Local-lineage Autonomy And The Local Community

This dissertation aims to analyze from the perspective of local cultural history the founding of the Shang Dong Tuan' lien,a local clan organization of Liuyang County of Hunan Province in the late Qing and early Republic period,the structure and its function in the local society of Chinese clan and other local self-organisation,the relationship between the nation and the local society,and the development of local self-governing tradition.In the 1850s and '60s,Taiping Rebelling swept across most of China,which affected Liuyang County in the east of Hunan Province.In 1861,in order to cope with the chaos of the Taiping Rebelling,the Shang Dong Big Tuan(Upper East Tuan' lien,a local community military power),one of the top twenty-one big Tuan' liens of Liuyang County in Hunan Province,was founded by two towns of Dong Men and Bai Sha,which included ten lesser Tuan' liens.Shang Dong Big Tuan was centered in Dong Men Town and supported by lesser Tuan' liens and clans and other local communities of rural areas.Tuan' lien played an important role in defense against bandit and maintain social order.Through the operation of Tuan'lien,the gentry and other clerical stuffs got more powers and the Tuan' lien was developed from quasi-military to quasi-administrative organization and became a quasi legal lawful autonomous institution of Shang Dong area.This paper focus on Tuan'lien operational situation and its influence to the local society of village or township level under county instead of on the county level and Xiang Army(Hunan).The basic unit of Shang Dong Tuan'lien was clan,through which we could have a better understanding on Tuan' lien itself.The big clans of Shang Dong area mostly moved in during the Late Yuan Dynasty and Early Ming Dynasty stage and the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty stage.Under the clan organization set up on blood relationship,there are different levels of worship groups with their own properties.With genealogy compiling,clan regulations formulating,ancestor worship in clan hall and other cohesion function for the clansman,clan had a harmonious management on their people and properties.The clan played an important function in maintaining the social order,hence is the basis of Tuan'lien and other local self-governing like economy activity and management.The local self-governing organizations and its business of Shang Dong area covered almost all aspects of social life,such as trade,famine prevention,culture and education,bridge and road construction,charity,agricultural protection,and so on.These organizations were set up in different periods,some before the Taiping Rebelling,and some after Tuan'lien.The generation of these organizations was closely related to the geographical environment,production and living,and social structure.Set up by kinship,clan had a fundamental function.Based on geo-relationship,clans built up various local organizations,which maintained the social operation.Based on above reasons,there was a so-called community formed to some extent in Shang Dong area,which was the basis of local self-governing.Finally,the process of establishing Tuan'lien and realizing the local self-governing,was also the process of expansion of state power to rural society.Although there was some contradictions between the local power development and the state power,it did not mean one should eliminate the other but complementary.Instead,state power penetrated deeply into rural area with the help of gentry or local elites,and gentry or local elites took the opportunity to make a better local management.Local and state administration were linked up by Lijia and Baojia System,clan,deities belief,etc.In the transform of society,Tuan'lian gradually took the place of above traditional factors with a new connecting point between local and central administration in Shang Dong area.