A Study Of The County Administration Of Liao Tengkui,the County Magistrate Of Xiuning,huizhou Fu In The Middle Of Qing Kangxi Period

At the lowest level of the ancient Chinese government’s administrative hierarchy,county officials substantially engaged in the governance of the people and affected people’s well-being.State policies and decrees of the state were spread to the mass public via county-level authorities and various issues at the grassroots level were handled or reported by county officials.Liao Tengkui,a native of Jiangle County,Fujian,served as the magistrate of Xiuning County in the28 th year of Kangxi’s reign(1689 A.D.).His work,Hai Yang Ji Lue,recorded his strategies for governing the county.Upon taking office,Liao Tengkui undertook numerous measures,such as attracting migrants,prohibiting outdated and formalistic regulations and fees regarding governmental reviews,and requiring businesses to declare their land and property to clarify acreage and verify household registration.This ensured relative fairness in the review process,alleviated the burden of the people,and collated the household registers of Xiuning.In terms of litigation proceedings,he strictly forbade solicitation and curbed exploitation from local bureaucrats and clerks by standardizing the lawsuit process.He ordered plaintiffs to work with local militias to arrest defendants;strictly prohibited false accusations and ordered cautious punishment principles for criminal cases.In resolving disputes involving grave properties and other civil matters,he adopted a culturally sensitive approach.To maintain local security in Xiuning,Liao Tengkui supervised the neighborhood administrative system;In response to frequent thefts,he established punitive measures such as facial tattooing and public notices.To improve local customs,he strictly prohibited the practice of enslaving women and promoted the establishment of charitable cemeteries.During his tenure,he oversaw the repair and construction of city walls,granaries,academies,and other public buildings within the county,as well as the construction or fundraising for bridges and schools,while rewarding contributors.To inspire local students,he personally lectured and donated his salary to invite renowned teachers and establish charitable schools to aid impoverished students.He also revised the Xiuning County Annals,pruning the irrelevant figures that had been indiscriminately included,ensuring the accuracy and solidity of the records.He held numerous rituals to promote moral reform;prayed for rain during droughts,while also banning the outdated practices associated with the Confucian temple’s ceremonies in Xiuning.The fiscal changes in Xiuning County since the late Ming Dynasty led to the underlying reason behind the occurrence of the then social issues and further affected Liao’s county governance.At the same time,judging from the operational reality of the local society in Xiuning,state power had permeated every aspect of the society,and the social elites represented by the gentry and clans were often the helpers and partners of the state and county officials in their implementation of policies and governance.