What is "people-oriented thought"

People-oriented thought is an important ideological resource in the treasure house of China's excellent traditional culture. It originated in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and "people are the foundation of the country and foundation is the foundation of the country" highlighted the original democratic color in the political life of this era.

In the feudal society of China after Qin and Han Dynasties, the people-oriented thought was still an important official consciousness, but the political ecology of the feudal society of China for more than two thousand years actually mocked the people-oriented thought mercilessly. Although the ruling class is aware of its relationship with the people, and hopes that the people can live and work in peace and contentment and realize the political goal of "consolidating the country", under the impact of the feudal economic base and superstructure based on class exploitation, this desire can not be realized at all, and the people-oriented thought has gradually evolved into political empty talk of "good words, but actually bad words" in the long-term feudal social and political life.

Although people-oriented thought did not have the conditions to be realized in feudal society, it still played a positive role in the historical development of China, especially in the traditional ideology and culture of China. It not only cultivated a large number of thinkers, writers and politicians who cared about people's sufferings, but also played an active role in the transformation of China society from tradition to modernity. In modern China, it was injected with new theoretical content by progressives and grafted with western "democracy", which became an important ideological weapon to promote China's social progress. We have reason to believe that the concept of "people-oriented" will surely glow with new brilliance in socialist China.

People-oriented thought is a valuable historical heritage with a long history in China traditional culture. Its appearance can be traced back to the beginning of the formation of early countries, and its connotation has been enriched and evolved with the development of history. In modern times, the people-oriented thought changed from the official ideology of the feudal ruling class to the important ideological weapon of the bourgeois democratic revolution, especially the China * * * production party critically inherited the historical heritage and endowed the people-oriented thought with brand-new theoretical content. Today, sorting out the cultural connotation of China's ancient people-oriented thought and its historical context of development and evolution is undoubtedly of great reference significance for building Socialism with Chinese characteristics's political culture.

Historical origin of people-oriented thought

"Man" was mentioned many times in pre-Qin literature. Although scholars still have different understandings of the early status of the people, one thing is the same, that is, the people were the ruled class of the polis in the pre-Qin period and the main workers of the society at that time. "The people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is the foundation of the country." It can be found in the ancient prose "Song of Five Scholars". Although we can't judge whether the lost original version of Song of the Five Sons has the phrase "people are the foundation of the country, and foundation is the foundation of the country", according to reliable pre-Qin documents, we can completely believe that people-oriented thought appeared in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

Jia Yi's "New Book" and Dong Zhongshu's "Spring and Autumn Stories" interpret "man" as "blind" and "ignorant", meaning uneducated and ignorant. This kind of exegesis with contempt cannot be said to be completely unfounded, but it is doubtful whether it is the reason why the word "person" has its meaning. Because in the pre-Qin literature, we can see another narrative of "people". "Shangshu Pan Geng": "I respect the monarch, record the lives of the people, and use the new city forever." The same book "Thai oath": "Heaven regards himself and others, and heaven listens to himself and others." "Zuo Zhuan" Huan Gong for six years: "The husband and the people, the Lord of God, also make the sage become the people first and then devote himself to God." It can be seen that in the pre-Qin era, in the minds of the ruling class, "people" were highly respected. Of course, this does not mean that "people" can be promoted to the ranks of the ruling class.

In the primitive society before the country came into being, everyone, including clan and tribal leaders, was a member of clan and tribe and had equal status. After entering a civilized society, there is a country, a class, and the difference between monarch, aristocrat, commoner and slave, but the ancient tradition of clan system has not died out soon. Although ordinary clan and tribe members have become "people" under the rule of monarchs and nobles, the dignity and honor that ancestors once possessed still remain in their memories. It is this ancient tradition of clan system that has become the ideological source of "people are the foundation of the country" in civilized society.

Another meaning of "people are the foundation of the country" is to admit that "people" are the main creators of material wealth of society and the country; Without them, the national economy and people's livelihood would be impossible. "Guoyu Zhou Yu" said that after Zhou Xuanwang acceded to the throne, he would not take a thousand acres, so Guo Wengong said, "No. The great event of the people lies in agriculture, the prosperity of God, the sugarcane of the people, the supply of things, the coordination of books, and the storage of wealth. " The Emperor led the ministers and the people back to their homeland, which showed that they attached great importance to agricultural production and cooperation with the people. "If it is, you can charm God and make peace with the people."

