Research On The County-level Administration In Hubei And Hunan Provinces In Late Qing Dynasty

This dissertation focuses on the county-level administration in late Qing Dynasty. By means of sociological, political and psychological theories, with the function of county as the basic frame and theme, the author analyses the operation and evolution of Hubei and Hunan Provinces of late Qing Dynasty, such as the functional change of jurisdiction and the change of administrative pattern of social security, and so on, identifies the specific situation of county-level evolution of Hubei and Hunan Provinces and its effects on county administration, and offers some sound explanations about the changes. This dissertation falls into six sections as follows:The first section starts from institutions and written ordains, describes local administrative system and the general pattern and features of county-level governance structure, the administrative content and the important role of county administration in state social governance of Qing Dynasty, and introduces the settings of county of Hubei and Hunan Provinces.The second section analyses the tax categories, taxation procedures of land-poll tax, the disadvantages of county-level land-poll tax collection, and the reform of land-poll tax and tribute grain of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and its relevant effects.The third section is mainly about county-level jurisdiction. Based on the prescriptions of written institutions, the author explains the legal rights and responsibilities of county and the role of county-level trial in the whole legal system of Qing Dynasty. Then, the author analyses the policies and solutions made by governors and procurators of Hubei and Hunan Provinces under the background of social turmoil and the operation procedures of summary execution. In late Qing Dynasty, the foreign church-related cases piles up, so the investigation and disposal of the conflict between people and church becomes part of local officials'job. Church-related cases are both domestic and foreign affairs, and county-level officials usually take measures to protect church and priests to evade punishment. The author analyses three categories of the disposal of such conflicts operated by county-level officials, the dilemma that they face and their conflicting psychology. In the end, the author illustrates the unfinished jurisdiction reform of late Qing Dynasty.The fourth section focuses on the change of security pattern ranging from bao-jia system, civil corps and police system of local society of late Qing Dynasty. Because of the impact of large-scale peasant uprising and the loss of control of basic-level regime in Hubei and Hunan Provinces, civil corps developed very soon. The author investigates the reason why squirearch's power became larger. During the reign of Emperor Tongzhi and Guangxu, the central government incessantly issue ordains to rectify civil corps and bao-jia which are ignored by county-level officials. So, till late Qing Dynasty, the central government attempted to establish a new local security system by adopting police system. The author illustrates the general situation, function and effects of county-level police system in Hubei and Hunan Provinces.The fifth section is about social problems such as embankment, river dredging, and water conservancy projects. Based on the dike-building operated by the magistrate of Tianmen County Shao Shien recorded in "the construction of Xiang Dike", the author analyses the construction, management and fund-raising questions, the measures and solutions taken by county administration, and the reform measures against squirearch's corruption during the course of dike-building.The sixth section mainly focuses on administrative reform in late Qing Dynasty. In the early twenty-first century, the central government issued several administrative reform measures on the county level, which include not only reducing redundant inferior officials, setting assistants, reforming the examination and appointment rules of county-level officials, setting primary court, but also the holistic reform of county administration since "preparing constitutionalism" period. The author outlined the implementation of the above reforms carried out in late Qing Dynasty and their great influences on county administration and governance pattern.