Was there a pension system in ancient times? How did ancient people provide for the aged?

Providing for the aged is a concern of everyone, and it is also a concern of every era. The pension system is not a new thing that just appeared today, but has been developing and changing with the progress of civilization since ancient times. So did the ancients have it? Pension? Really? If so, what is it like? If not, how can they provide for the elderly?

By consulting ancient articles and classics, Bian Xiao found that the way of providing for the aged is not worse than now. Moreover, in ancient times, filial piety ruled the world, and unfilial children were not only spurned by society, but also punished by law. So, how did they do it?

First, raising children to prevent old age

Needless to say, filial piety to parents and providing for the aged by children have always been the most deeply rooted concept of providing for the aged. Especially in ancient farming society, people are the most important labor force. Having more children can not only support the elderly, but also increase the labor force at home, thus increasing family income.

Of course, in modern times, children can provide for the aged. But in ancient times, raising children to prevent old age mainly meant that sons supported the elderly, while daughters wanted to marry. Generally speaking, after marriage, she doesn't take care of family of origin. She can't take her husband's money to honor her parents. She can only go home to visit on special holidays and can't support her parents.

This is also one of the reasons why boys were favored over girls in ancient times. My daughter married someone else, so she was not educated like a boy. They are the lost group of the whole feudal society.

But fortunately, women are very filial and attach great importance to family ties, so some daughters never marry in order to take care of their old father and mother, and some daughters do not hesitate to sell themselves for the elderly. As daughter-in-law, they often help their husbands to fulfill their filial duties after their unfortunate death.

Second, the retirement of senior officials.

In fact, pension is not a modern creation, and there was a pension in ancient times. It was only at that time that only a few officials with higher official positions could enjoy pensions. Officials? Zhishi? (retirement) pension originated in the Zhou Dynasty and was formally formed in the Han Dynasty. The average official is 70 years old, only senior officials in the Han dynasty have it? Zhishi? The condition of being an official is old age or illness.

Officials in the Tang dynasty were very clear about retirement? Seventy Shi Zhi? If you are under 70, but you are ill, you should resign. ? Unless there are special reasons, why don't you pay Tang Zhishi? . Unless specifically approved by the emperor, officials in the Tang Dynasty did not have a pension after retirement, but they could get a certain amount of land for the elderly.

Although seventy officials were stipulated in the Song Dynasty, they were not actually implemented, resulting in people above the imperial court being old and fatuous. Because retirement can only be paid, officials do everything possible to delay retirement.

Since the Ming dynasty, the retirement age has been advanced by more than ten years, and people are encouraged to retire as long as they reach the age of 60. Central officials enjoy half salary after retirement. Under normal circumstances, retired officials have no pension. If the family is really poor, you can apply for it personally. There's still one month to die for two stones? .

The retirement age of Qing officials is also 60. If you don't reach the age of 60 and retire early due to illness, you won't get paid, while those who have a world job at the age of 60 can get half the salary, but those officials who have special achievements, such as those injured in the war, will get paid in full.

Third, family pension.

In fact, raising children and preventing old age is also a kind of family pension, but in a strict definition, raising children and preventing old age is based on the elderly themselves, and the family pension belt has more social morality and more detailed provisions in law. The Zhou dynasty began to form a pension system, stipulating that people over 50 years old are old people. There are also detailed regulations on how to support the elderly.

In order to enable future generations to better support the elderly, the Zhou Dynasty implemented the policy that families with elderly people can reduce corvee. If there are elderly people over 80 years old in the family, one of the children and grandchildren can refuse to obey the corvee; If there is a 90-year-old man, the whole family can not obey the corvee, what is it? Eighty people, one son is not in politics; Ninety, who is not in politics? Say it.

During the Warring States Period, the State of Qi stipulated that the elderly over 70 years old were exempted from the corvee and taxes of their sons. For the elderly over 80 years old, their two sons (two sons) are exempt from tax corvee; For the elderly over 90 years old, the whole family is duty-free corvee.

In Han Dynasty, providing for the aged was raised to a higher level. For the elderly? Old age certificate? A set of special preferential policies has also been implemented: lonely old people go to the market to do business and are exempt from paying rent. Wine is a state monopoly. In order to take care of the elderly, the government allows them to open hotels to sell alcohol. The Chinese Law also stipulates that those who fail to support the elderly will be sentenced to death and suddenly die in the streets.

"Tang Law" stipulates that when parents are alive, children and grandchildren can't travel far, can't split up, and can't save money privately, otherwise they will be punished. This rule is to let future generations take care of the elderly wholeheartedly. This rule is better solved? Empty nest? Phenomenon.

Even in the Tang Dynasty? Spiritual pension? Say it. One is? Raise color? In other words, be kind when supporting your parents, and scolding your elders is also a felony in the Tang law, and you should be hanged.

Four. State pension

Compared with the retirement of officials, the national pension covers a wider range and is closer to ordinary people. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the government began to build? Nursing home? . First one? Nursing home? It was founded by Xiao Yan of Liang Wudi in Jiankang (now Nanjing)? Lonely garden? , used to take in and support the elderly.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, nursing homes became popular. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, a family named? Futian Hospital? The old-age care institution, which was later opened? Home for the aged? What was the name of the Southern Song Dynasty? Nursing home? By analogy, the elderly who are lonely and helpless will be registered and provided for by the state.

During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the capital not only increased the number and scale of nursing homes, but also sent officials to inspect regularly to see if the poor and the elderly had food and whether there were any institutional drawbacks.

The Qing dynasty continued the system of the Ming dynasty and continued to operate? Nursing home? And then what? Coffin bureau? . Even when the country was weak and small in the late Qing Dynasty, it did not skimp on the expenditure of providing for the aged.

In addition to the construction of nursing homes, the government has also given property, reduced taxes, and knighted some elderly people with special circumstances (such as those who contributed to the war) to enjoy their old age. The granting of official positions to the elderly began in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty issued an imperial edict granting various official positions to the elderly over 70 years old. The practice of conferring titles began in the Han Dynasty.

Five, private capital pension

In ancient times, private capital provided for the aged mainly for public welfare rather than profit. Many of them are wealthy businessmen and officials who donate their property to build nursing homes. For example, in the Jin government, which confronted the Southern Song Dynasty, a Han man named Liu fired his maid and took out all his property to build it? Nursing home? .

In addition to resource donation, sometimes the emperor will order some rich people to donate. During the period of Zhu Yuanzhang, the rich were forced or guided to pay to build public cemeteries all over the country, so that the old people who had no money to buy cemeteries after death could return to their original places. In addition, many of the operating expenses of relief institutions such as nursing homes and coffin bureaus are donated by large private households and officials and nobles.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, all kinds of pension institutions were mostly run by the people, and pension funds were donated by middle-class and above families all over the country. Such as the coffin bureau, in the Qing Dynasty, more than 90% were run by the people.

Sixth, begging for the elderly.

It is true that society and families do their best to provide for the aged, but China has a large population. For various reasons, there are still some elderly people who are homeless and helpless, and can only live on the streets for the rest of their lives.

After reading the ancient pension system, I can't help feeling that they also have so many perfect systems, and there are even laws that impose the death penalty on those who don't support the elderly. The ancient people's admiration for filial piety culture is incomparable in modern society.