Abstract: From time immemorial，Yunnan is a province where drought disaster took place frequently. Overall, there are three unique features of the drought which are theoccurrence rates, drought disaster area, and the influence on peoples lives in Yunnan province in Ming and Qing Dynasties. And the relief measures that are taken by bothgovernment officials and common people do coexist. The former relief measures are famine system, aidding, graining price balance and irrigation, and the second relief measuresare digging for wild vegetables, introducing drought-resistant crops and moving. This historical truth offer us a new angle of view to understand the three consecutive years of drought in Yunnan.