The State Administration Ideology And Practices Of Chi In Pre-Qin Period

Chi in pre-Qin period was established in early Western Zhou Dynasty when Jiang Taigong was invested in Yingqiu of the Chi area (i.e., within the border of Linzi, Shandong) as the prime credit taker and established the state of Chi. In 221 BC, Chi was destroyed by Qin. Chi stood out of the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods, lasing for about 800 years. It was one of the kingdoms which were established the earliest and destroyed the latest in pre-Qin and two-Zhou period with longest history.The period from Western Zhou to Warring States is a very significant historic period in the long Chinese history. Especially, the Spring and Autumn and the Warring states were periods when significant turbulence and revolution occurred, which brought the big real transformation of the whole society into reality, i.e., from the structuring by investing states of the Western Zhou to a centralized feudal society with the despotic emperors descent from the Qin and Han Dynasties.The state of Chi not only completed its transformation successfully, but also brought the state from an originally small one with a hundred miles of territory into a large one with two thousand miles of territory; from a poor and weak state of running off halogens from land, lack of grains and small population to an affluent and powerful one with adequate clothes, being rich in living and powerful in solders. During the Spring and Autumn period, Chi achieved the immortal footprints of firstly conquering the middle plains; during Warring States period, Chi was well known as the head of the seven powers, ever establishing the monarch and emperor achievements. At that time, the Eastern Chi, Western Qin and Southern Chu were the three legs of a tripod with Chi the most hopeful state to unify China, but finally destroyed by Qin.The prosperity and decline of Chi bears plenty of successful experiences and painful lessons on state administration. These are worth studying and summing up by modern people no matter they are successful experiences or painful lessons. On this basis, this paper attempts to achieve coupling of the two by completely and systematically studying the state administration ideology and practices of Chi in pre-Qin period in combination with the theory and method of modern state administration, so that it would be beneficial to the contemporary state administration of our country. The paper, under the guidance of Marxism, and in reference to the reasonable components of ancient and contemporary historiography, culturology and administration of our country, as well as using the materialist dialectics, historical dialectics, textual criticism method, case analysis method, systematic analysis method, structural and functional analysis method, comprehensive induction method, comparison method and multiple evidence method, carries out multi-dimensional thinking and scientific judgment on documentary literature, archaeological materials, and especially, the newly discovered materials and innovative study on the state administration ideology and practices of Chi in pre-Qin period.In the organization of content of the paper, it breaks up into eight sections, including "Study on the State Administration System of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "Study on the Political Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "Study on the Economical Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "Study on the Military Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "Study on the Legal Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "Study on the Diplomatic Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "Study on the Social Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period", "The Historic Status and Contemporary Significance of the State Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" etc.Section one, "Study on the State Administration System of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the six characteristics of state administration system of Chi in pre-Qin period:1) paying attention to agriculture, industry and commerce; 2) taking agriculture as the basis in politics; 3) recognition of talents and competency as well as taking the best of people; 4) emphasizing both courtesy and law; 5) focusing on education and customs; 6) emphasizing construction of harmonious society.Section two, "Study on the Political Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the political administration ideology and practices of Chi in pre-Qin period in the three periods of Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States. Among others, for the Western Zhou period, it discusses Jiang Taigong's state construction guidelines in politics and its current political system; for the Spring and Autumn period, it discusses the reform and practices in political administration carried out by Qi Huangong and Guanzhong for conquering the middle plains as well as the reform and practices in political administration carried out by Yan Ying for re-conquering the middle plains; and for the Warring States period, it discusses the comments of other thinkers on the political administration ideology and the new political system built by Chi for adapting to the new situation of combined and unified war.Section three, "Study on the Economical Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the land system, economic system and economic growth of Chi in pre-Qin period in the three periods of Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States. Chi's becoming a affluent state of everyone admired from a poor one when it was invested originally has a lot to do with its reforms on land system and economic system carried out according to its local conditions.Section four, "Study on the Military Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the newly emerging military administration ideology and practices in Chi for adapting to the new situations for assisting Zhou Dynasty in fighting against the small surrounding kingdoms in the Western Zhou period, conquering the middle plains in the Spring and Autumn period, and smoothly unifying the whole country in the Warring State period. It includes both the military administration ideology and practices of the Chinese top thinker Jiang Taigong and the Sun Zi's Art of War which has certain effect on the modern society, as well as the military administration ideology and practices of the well known militarists at that time, such as Guanzhong, Sima Rangju, Sun Wu, Sun Bin, Tian Dan etc.Section five, "Study on the Legal Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the representatives in the three periods of Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States and the legal administration ideology and practices of their works, such as the legal ideology and legal practical activities of Jiang Taigong, Guanzhong, Yan Ying, the king of Chi, Guan Zi etc.Section six, "Study on the Diplomatic Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the major purposes, administrative principles and diplomatic practices of Chi in the periods of Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States.Section seven, "Study on the Social Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the administrative ideology and practices of culture, education health and sports as well as the home affairs and practices of Chi.Section eight, "The Historic Status and Contemporary Significance of the State Administration Ideology and Practices of Chi in Pre-Qin Period" concentrates on the historic status and effect on the later generations of state administration ideology and practices of Chi as well as the inspiration value for the contemporary state administration, especially the construction of harmonious society.Presently there are no academic works that study the state administration ideology and practices of Chi in pre-Qin period comprehensively, systematically, and deeply from an angle of state administration due to the weakness of study on the state administration ideology and practices of Chi in pre-Qin period. In this view, this paper belongs to basically original study. Its originalities include the following five aspects:Firstly, the theory of administrative objectives of state administration ideology and practices of Chi in pre-Qin period which affects the "whole world." The Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods were an era when different kingdoms strove to fight against each other for super power. Under such a social background, the politicians and thinkers of Chi in pre-Qin period made the strategies for founding the monarch and emperor achievements and established the high and long term administrative objectives of "friendship with the whole world, interview with all the other kingdoms and aiding its surrounding kingdoms" to meet the requirements of social and times development.Secondly, the "harmonious" administrative value ideology. People often see the opposite facet between the administrator and the administrated, and opposition often brings about confronting; however, the politicians and thinkers of Chi in pre-Qin period focused on the unitive facet between the administrator and the administrated, and unification definitely brings about harmony. Seeking harmony in individual's heat, harmony of relationships between people and harmony between people and the nature are just the pursuit for the highest value of the politicians and thinkers of Chi in pre-Qin period.Thirdly, the "People Foremost" administrative and ethical thought. The politicians and thinkers of Chi in pre-Qin period thought that the object of administration is people and they are the root of the country and the footstone of the society. The ideology of the people foremost of the governors of Chi, such as "loving people", "benefiting people", "accommodating people", "enriching people", and "educating people", have certain effect then and later.Fourthly, the administrative and control ideology of emphasizing both courtesy and law as well as coordinating Yin and Yang. The politicians and thinkers in pre-Qin period all contributed their wisdom for the governance of their countries and conquering the whole world, Confucian School advocates governance by courtesy; Legalist School advocates governance by legislation; Taoist School advocates governance by actionless. Their doctrines all have their own truth, but all have their limitations too. The politicians and thinkers in pre-Qin period took the advantages of all and integrated them as a whole, forming their unique administrative and control ideology of emphasizing both courtesy and law, aiding Taoism and adopting law, as well as coordinating Yin and Yang.Fifthly, the tact management ideology of "adapting to the times and customs." The society is complicate and changes all the time. To this, The politicians and thinkers of Chi in pre-Qin period advocated, "not admiring ancientry, not cleaving to the time being, and adapting to the times and customs." This forms their tact state administration ideology with their own characteristics.