A remarkable embodiment of the concept of "the people are the foundation of the state" in the early state is that the primitive democratic tradition still plays an important role in the political life of the city-state. Shang Shu Hong Fan said that Zhou Wuwang was asking about politics in Kiko, and Kiko suggested that he should "look for Shu Ren" in addition to "looking for celebrities" and "looking for divination". The article "Zhou Li Qiu Guan Xiao Si Kou" said: "Being in charge of diplomacy makes everyone ask questions. Ask the national disaster, ask the country to move, and ask the monarch. " Wang Guowei pointed out in On the System of Yin and Zhou Dynasties: "Those who express the meaning of governance in Shangshu only express the common people. The following nine articles in Gao Kang are embarrassing. " "Mandarin Zhou Yu" said that Li Wang was tyrannical and called for publicity: "The people are not living well!" Li Wang killed everyone who complained. Zhao Gong said: "It is better to defend the people's mouths than to defend Sichuan. If the river breaks its banks, many people will be injured and the people will be injured. " Li Wang didn't listen, which finally caused riots among Chinese people and drove Li Wang away. This example shows that when people can't stand the cruel oppression of rulers, they will suffer disasters like floods that burst their banks.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the royal family declined and the princes competed for hegemony. Struggles for power and wealth often occur between government departments and ministers and between ministers. In these struggles, people's opposition plays an important role. In the third year of Zuo Zhuan, it was said that Qi's fields lent grain to the people, and the people were very grateful. "Returning to the water", the regime of Qi finally fell into the hands of Chen (that is, Tian). The public office of Jin State is corrupt. "The common people" said, "Let's go, the public office is abolished." ? Face to face, women are blessed. When people heard about public life, they fled Kekan, and the state of Jin was controlled by Liu Qing. Lu was deported. Asked Shi Mo, why "Ji's family is his monarch, the people do their thing, the princes do their thing, the monarch dies outside, and he is innocent." Shi Mo said, "Lu Junshi lost his place, Ji Shishi cultivated his diligence, and the people forgot him." Although he died outside, who regrets it? The country is impermanent, and the monarch and ministers are impermanent. It has been natural since ancient times. "("Zuo Zhuan "Zhao Gong thirty years) If you lose your virtue and ignore the people, you will be abandoned by the people. Therefore, Mencius said wholeheartedly: "The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light. "In fact, the relationship between the people, the country and the monarch mentioned by Mencius is the political and cultural concept of" people are the foundation of the country "when the early country was formed, and it has become a historical relic in the Warring States Period.

"antinomy": people-oriented concept and the political ecology of feudal absolutism

After the Qin and Han Dynasties, the people-oriented thought was not excluded from the official consciousness of feudal society for more than two thousand years. Not only some Confucian thinkers and political critics often preach the people-oriented thought, but many emperors also openly admit the concept of "people are the foundation of the country and foundation is the foundation of the country". This is because the slightly smarter feudal rulers knew that the people played an important role in the country's economic and political life, so they all dressed themselves as protectors of the people. If they openly deny the people-oriented thought, it is equivalent to abandoning their own people and undermining the legitimate status of the rule. The Five Classics of Confucius' Family Words, with the excuse of recording Confucius' words and deeds, says: "Husband is a boat, and Shu Ren is water. Water can carry a boat or overturn it. " This is indeed the case in history. Although the autocratic imperial power can take anything the people want and brutally exploit and oppress them, once the people rise up, any dynasty may collapse in an instant. The number and scale of peasant wars in the history of China are enough for many feudal rulers to take warning. This, emperor Taizong experience the most profound. He once said to the minister, "To be a monarch, we must first save the people. If you harm the people and serve the people, you still have to cut the shares and die full. " He added, "Cute is not a gentleman, and awesome is not a person. The son of heaven, if there is a way, people will push it, but if there is no way, people will abandon it. Great. " (Zhenguan politician, monarch and political power) The feudal rulers regarded the people as the foundation of the country and compared their relationship with the people to the relationship between ships and water. They hoped that the people would live and work in peace and contentment and that the ruling class and the ruled class would live in harmony. This is not hypocritical moral preaching, but based on the political needs of expecting long-term stability in feudal countries. The feudal economic base and superstructure are based on class exploitation, and there is a natural contradiction between people-oriented thought and this exploitation system, which determines that people-oriented thought will inevitably be restricted by "antinomy" and eventually become an impossible political talk. The political ecology of China's feudal society for more than two thousand years actually mocked and trampled on the people-oriented thought.

