之外的上海地区，则出现了最早的“戏资助赈”之善举，称得上是传统演艺的突破，成为近代中国慈善演艺起步阶段的基本场景。

Keywords

Ding-wu Great Famine, Charitable Performances, Modern Predicamen

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Author Biography

Pengxing Yue

Pengxing Yue (1988– ), born in Baofeng, Henan Province, Ph.D. in History. He is an Associate Professor at the School of History and Culture, and the Institute for Advanced Humanities Studies of Henan University. He is also a researcher at the Charity and Public Welfare Research Center, and the Cultural Heritage and Innovation Research Center, Henan University. His research interests focus on modern Chinese economic history and the history of charity.

Jing Qiao

Jing Qiao , female, master’s student at the School of History and Culture, Henan University.

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