The Operation Of The County Government In Fuguo County,Suzhou In The Late Qing Dynasty

County government is the abbreviation of county politics,and is a general term for a series of institutional arrangements,organizational structures,power relations,governance policies,and governance activities formed around county public offices.County administration is an important part of national politics.This article takes the administrative affairs of Yuanhe County magistrate Li Chaoqiong as an example to discuss the operation of the county government in Suzhou Fuguo County in the late Qing Dynasty.The situation of one city and three counties in Suzhou Prefecture is rare in the Qing Dynasty and even in the history of the entire county system in China.At the same time,Suzhou Prefecture is one of the provincial capitals of Jiangsu,and many large and small government offices are stationed in the governor,the government envoy,the inspector,and the Suzhou prefect.Dealing with the relationship with many higher-level government offices as well as the relationship with other government offices at the same level in the same city has become an important issue in the operation of the county government of Suzhou Fuguo County.Judging from the tenure of Yuanhe County magistrate Li Chaoqiong,provincial officials such as the governor,the government envoy,and the inspector often directly intervene in the affairs of Fuguo County.Although the Suzhou prefect is the direct supervisor of the magistrate,it is in the operation of Fuguo County.The effect is not obvious.In the exchanges between Yuanhe County and the government offices at all levels in the same city,the exchanges between the magistrate and officials at all levels affect the operation of the entire county government,and many government affairs have to consider the needs of the officials at all levels.The relationship between the three counties is more like ‘one prosper,one loses,all loses’,they often need to work together to deal with affairs and provide billions of dollars.With taxation as the center,Qiangu affairs are related to the national economy and people’s livelihood.Due to the deficit of the county government itself over the years,as well as the complex relationship between landlords and tenants in Suzhou Prefecture and the corrupt behavior of subordinate officials,the affairs of Qiangu in Yuanhe County were very difficult.Relying on the contacts accumulated by the Liao Zuo staff and the Suzhou alternate period,Li Chaoqiong managed to cope with the shortfall in office without any risk.In order to reduce the abuse of power by subordinate staff,Li Chaoqiong vigorously eliminated scribes and strengthened the control and restraint of scribes during his tenure.However,since the above problems are gradually formed,the measures taken by the county officials can only relieve the pressure to a certain extent,and the real solution cannot be achieved.It can be seen from the handling of criminal name affairs by Li Chaoqiong,the magistrate of Yuanhe County,that the state magistrates actually have a large degree of autonomy in hearing cases under the framework of the law,and they often reflect the personal will of magistrates and magistrates,which to a certain extent confirms The view that the judicial practice in the Qing Dynasty was ‘between the law and the lawlessness’.Sacrificial ceremonies,establishment of education,maintenance of public works and holding current affairs are also important contents of county political activities.The purpose of these government activities focuses on the guidance and control of the entire social atmosphere.