Earthquake, and A Traditional Chinese Emperor would Blame Himself
China has a vast land with various climatic and geographical conditions. It is inevitable that natural calamities occur from time to time in Chinese history. But the natural calamities are not the worst thing–man-made disasters are more dreadful.
If you do not understand what I mean, consider what if these happen in calamity-stricken areas: the price of food and water is 50 times higher than usual; no journalist is allowed except the “official” ones; no leak of information on any possible aftershocks; officials are busy having meetings at a faraway safe place, remotely controlling the rescue work; people from all over the world donate to help, but nobody knows how the funds are used.
I am not saying this is the current situation in China. What I am saying is that in traditional China, people were very clear about the relationship between natural calamities and man-made disasters. In uneventful times, government should do as little to intervene common people’s life as possible, while in time of urgency, government should mobilize immediately to help victims. No action, or action in improper time and improper way, would lead to terrible tragedies. If this is the case, it would be passing the buck to still call it a natural calamity, as the loss is rather man-made.
In traditional China, if natural calamities occur too frequently, the emperor would announce an “Imperial Edict of Self-Accusation”, blaming himself for not reigning the country properly. As for people that suffered from the calamities, the Imperial Edict of Self-Accusation would make them feel better. It also showed the emperor’s will to do his best. Consider, the emperor, who seems to have supreme secular power in his country in today’s people’s eyes, announced an edict to reproach himself. This was a big deal.
In traditional China, the emperor was restricted in many ways. This Imperial Edict of Self-Accusation could be a useful way, too. For example, in 944, the Huazhou area (in central China) was severely flooded. Many men were sent to rebuild the dike. After that, the emperor at that time wanted to build a monument to celebrate the “victory” over the flood. Irony as it may sound, this actually happens quite often in today’s China. However, the emperor 1000 years ago was stopped by one of his ministers. He said, “The people are suffering. There is nothing to celebrate. On the contrary, your majesty should announce an Imperial Edict of Self-Accusation to appease people.” The emperor followed his admonishment. Will the leadership in China today ever take such an advice? I doubt it.
