| Between 1876 and 1879, Northern China was struck by a severe drought, affecting the provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong. More than 10 million people starved to death. The calamity is also referred to as the "Severe Drought of Ding-Wu". With the assistance from the directors of Tung Wah Hospital, the Qing government managed to raise $160,000 in Hong Kong and other ports in Southeast Asia. In return for its fund-raising efforts, the Qing emperor Guangxu presented the hospital with this tablet, inscribed with the characters "shen wei pu you", in the 5th year of his reign (1879). The inscription means "god protects all". |
