Foreword
China, as a vast country, has rich resources and diverse geographical environments.In the long history, local management has always been an important task.The county magistrate and Zhixian county in Chinese history represent the evolution and development of the local management system.
As early as Qin Shihuang, China began to pay attention to local management issues.In order to achieve centralized centralization and unified management, Qin Shihuang unified the measurement and began to implement the county system.Under this system, more than 10,000 households are managed by the county magistrate, and places below 10,000 households are managed by the county magistrate.This system was initially established during the Qin Dynasty, laying a foundation for the later feudal society.
However, it was not until the Song Dynasty that the real Zhixian system was formed.During the Song Dynasty, the government established Zhixian in various places. These Zhi County became the representatives of local governments, responsible for managing and maintaining local public security, taxation, and peoples lives.
What is the difference between Naizhi County and the county magistrate?What are the differences between the two responsible jobs?
Chu State Created, Qin and Han use the "county magistrate" to support the township.Chinese history entered the Spring and Autumn Period.During this period, the vassal states were linked, of which Chus national strength was the strongest.During the reign of King Chu Wu, a series of political system reforms were carried out. The most important of which was the creation of the county system.
Under the county system, Chu State is divided into multiple counties. Each county sets a county captain as a manager to deal with civil disputes in the county and recruitment of service.This is the earliest county -level system in our history.Other vassal states have followed, and the county system has been widely spread in the Central Plains.
In the Warring States Period, countries have expanded, and their jurisdictions are increasing. The original county system is not available.As a result, all countries have continued to adjust the construction of the county, and set up the county magistrate in the county as the countys executive head.At that time, the county magistrates were mostly appointed by the officials of the township. They were familiar with local affairs and won the trust of the folks.
The setting of the county magistrate has strengthened the operating efficiency of the grass -roots regime.In the troubled times, whether the support of the locals can be used to live and death.Therefore, the selection of county magistrates in various countries is very cautious. Most of the locals have served, and the local people also trust them more.To a certain extent, the county command system has supported the power of the township and enhanced the cohesion of grassroots society.
It is important to point out that in the warning of the Warring States Period, the power of local forces often determines the life and death of a small country.If the county magistrate cannot be supported and supported by the genmen, various hidden dangers will often be hidden in the county.Once the war comes, the local pride will turn each other, and the small country will fall into a siege situation.
Because of this, monarchs of various countries attach great importance to the selection of county magic.They will choose the highest prestige and the best candidates for virtue as the county magistrate from the gentry to seek stability.
Of course, in order to cater to the local pride, some small monarchs will also appoint their relatives as county magistrates.This makes the positions of county commands often the focus of local power struggle.But in any case, the influence of county command on local society is increasingly strengthened.
In 221 BC, the Qin Wang government unified the six kingdoms and established the Qin Dynasty.In order to strengthen the centralization of central power, Qin Shihuang implemented the county system.The country is divided into 36 counties, and counties are divided into counties.
The Qin Dynasty followed the county magistrate system during the Warring States Period, and the county magistrate became the Chief Executive Management of county affairs.Unlike the county officials, the county magistrate is mostly locals.The Qin Dynasty stipulated that the county magistrate was in charge of all affairs such as household registration, taxation, and civil disputes in a county.
For example, the marriage and funeral, marriage, debt entanglement, and field disputes between ordinary people are all directly under the county magistrate directly under the county magistrateEach master book is judged.The county magistrate is also responsible for arranging taxes, and each year is levied on various types of taxes based on the task indicators issued by the court.When a disaster or other emergencies occur in the local area, the county magistrate also reports the county officials in time to wait for the relief.It can be said that the county magistrate is the luck or misfortune of the people.
It is worth mentioning that the rigorous legalist governed the country in the early years of the Qin Dynasty, and the people were miserable.In order to stabilize the hearts of the people, the Qin Dynasty also attached great importance to the selection of county magic. The local gentlemen who were highly visioned and renamed as the county magistrate as the county magistrate in order to resolve the peoples grievances.This reflects the important position of county magistrate in grassroots society.
In the early Western Han Dynasty, due to the small countrys territory, there were not many counties, and the new court canceled the county magistrate and only retained the county magistrate.More than 200 years later, more than 1040 counties across the country had been in the late Western Han Dynasty.The county magistrate still has important power and plays an important role.
In addition to the similar duties in the Western Han Dynasty, the county magistrate also assumed the heavy responsibility of selecting talents.According to local conditions, they recommend those who understand the agriculture, the law, and the righteous people, and recommend it to the superiors.Many ministers were promoted from the masters book and history of the county magistrate.It can be said that the county magistrate also plays the role of talent recommendation agencies, which also increases the importance of scholars to county magistrates.
It can be seen that since the date of birth, the grassroots official position of the county magistrate won the people.Because the county command is the locals, familiar with the local situation, it is also more prestigious.It is particularly important in troubled times or border areas. County orders often unite and control the situation.Therefore, the court since the Qin and Han dynasties also attaches great importance to the county magistrate system and uses it as an important measure to consolidate grassroots rule.
