Seeking inspiration from the clan system of the Qing Dynasty to contemporary rural social governance

In order to safeguard the existence and interests of their blood relatives, clan organizations have a set of behavioral norms that require clan members, which are restricted by traditional culture and centralized political systems.

The patriarch of the ancestral hall has the right to judge the clan members. For example, in the Tang clan of Sichuan, if a clan member commits various "wrongdoings", "the head of each clan will know for sure and will first give warnings with reason and emotional advice. When the situation cannot be convinced by reason and reason, the clan chief will inform the clan leader, and the clan leader will gather with the clan members to take action accordingly." Report the evil you have committed to your ancestors, and ask for family law and severe punishment."① When a clan punishes its clan members, it must "tell the ancestors about the evil they have committed" and "ask for family law" from the ancestors. The "Family Laws" established during the Kangxi period collected in "Jimo Yang's Family Tradition" stipulates: When clan members sue each other, "the elders of the clan will respect the elders and upright people of their clan, burn incense and swear in the family temple, show no favoritism, speak out the truth, and determine the family law." The merits and deeds, small things will be punished. Big things will be reported to the ancestors and they will be punished. Those who are strong and disobey the restraints will be punished by the officials and punished according to the law." "Burn incense and swear an oath in the family temple to show that you have no mercy." The ancestral covenant made during the Qianlong period of the Zhuang Family Ancestral Hall in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province contains a detailed description of the ancestral hall’s jurisdiction. The covenant: "It is inevitable for clansmen to quarrel and enforce laws and regulations. If it is a dispute over land, land, mouth, or any family dispute, the clansman can be the mediator. They are not allowed to initiate lawsuits, sue the family, and have a ancestral hall. Listen to the clan leader, Branch chiefs and upright people of the clan gather together to discuss merits and deeds in front of the ancestral shrine. Those who behave unfairly and unscrupulously will be immediately punished according to the situation, or even be roped in according to the ancestral family law and ordered to change their ways. If he is stubborn and ineffective, the lightest thing is to beat the drums and attack, remove the official and seek treatment, and the most serious thing is to rebuke the revolutionaries in the temple, cut off the names in the genealogy, and do not indulge in any favoritism."② The clan leaders of the ancestral hall deal with clan members according to family laws, and each clan is different. As mentioned above, the Yang clan should "simply punish" those who commit "big things", and the Zhuang clan should "punish them as appropriate" for small things. Those who do not repent will be "removed from office and seek treatment". The most serious ones are "reprimanded in the temple and deleted from the genealogy." , that is, expelled from the clan. The "family law" of the Tang family in Sichuan is listed in the "Clan Rules": "Put a family law instrument, made of bamboo pieces, three feet long, an inch and a half wide, and five minutes thick, with the words "Tang family law" written on it, and hang it in the temple. In the high and bright place in the middle, it is clearly visible when offering sacrifices, so that people know how to use it. Use it only to show family education."③ Some clans, for those who are unfaithful, "will condemn them throughout the clan, put them in bamboo cages, and sink them into the sea."④ In the Zhao clan in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, "anyone who violated the ethics of famous religions was bound and sunk in the river to present themselves to officials"①. The clan leader of the ancestral hall can also execute clan members. Anhui's "Hongnong Yang Family Genealogy" clearly writes the clan's power to execute clan members as "family law" in the "clan rules": "Once the clan leader has been established, the family law is enforced, and for unfaithful children, he will be punished at the slightest If you bow down and repent, the clan leader will enforce the law and punish you. If you are unfilial, the clan leader will gather the clan members and execute the clan leader. Even if you have an only son, you will not forgive him and establish a worthy heir. "The clan's requirements for clan members can be roughly divided into three types. Type: First, rules and covenants, such as clan covenants, clan rules, family rules, clan rules, and ancestral rules, which are behavioral norms that the clan requires everyone to abide by and are mandatory; second, prohibitions and precepts, such as clan prohibitions, Family precepts, family bans, etc. stipulate things that the tribesmen are not allowed to do; the third is precepts, which teach the tribesmen how to behave and serve as a moral guide. However, these three aspects are often mixed together and can be collectively referred to as family rules and regulations. Its specific content is very complex, and the most comprehensive ones include the following.

