Study On The Governor Of Mingzhou (Qingyuanfu) In The Southern Song Dynasty

In the Northern Song Dynasty,Mingzhou was just an ordinary state capital along the southeast coast.After Jianyan Nandu and the Southern Song Dynasty’s capital Lin’an,Mingzhou became the administrative office of the coastal system and the brachial County of Lin’an because of its unique geographical advantages of being located on the outer edge of Hangzhou Bay,numerous islands and ports,and convenient for stationing naval forces and berthing ships.The important geographical location made the court attach great importance to the appointment of the governor of Mingzhou(Qingyuanfu)in the Southern Song Dynasty.Prefectures are mainly scholars with high cultural quality.They have rich official experience before taking office here.At the same time,Mingzhou(Qingyuanfu)was close to Lin’an,the political center of the Southern Song Dynasty,which made the appointment and removal of its prefect(prefecture)vulnerable to the influence of the current political situation,showing the characteristics of frequent replacement and short tenure.Mingzhou(Qingyuanfu)is surrounded by the sea on three sides.The overall terrain is high in the West and low in the East.Rivers and streams are easy to discharge into the sea in rainy season and sea water is easy to pour into rivers in dry season.On the one hand,there is no water available for agricultural irrigation;On the other hand,summer and autumn are prone to floods.In this regard,the prefecture(government)must not only provide disaster relief,but also build water conservancy facilities to store water and resist salt,so as to meet the needs of agricultural production.In addition,in the early Southern Song Dynasty,the coastal system department was established to govern the waters of eastern Zhejiang and prevent the Jin people from attacking from the sea.Since then,most of the time,the garrison of Mingzhou(Qingyuan government)concurrently served as the supreme officer of the coastal system department,with an important military mission of defending the outside and securing the inside.In addition,Mingzhou(Qingyuanfu)was also an important foreign trade port in the Southern Song Dynasty and Zhejiang,and the development of overseas trade was also an important responsibility of the prefecture governor(prefecture).Through the investigation of the behavior of governor during their tenure,it can be seen that the vast majority of them have done a lot in civil affairs and military administration.They have eliminated pirates,attached importance to school construction,reduced taxes and rents,built water conservancy,handled monk and Taoist affairs,and actively fulfilled their duties as local governors.At the same time,as an important official between the imperial court and the local government,the governor(prefecture)of Mingzhou(Qingyuanfu)plays a role in issuing orders from the superior and communicating inside and outside in the operation of government affairs,and has a close cooperation and supervision relationship with the imperial court,road level and lower level officials.In addition,when they were in office,they paid attention to the people and things in the local society of Mingzhou,attached importance to the relationship with the local people,actively participated in the local public welfare and traditional etiquette activities,and integrated into the local society.In the handling of public affairs,take the initiative to seek the help of local scholars and people.Pay attention to the needs of local scholars and people and relieve their worries for the people.Generally speaking,the governor(prefecture)of Mingzhou(Qingyuan fu)in the Southern Song Dynasty fulfilled the requirements of local governance by the imperial court and made important contributions to the economic and cultural development of the region.