| Through inspecting the bridge of Fuzhou during Ming-Qing Dynasties, Thispaper discusses some issues Including the way of the construction of bridges andSource of funds. And building on these basises, This paper discusses Interactionbetween official and private, especially the interaction between the official and thegentleman, and the important role of gentry on the local society.Ming and Qing Dynasties, Fuzhou had been divided into Fuzhou and Jianchang,and It had built many bridges. The construction of the bridge can be divided into theofficial repair and the civil repair in two ways, but It had a different emphasis atdifferent times.The early Ming Dynasty, Official repair cost from local taxes and officialsalaries, but Its dominance began to decline. In the late Ming Dynasty, liturgicalsystem was reformed,"a whip" was launched nationwide, Labor was converted intomoney, the labor service was change into hire labor. Local governments could notjust send tasks, put the construction of bridges and other local public affairs slowlyhanded over to the private sector.Before the mid-Qing Dynasty, civil construction of the bridge had been anabsolutely dominant position, The gentry built a lot of bridges to further enhancetheir prestige. The local government’s ability decreased more, It only played the roleof the supervision and guidance. After the late Qing Dynasty, folk still played animportant role, however, Gentleman’s status began to decline. |