① "Tang Family Genealogy" Volume 1, "Ten Clan Rules" was established in the tenth year of Tongzhi.

② "Pilingzhuang Clan Genealogy" Volume 11.

③ Volume 1 of "Tang Family Genealogy" and "Ten Clan Rules" were written in the tenth year of Tongzhi.

④ "Yuyao Xiaoyi Lao Genealogy" Volume 1 "Old Genealogy Treaty and Preface".

① Liu Xianting: Volume 4 of "Guangyang Miscellaneous Notes".

The clan attaches the greatest importance to the clan members’ handling of family relationships, and regulates the relationships between father and son, husband and wife, brothers, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, grandparents and grandchildren, sisters-in-law, uncles (uncles) and nephews, aunts and sisters-in-law, uncles-in-law, etc., which generally does not come out of Confucianism. ethical requirements. Among them, the most important thing is the relationship between father and son and brother, emphasizing filial piety and brotherhood, and including the behavior of children. The "Clan Rules" established during the Jiaqing period in "Cinan Qianxi Zhang Family Genealogy" says: "Filial filial piety is the foundation of all things. Parents are the foundation of life, brothers are brotherhood, unfilial piety is forbidden by nature, and disloyalty is also human. If they are not close to each other, they may extinguish their conscience, gradually become tainted with bad customs, or even have their parents freeze and fight in the same room. Such a person will not wait for God to punish him. The people in his clan must accuse him of the crime and go to the ancestral hall with sticks and bamboos, or call the official to punish him. "Suppress the rules."

The second is to require clan members to live in harmony with their clans. The Yang clan in Hefei requires members of the clan to "never offend their dignity when they are humble, and do not overdo their elders when they are young"②. The Li clan in Sichuan emphasizes that "uncle, uncle, Kun and Zhong of the same clan have their own order" on how to handle generational relationships among the same clan. It also stipulates the requirements for dealing with the relationship between the rich and the poor, "There is uneven distribution between the rich and the poor in the clan. The rich must not be arrogant, as arrogance attracts others and makes them prone to extravagance. The poor must not be lazy. Being lazy will not only benefit the poor, but will do everything."① . The Yang clan in Hefei also attaches great importance to the relationship between the rich and the poor in the clan. They believe that "the rich and the poor among the clans have their own differences. However, if they are divided into different families, they should not look at each other differently. They must share the same concerns and show sympathy for each other. Being a scoundrel brings disgrace to one's body, his despicable behavior ruins his reputation, and he brings disgrace to his ancestors."②

The clan makes demands on the life of the clan members, involving entertainment, marriage, funerals, food, clothing, housing, transportation, occupation, etc.

The clan generally requires the clan members to engage in the "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce" industry and become a "four people", and opposes the clan members to become unemployed vagrants. Zhejiang's "Genealogy of the Ruan Family in Yuezhou? Family Instructions of Yiqing Gong" says: "To train children, they must have a profession, whether it is studying, working hard, trading, or operating. These are called the four peoples, and they must be bound by one thing. His body and mind have no time to think about foreign affairs.

If there are those who are not doing their job properly and are nomads, they should report it to their family and clan leaders to give them instructions at any time and prohibit them. "The "Regulations" established during the Shunzhi period recorded in Suzhou's "Peng Family Genealogy" require: "The family's career is based on studying and practicing etiquette first, followed by training apprentices, studying medicine, and farming, and then merchants and merchants. If you violate etiquette and violate the instructions, Those who fall into the bandit category will be denounced without writing. "

The clan requires people to live a frugal life and opposes luxury. The Zheng family in Wuxi believes: "Scholars, peasants, industry and merchants all have their own affairs. They are active when they are bright, and they are quiet when they are dark. Every inch of shade is cherished and diligent; food and drink are indifferent. , the clothes are not luxurious, but frugal. ” ③ The clan’s most demanding requirements for the clan members are marriage, emphasizing that they should be well-matched, and pay particular attention to the good and the humble not to marry.

