The Electoral Qualification Of The Central And Provincial Member Of Parliament In The Late Qing Dynasty And The Early Republic Of China

The decisive beginning of a parliamentary election is an important part of the political life of a constitutional country.The legislative elections in the late Qing and early Republican periods were the product of China’s learning of the West.In the late Qing Dynasty,the western election thought was introduced to China through various methods such as missionary cultural transmission,Chinese translation of "Western learning",and introduction of foreigners,which laid the ideological foundation for the establishment of the qualifications of parliamentarians in the late Qing and early Republican periods.With the development of "preparatory constitutionalism",the late Qing government promulgated the "Seal of the Zi Zheng Yuan " and "Consultation Bureau Charter" and other legal documents,which stipulated the qualifications of the members of the Central Committee and the members of the provincial advisory bureaus.Members of the Senate are composed of both elected and elected members.The elected members are mainly the royal princes,noble officials,noble taxpayers,and masters of Confucianism.They are actually representatives of nobles and landlord bureaucrats in the late Qing Dynasty.The elected members are elected from the members of the provincial advisory bureaus,and the members of the provincial advisory bureaus are first selected by each other,and then selected by the provincial governors.In addition to the property standard of 5,000 yuan,the eligibility of members of the Advisory Council is set up with academic standards,merit,prestige,and official positions,etc.In essence,it is to maintain feudal rule and is a continuation and transformation of traditional Chinese gentry.At the beginning of the Republic of China,on the basis of inheriting the qualifications of the members of the late Qing Dynasty,the qualifications of the members of the Central Senate,the House of Representatives,and the provincial council were determined based on the actual conditions of the society.On the one hand,the number of parliamentarians has increased from the end of the Qing Dynasty,and Mongolia,Tibet,Qinghai,and overseas Chinese parliamentarians have been set up,and parliamentary representatives are more extensive.On the other hand,the requirements for parliamentary election qualifications in terms of age,property,and knowledge are much lower than in the previous Qing.In particular,the provisions on the education level of primary school graduates and the property qualifications of five hundred yuan of real estate(Mongolian,Tibetan,and Qinghai movable property)are in line with social realities,expand the range of voters,and contribute to the realization of democratic constitutional government.In general,the qualifications of members of the National Assembly in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China were based on learning from the West and combined with the actual conditions of their own countries.Although the restrictions on election qualifications were stricter than those of other countries in the world during the same period,considering that democratic politics had just begun at the time,the requirements for election qualifications were realistic and reasonable.Throughout the regulations on eligibility for elections at that period,the eligibility requirements for voters were gradually relaxed,the eligibility standards for elections were gradually reduced,the electoral basis was enlarged,the progress of the electoral law was obvious,and the electoral system in the modern sense was initially established.The election of members of parliament in that period represents the general trend of representative politics.Its positive effect is obvious.In actual elections,the enthusiasm for popular voting has gradually increased,and the proportion of voters has gradually increased.It has opened a window for more ordinary people in society to participate in political life,which provided a valuable opportunity for constitutional education and exercise for the Chinese people,and to a certain extent,a balance of power was achieved.However,due to the lack of awareness of the rights of the people at that time,coupled with the high standards of election eligibility,government manipulation,and bribery,etc,a large part of society members were excluded from the electoral ranks.Parliamentary elections became a tool for those in power to maintain domination and control politics,which far from the essence of representative system.The root cause of all this is that the provision of electoral qualifications is contrary to the original intention of the establishment of the right to vote,and runs counter to the core issue of constitutionalism-restricting power with rights.