Abstract:
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jinan's charitable relief and medical institutions included not only the official Yangji Hospital, Louze Garden, Medical Department, and Huimin Medicine Bureau, but also the Puji Hall and Yuyin Institution, which were jointly run by the government and civilian, and covered various aspects of relief such as offering services for the elderly, sparing the poor and needy, caring for the young, offering funeral service and medical treatment. As the political, economic, and cultural center of Shandong, Jinan was representative of the development of charitable relief and medical care in Shandong. However, in Jinan, the development of charitable relief and medical care was unbalanced. For instance, the development of public medical care was slow, and the construction of medical institutions such as the Huimin Pharmacy Bureau and the Medical Department was small. Both Puji Hall and Yuyin Institution were pioneered by the private sector and promoted by the government nationwide, but Yuyin Institution were much smaller in scale than Pujiedang in the Jinan area. Unlike the other regions, Puji Hall and Yuyin Institution had more official supports from the beginning, indicating that the government was still in a dominant position in terms of charity relief.