Ningbo Lu family stipulates: “When men and women discuss marriage, the family must be in the same family and the moral order is not disordered. Those who are not allowed Forget about it, because of the bad family tradition, men are not allowed to have children, and women are not allowed to have children. Their marriages are limited to the status of the family, and they are not allowed to be beautiful. " He also thinks: " A wife is a Qi, and anyone who marries is to match her body. If a woman loses her virginity as a wife, she herself will lose her chastity. Anyone with the surname of Zi who marries a prostitute, or a person who marries a good man or a lowly man, will not be allowed to enter the ancestral hall. ” ① Although this tribe emphasizes that good people and lowly people should not marry, they oppose the discussion of wealth in marriage, advocate that marriage should be done according to one’s ability, and oppose extramarriage and widow marriage.

② "Hongnong Yang Family" The first volume of "Genealogy" is "Inscriptions".

① "The Genealogy of the Li Family? Zongfan"

② The first volume of "The Genealogy of the Yang Family in Hongnong" is "The Genealogy Regulations".

③ "The Zheng Family in Xingyang continued to revise the Datong Genealogy" Volume 3 "Motto of Si Lianzi"

Some clans also require that their members do not perform Buddhist rituals or make funerals. The Kuang family in Hunan stipulates: "When parents are bereaved, they must be buried according to the etiquette. If you are confused by Feng Shui or make excuses for not being buried for a long time, it is unfilial and you will be punished with eighty sticks." ② Sichuan Tang Family believes: "Buddhist temples are absurd and unconventional, with dramas and singing, taking joy in worrying, all red tape, and the prevailing customs. It is not suitable for funerals. It is a waste of money and is really useless." .. As for burying relatives, it is definitely advisable to find auspicious soil, but the only thing is to make sure that it is not a road, not next to a ditch, not close to a city, and choose thick soil to build a house. You must not adhere to the theory of blessing and shade, and stop the coffin without burying it, which will be delayed for a long time. , if something unexpected happens and the body of the deceased is exposed and cannot be recovered, which one is more guilty of unfilial piety? ” ③ The clan also made requirements for entertainment. The Zheng family in Wuxi “prevent idlers. People’s thinking is that labor will lead to daily life, and laziness will lead to exhaustion. Even watching a play is useless. Gambling and drinking are not good in the end.” ④The Changzhou Yang family stipulates: "It is not allowed to practice silk and bamboo and sing lyrics and music." ⑤The clan is opposed to gambling, and the Wuxi Zheng family proposes to "stop gambling: in today's world, gambling is too popular. Everyone, regardless of their hometown, Jin or other people, likes to gamble, even women. If you like to gamble, once you enter a casino, your time will be ruined and your property will not be preserved." He believes that gambling " consumes the savings of ancestors. It is said that it is useless and harmful, and it is really advisable to abstain from it. If a descendant commits an offence, it is urgent to prohibit it. If he can change it, he will do it. If he does not change it, the ancestral hall will severely punish him. He will still ask his father, brother, uncle, and uncle to supervise him. He must change it and then do it. The same is true for those who are tempted to do wrong.

Clan requires parents to be good at running the family, and some clans focus on cultivating their children from an early age to become qualified talents in society. The Peng family of Hunan stipulates: "Children should be educated. Young people become like nature, and habits become natural. When they are young, their movement, stillness and speech can be brought back to normal. Tolerant love should not be allowed, superficial habits should be given up, do not regard frivolity as civilization, do not regard stupidity as simplicity, follow the material of the children, scholars, farmers, industry and merchants should all go to their own professions, and the common people will not become vagrants. If a husband's daughter grows up in a boudoir, she should practice etiquette, respect and filial piety, cultivate peace, practice middle-class gifts, be diligent and frugal, and when she returns home, she will have a suitable home and a comfortable home, which is also the light of her parents. ” ① Parents are required to train their sons to be gentlemen of the “four people” and their daughters to be good wives and loving mothers who are polite, thrifty and simple, and good at housekeeping.