Agriculture was the most important production sector in ancient China. The small-scale peasant economy with one household as the production unit and the combination of agriculture and cottage industry is the broad foundation of feudal production mode. The core of people-oriented thought in feudal society can be said to be the broad foundation for protecting small-scale peasant economy. Before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the land was owned by the same people who were related by blood or geography, and farmers' families needed to "change their land and move" regularly. At that time, there was no problem of farmers losing their land. However, with the growth of private ownership, this similar land ownership characterized by "well-field system" gradually collapsed. During the Warring States period, political reforms in various countries accelerated the process of land privatization. Although the owner's small-scale land ownership has been widely developed, it can't stand the devastation of natural and man-made disasters because of its inherent weaknesses. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, there has been a situation that "the rich have fields and buildings, and the poor have no place to stand". Farmers who have lost their land will either become powerful laborers of landlords or go out to escape and become refugees. The decrease in the number of yeomen farmers not only exhausted the sources of levying taxes and levies in feudal countries, but also caused a serious social crisis, threatening the rule of feudal countries on a large scale. Therefore, all dynasties should try their best to maintain the small-scale peasant economy and reduce the loss of the national version of farmers' household registration, so persuading farmers to teach mulberry has become an important economic function of feudal countries. Gong Sui, the satrap of Bohai Sea in the Western Han Dynasty, "advised the people to plant mulberry, so that one elm, one hundred onions, fifty onions, one bed of leeks, two mothers and five chickens"; In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Guiyang magistrate was kind to "teach Sang Ma? Local officials advised farmers to teach mulberry (History of Han Dynasty, History of Later Han Dynasty, Biography of Officials) is a typical example. For farmers who have no land and little land, feudal countries have also implemented policies and measures such as "granting land", "fake land", "giving land" and redefining the true boundaries, and allocated state-owned land for them to cultivate. After large-scale peasant uprisings and wars, a large number of ownerless wasteland often appeared, which created favorable conditions for feudal countries to adjust land relations. During the Taihe period, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty ordered the implementation of the land equalization system in order to solve the serious social problems of "the land is left behind, but the people have no surplus wealth, or they die fighting for land, or they want to abandon business because of hunger" (Shuwei Gaozuji). From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Northern Qi Dynasty, and from the Northern Zhou Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the system of equal land was basically inherited, but the standards and implementation methods of land grant changed. After the Anshi Rebellion, due to the further development of private ownership of land, there was no surplus land for distribution in the hands of feudal countries, and the land equalization system was finally abolished. Decades of war in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties led to a large number of barren land throughout the country. After Emperor Kangxi ordered the Manchu princes and nobles to ban enclosure, he encouraged farmers to reclaim land and "make a career forever". At the same time, the practice of "renaming farmland" was implemented, and the land property scattered throughout the Ming Dynasty was handed over to the original tenant farmers for farming, which was changed to "in the name of people", greatly increasing the number of yeomen.