The change of the Tang and Song dynasties, "Zhixian" concentrated in the countryside
However, the historical wheels are rolling forward, everything is changing.In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the power of the scholars looked up, and the local pride was also increasingly rising.They joined forces to control the local regime and even confront the court.During the years of Tang Xuanzongs Tianbao, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, which directly led to the decline of the Tang Dynasty.The root cause of the dynasty decline is the decline of the central governments control.
So, later the Song Dynasty learned the lessons of the Tang Dynasty and adopted a centralized reform.In terms of local political system, they created the official position of Zhixian.
Zhixian County, the full name is "right to know a county affairs", and is a special official sent by the Central Committee, temporarily on behalf of county affairs.They directly accepted the court instructions and supervision.This measure has greatly enhanced the control of county -level affairs.
At first, Zhixian coexisted with the original county command.In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhixian had gradually replaced the county magistrate to become the highest administrative Chief Executive of the county.What does this mean?
Zhixian is not like the county magistrate in the past by the local selection, but a foreign central dispatch official.They are not familiar with local situations and do not have much support from local forces.Those who can be the county are mostly the bureaucrats who have entered the official career system through the imperial examinations, loyal to the court, and listening to the central government.
It can be said that the emergence of Zhixian directly weakened the influence of local forces.In the past, the county magistrate rely on the support of local gentry. Now you know that the county only needs to be loyal to the court.This has led to the opposition between local heroes and Zhixian County.To a certain extent, Zhixian also represented the scholars bureaucratic group to look up and directly impact the interests of the worlds local forces.
This change has a huge impact on the society at the time.As a foreigner, Zhixian is often hostile and cold by local gentlemen.Some gentlemen who saw the wind and the rudder even secretly confronted Zhixian in Mingli, hindering them to govern.And some stubborn factions are also secretly connected to create various troubles. I hope that Zhixian can not stand on a foothold, which forces the court to restore the county magistrate system.
Faced with these resistance, many Zhixian can only temporarily rely on several relatively enlightened gentlemen for governance.This makes their unstable status even more precarious.However, on the other hand, it has gradually cultivated a group of good counties with outstanding achievements and loved by the people. They rely on personal prestige to get local recognition and resolve the gap between Zhixian and township.
In addition, the Song Dynasty also vigorously developed the imperial examination system to recruit talents for the country.Many scholars in the test of scholars in the exams will also be appointed as the county and accumulate their resumes to seek promotion.
It can be said that the rise of Zhixian is the impact of the imperial examination system on the old political structure, and it also shows that the doctor officially grasped the local regime and fundamentally changed the method of local governance.This was very far -reaching on the social impact at the time.
Ming and Qing dynasties, it is difficult for parents to reproduce
In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhixian system was weakened.The Yuan Dynasty adopted a dual management system, and at the same time set up Zhixian and Daruhua Chi to jointly manage county affairs.In the Ming Dynasty, the status of Zhixian County was re -established.
Unlike the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty further weakened the local affairs management function of Zhixian.Zhixian is only responsible for supervising the place, regardless of specific civil.Most of the legal issues are handed over to the history and the main books, and Zhixian only retains a small amount of judicial power.
This is mainly because the Ming Dynasty cuts the countys gates. There is only one county in Zhixian County, which is difficult to deal with daily chores.On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty no longer attached great importance to promoting talents as the Song Dynasty.As a Zhixian, he can no longer be promoted through actual results as before.
On the contrary, the policy of the Ming Dynastys recreational and light farmers has enabled many Zhixian counties to maintain their livelihood by business, and corruption is more serious.In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Zhixian had lost the image of his parents, and it was more like an agent of the court stationed in the county.
In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Zhixian County was mostly old bureaucrats who have entered the officialdom for many years. They have long been used to executing superior orders and no longer care about folk suffering.Because Lulu is too low, we often need to collude with wealth everywhere and seek private interest.The people are afraid and disgusted with such Zhixian counties, not as close to the county officials as before.
Some Zhixian County, who is afraid of Chaogang, will also be overwhelmed by formalism and implement some unrealistic policies. As a result, more chaotic elephants will be causedEssenceThis further deepened the peoples disappointment and resistance to Zhixian system.There are also a few upright Zhixian trying to remove harm to the people, but it is difficult to change the overall atmosphere after all.
During the Qing Dynasty, the county system was basically inherited.But there are innovations.The Central Government of the Qing Dynasty gradually established a system for management and Zhixian, such as setting up members to inspect the countys political achievements, as well as the Ting test, supplementary, reward and punishment system to restrict Zhixian.In addition, the Qing Dynasty also expanded the scope of the power of Zhixian, such as handling simple civil and interrogation local criminal cases.
It can be seen that although Zhixian in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was named the parent, it was actually an agent who executed the court command.They lost their close contact with the people in the past, and were unable to improve local peoples livelihood.This has led to the increasingly fragile grassroots rule and one of the reasons for the demise of the Qing Dynasty.
By examining the evolution of Zhixian system, we can more deeply understand the impact of the changes in ancient local government system on society.The advantage of the county magistrate is to be close to public opinion, but it is also easy to control the landlord.Zhixian County control is efficient, but loses the local foundation.How to get a balance between local autonomy and centralization of central power and make the relationship between officials and civilians return and harmonious is a difficult problem for ancient and modern Chinese and foreign governance.