For parents who are irresponsible in educating their children, there are The Zheng family of Wuxi stipulated the content of punishment: "Those who are not strict in educating their children and are accustomed to bad habits will be punished by the ancestral hall to strictly supervise their children to change their ways. If there are those who wander around and are scoundrels under the supervision of their fathers and brothers, the ancestral hall will punish them." In order to govern, it is decided by public discussion that they should carry out one business, and then entrust the elders of the nearby branches to supervise and lead it. "② The clan emphasizes that clan members pay taxes on time, be obedient citizens of the country, and avoid causing trouble to the clan.

① "Yongshang Lu Family Jingmutang Genealogy Manuscript" Volume 1 "Zong Covenant".

② "Original Family Rules" in the first volume of "Kuang Family Genealogy"

③ "Family Instructions" in Volume 1 of "Tang Family Genealogy"

④ "Xingyang Zheng Family". "Continuation of the Datong Genealogy" Volume 3 "Motto of Si Lianzi"

⑤ "Jimo Yang Family Genealogy"

① "Three Revisions of the Peng Family Genealogy" Volume 3. 16 "Ten Rules of the Clan"

② "The Xingyang Zheng Family's Continuation of the Datong Genealogy" Volume 3 "The Clan Agreement"

The Wuxi Zheng family proposed: "The country must be completed as soon as possible. It's a lesson, the official silver, grain, and rice are in arrears. If someone comes to the door, the chickens will startle and the dogs will startle, so I won't worry, and it will be finished early, which is also a good thing. ” ③ The Ruan family in Shaoxing believed: “I have a peaceful life and am not suffering from the harsh tyranny of the miscellaneous sect. I am grateful for the emperor’s kindness in clothing, rent and food taxes. Therefore, it is best to finish the state lessons early and wait for the subordinates to chase after me. This is a disgrace.” I hope that the anxious father-in-law of the clan will not delay in getting married. " ④ Zhenjiang Jintan Zhuang family stipulates: "Complete the national tax early: taxes are related to the national economy, and the examinations are completed at the lower level. The righteousness of the monarch and his ministers is the most important thing. You must be the first to be anxious to the public, pay it according to the limit, and do not be in arrears. The countryside is tired. ..Moreover, the law is strict, and if the gentry is short of food, it will be sold immediately. Anyone who is a commoner will not be tolerated." ⑤ The clan regards whether it can pay taxes on time as an act of loyalty to the emperor and love the clan. The Qing court's regulation of clan regulations In the Qing Dynasty, in addition to attaching importance to the distinction of seniority and seniority, clan leaders in the Qing Dynasty also emphasized the importance of honoring nobles and virtuous people. Gentlemen were the leaders of clans.

Gentlemen are the carriers of traditional culture. They take it as their own duty to cultivate their family, govern the country and bring peace to the world. Their leadership of the clan is mainly to make the clan a stable factor in society, to govern local society for the country, and to use family law as a supplement to national law. The so-called " There are rules in the family, just like there are laws in the country. If the rules are not implemented, there is no way to control the minds of villains. If the rules are not established, there is no way to ensure that the children follow their lead. They can only talk about the family rules."① Therefore, many clan laws and regulations are set up based on the national laws and regulations. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Ruan family in Shaoxing, "the strict national laws and the easy-to-offend human sentiments were formulated into twenty articles and incorporated into the family rules. Later, the family and clan leaders were expected to be strict and honest, and they would either teach them day and night, or make statements every day of the month.

Clan laws and regulations maintain social order and are welcomed by the court. In order to better exercise their power and manage their clansmen well, the clan often requests the government's support, and the court approves the ancestral rules and recognizes the judicial power of the ancestral patriarch and the legitimacy and validity of the clan laws. Sex. "Jimo Yang Family Tradition" recorded in the Kangxi period that the clan's family law "has been sought from officials for approval for decades." After decades of practicing this method, the clan "has no one with two creations." The county official once said: "Just like Yang Zhai's family law, it can be punished." Another example is the Yang family in Hefei. In the 29th year of Qianlong's reign, the ancestral hall was built, the genealogy was established, the rules were established, and the sacrificial property was set up. However, "the customs were passed down from generation to generation." "Moving people", "there are unfilial children who regard the rules listed in the genealogy as disrespectful", and even offend the elders by being young, and offend the respect by being humble, and fail to unite the clan. In the fifteenth year of Jiaqing, the clan was born Several people went to the county to petition for the ancestral regulations, and the county magistrate approved the reply in the same year, requiring "Yang's households and clan members to know that from now on, they must abide by the ancestral regulations. The father will discipline his son, and the brother will warn his younger brother. If he dares to disobey, he will be allowed to The ancestral chief and others named the county to govern according to the regulations. No loans will be lenient. Everyone should abide by it and not violate it. This is a special instruction." .