Frequent natural disasters, heavy feudal taxes and land annexation by the landlord class are the main reasons for farmers' bankruptcy and exile. After the unification of the six countries, Qin Shihuang ignored the war-torn people's urgent desire to recuperate, and "made great efforts to promote domestic interests and foreign countries, and received half of Thailand's gifts as a defense for the left", resulting in "men plowing without pay and women spinning without clothes" and even "family worries, so the bank collapsed" (Hanshu Shihuozhi). Based on the historical lessons of Qin's death, Jia Yi put forward that "the way of herdsman is security" in On Qin. In the early Han Dynasty, Huang Lao's theory of "inaction" was advocated, and the punishment was reduced, so that the broken social economy was restored and developed. From the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the tax system changed frequently, but generally speaking, an important difference between the so-called "prosperous times" and "troubled times" is that when the tax service in feudal countries was properly controlled, farmers had a relatively stable and relaxed environment for production, and the whole family could make a living; When the tax corvee in feudal countries was extremely heavy, farmers were not only hungry and cold, but also had to sell their descendants and leave their homes. Generally speaking, farmers can barely tolerate the tax corvee within the system. But the feudal ruling class was not satisfied with the exploitation within this system. Some unscrupulous corrupt officials often ignore the life and death of farmers and extort money without customization, thus pushing farmers to the abyss of bankruptcy and death. When the Sui Dynasty was first established, taxes were light and farmers' household registration increased. However, after Yang Di's accession to the throne, he was extremely extravagant, and repeatedly used troops in North Korea, which made the farmers' tax burden increase unprecedentedly. As a result, in many areas, farming is out of date, farmland is barren, "the world died in service, and the family was hurt by money" ("Sui Shu Food Records"). In the early Qing Dynasty, the reorganization of taxes and levies, the imperial edict of Kangxi "never raising taxes to raise people" and the implementation of Yongzheng "dividing fields into acres" played a positive role in the recovery and development of the devastated small-scale peasant economy since the late Ming Dynasty. However, due to official corruption, the burden on farmers is still very heavy. In order to curb the illegal exploitation of farmers by officials, Yongzheng implemented the system of issuing "yanglianyin" to officials. However, under the feudal system, salary increase can not put an end to the corruption of officials. After receiving the "yanglianyin", many officials still "arbitrarily levy" on farmers to enrich themselves.

It is an important content of people-oriented thought in feudal society to oppose the land annexation of farmers by landlords and tyrants. But this does not mean that the scholar-officials who hold this view oppose the feudal exploitation system. In fact, it is only a reflection of the contradiction between the overall interests and local interests of the feudal ruling class. Chao Cuo said that merchant landlords "suffered the death of farmers and got thousands of dollars. Because of his deep pockets, the traffic princes have surpassed their official positions and made mutual profits. " "This businessman merged with farmers, who are also exiles." Dong Zhongshu, on the other hand, advocated "limiting the people's famous fields to land shortage" and accused the landlords of "taking advantage of Sichuan and Ze, managing the kindness of mountains and forests, being extravagant and extravagant, and being high with each other." There are people in the city who are respected by the king and rich in princes. Is the king not sleepy? " (History of Eating Goods in Han Dynasty) They all started from the overall situation and long-term interests of feudal countries and opposed the landlord's annexation of farmers. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, some scholar-officials advocated restoring the well-field system and "limiting the merger of husband fields" (Zhong Changtong: Chang Yan Profit and Loss). But even this idea of "limiting fields" can't be realized at all. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the feudal state once put forward a plan to restrict princes from becoming famous fields, but it was shelved because of opposition from the powerful people in the DPRK.

The evolution and political practice of people-oriented thought in contemporary China

People-oriented thought failed to achieve the purpose of maintaining small-scale peasant economy under the condition of "antinomy" in feudal society, but it played a positive role in the development of China history. The ideological proposition of "people-oriented" was injected with new theoretical content in modern China and became an important ideological weapon to promote social progress.

The traditional people-oriented thought is based on the premise of recognizing the supremacy of autocratic monarch's authority, and the inherent contradiction of treating "people" as "national standard" is the fundamental crux of its failure to realize its political ideas. However, since "people-oriented" thought has become the political creed of the elites of past dynasties, it has not only bred a group of thinkers, writers and politicians who care about people's sufferings, but also, with the decline and decay of the feudal system, it will inevitably urge some of them to use people-oriented thought to oppose the autocratic rule of imperial power. As early as the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Zongxi denounced the feudal monarch for "killing the liver and brain of the world, dispersing the sons of the world and enriching my career" and "being the best in the world."