The Research On Xiejia During Ming-Qing

Xiejia's business involved in many fields in Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, such as commence, taxes and forced labor, legal cases and so on. And even some of the problems extended to the period of the Republic of China. So the study of Xiejia couldn't be systematically finished in a short time. The thesis only is an initial and brief study on the following problems of Xiejia.The first is the textual research on Xiejia's concept and aliases. The initial and basic meaning of Xiejia was inn. More precisely, it's a mode of operation to provide residential service. It's not only a mode of operation, but also a special group. It's a word highly collected people and operational mode, which is great different from inn. Xiejia's involving in the fields of commence, taxes, forced labor and judicature, was an extension of accommodation and catering services, which needed because of people's mobile. With the different functions of its extension, it had many aliases. Of course, it's not the only reason the aliases formed. In the fields of taxes, forced labor and legal cases, Xiejia had common aliases such as Baoxie, Xiebao, Baojia, Anbao, Baohu, Baoshi, Xiedian, Xiehu, Zhuhu, Jixie, Fandian, Fanjia and so on. In the field of taxes and forced labor, Xiejia had some special aliases such as Qushu, Yinhu, Zhuhu, Guzhang, Cangxie, Cangshu, Qujia, Kanfu, Lianfu, Huofu and so on. In the field of commence, Xiejia had some aliases such as Xiedian, Xiehu, Kedian, Yuanting, Yaxie and so on. Its basic meaning was an operational mode collected Kedian and Yahang, which followed the ancient operational modes of Didian and Tafang, and formed a kind of new operating model in commence field that collected the functions of inn, broker, warehousing, trade, transport and borrowing. The author called it Xiejia-Yahang operating model.The second is about Xiejia's major component personnel. In different fields, Xiejia had different composition. Xiejia who acted as warehouses, usually could be composed by bureaucrats, royal relatives, eunuchs, gentries, the powerful rich, the family members and servants of petty officials. The staff of Xiejia in counties and villages was very complicated. It mainly had following categories, such as Shigun and Shihua, Shuli and Ceshu category; Xuli-Yayi and Lichai category, Tugun and Shenjin category, Liyi category and so on. In the field of legal cases, Xiejia's personnel mainly could be Shenjin, Haogun, Xuli-Yayi and Songshi etc. In commence field, Xiejia's personnel mainly could be Yashang and Yabao, made up of powerful gentries, the rich, bureaucrats, royal relatives, eunuchs, or the family members and servants of petty officials.The third is the textual research on Yamen which founded Xiejia. Only according to what the author had known, there were some Yamens which founded Xiejia such as Guozijian, Fasi in the capital, Bingying, Jing-Tong warehouses, Yanchang, Chuanzheng, Shuiguan etc. The author called them in turn Guozijian-Xiejia, Fasi-Xiejia in the capital, Bing-Xiejia, Jing-Tong-Cangyi-Xiejia, Yanchang-Xiejia, Chuanzheng-Xiejia, Shuiguan-Xiejia etc.The fourth is the textual research on the background of the system reform in which Xiejia was taken birth. Xiejia's great power in the fields of counties and villages, legal cases and warehouses, had its deep background of system reform. Among them, the reform of reverting and weakening Liangzhang's and Lizhang's power, that is to say, the decline of Liang-Li system and the decline of Liangzhang's and Lizhang's own strength, was the social infrastructure of Xiejia's vigorous development. The establishment of Bixian system and its disadvantages were the fundamental causes which promoted the formation of Baoxie system.The fifth is the textual research on Xiejia in counties and villages. The phenomenon of Xiejia's controlling taxes, forced labor and legal cases, existed almost all over the country. In fact, they were the real power that controlled the counties and villages. Because of its complexity, it's difficult to distinguish clearly in a short time. So in this chapter, only the basic situation of Xiejia in counties and villages in provinces, the reasons for its development in provinces, forces and personnel were distinguished. The complex relationship among Xiejia, villagers and the government was slightly covered. Extending the study, it would be a very complex system.The sixth is the textual research on Warehouse-Xiejia. This chapter was divided into three parts, whose titles were the textual research on Jing-Tong-Cangyi-Xiejia, the textual research on the relationship between non-governmental transport system and Xiejia, the textual research on the reasons of Warehouse-Xiejia's reform and characters. In the first part, among the eight kinds of Cangyi set in two warehouses in Jing-Tong in Ming Dynasty, two kinds were Xiejia. Cangyi-Xiejia controlled the key link in the process of paying grain taxes, so the relationship between the warehouse officials and Cangyi-Xiejia was unusual. Their corrupt deeds were the most serious. Xiaguan-Xiejia provided residential services for Baqi-Army. At the same time, it had duty to search, capture and imprison the owing Baqi officers. So at sometimes it could dominate the grain transport. In the second port, it discussed the relationship between five non-governmental transport systems and Xiejia. The five non-government transport system were Nanjing storage system, Beijing royal storage system, water transport and preparatory storage system, frontier storage system and retentive grain storage system established by the government in provincial capitals. In the third part, it mainly discussed the changing process of Xiejia in warehouse field, which changed from service to Baolan, even to the establishment of Baoxie system. Also it discussed Xiejia's core nature in warehouse field, which didn't exist as middle service organizations for Nahu, but existed as the reflection of the interests which the power groups of eunuchs, royal relatives, bureaucrats, gentries and petty officials pursued in the financial market.