However, the Qing Dynasty did not fully support clan regulations. On the issue of ancestral clan leaders executing clan members according to family laws, the Qing Dynasty’s policy changed during the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods and did not recognize the ancestral clan clan leaders’ right to execute clan members. , by the time of Yongzheng, it was publicly recognized by law

The guiding ideology of building a new socialist countryside is: guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of "Three Represents" and the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Conscientiously implement the Scientific Outlook on Development, with the goal of accelerating the pace of building a comprehensive moderately prosperous society in rural areas, with the fundamental goal of increasing farmers' income, improving their quality and quality of life, and taking the construction of new rural areas as a new breakthrough in solving the "three rural" issues and strengthening rural areas. A new carrier for the construction of a new socialist countryside, scientific planning, resource integration, classified guidance, step-by-step implementation, reliance on the masses, and overall advancement.

The basic principles of building a new socialist countryside are:

(1) We must adhere to the development of rural economy as the center, further liberate and develop rural productivity, promote the stable development of food and continue to increase farmers’ income.

(2) We must adhere to the basic rural management system and respect the main body of farmers. status, and continue to innovate rural systems and mechanisms. The two-tier management system based on household contract management and combining unified management and decentralization is the basic management system in my country's rural areas, which must be persisted in the long term and continuously improved.

(3) It must be continued. We must adhere to the people-oriented approach and strive to solve the most pressing practical problems in farmers' production and life, so as to effectively benefit farmers. We must plan the construction of new rural areas based on farmers' needs and promote the construction of new rural areas based on farmers' wishes while strengthening government support and social assistance. Farmers rely on themselves and work hard to build a beautiful homeland. The willingness and happiness of farmers should be used as an important criterion to measure the effectiveness of new rural construction to ensure that farmers truly benefit.

(4) We must adhere to scientific planning, implement measures to local conditions, classified guidance, and gradually advance in a step-by-step, planned, and focused manner.

(5) We must persist in giving full play to the enthusiasm of all parties and rely on the hard work of farmers, state support and the extensive participation of social forces to make the construction of new rural areas a common action of the whole party and the country. It is necessary to strengthen leadership and support for the construction of new rural areas, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of farmers, mobilize all sectors of society, and form a joint force to promote the construction of new rural areas to ensure that the construction of new socialist countryside achieves actual results and truly benefits hundreds of millions of farmers.

Building a new socialist countryside is a major historical task in my country's modernization process. The word "new" in the new countryside has rich and profound connotations. It is a new goal put forward in the context of the new era and a new requirement for a new stage of economic and social development; it embodies the central government's new decisions and new measures to solve the "three rural" issues, and highlights the comprehensive solution to the "three rural" issues. new conditions and new opportunities; it is also a new starting point in the historical process of rural revitalization and a new hope for the development of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers".

The "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" pointed out that building a new socialist countryside is a major historical task in the process of my country's modernization. In accordance with the requirements of production development, affluent life, civilized rural customs, clean and tidy villages, and democratic management, we must proceed from the actual conditions of various places, respect the wishes of farmers, and solidly and steadily advance the construction of new rural areas. Adhere to the principle of "giving more and taking less and letting go", increase the investment of governments at all levels in agriculture and rural areas, expand the coverage of public finance in rural areas, strengthen the government's public services to rural areas, and establish a system of promoting work through work. A long-term mechanism for promoting agriculture and urban development. We will do a good job in rural construction planning and use land economically and intensively. Cultivate new types of farmers who are literate, knowledgeable in technology, and good at management, improve the overall quality of farmers, and significantly improve the production and living conditions and overall appearance of the vast rural areas through farmers' hard work and national policy support.