A Study On Shichen Of The Yuan Dynasty

In comparison with other dynasties, the shichen (envoys,messengers and staff who serve in the government) of Yuan Dynasty had their special characteristics. Rulers of the Mongolian-Yuan Empire habitually relied on shichen to convey important messages and deal with important affairs, and this habit could be attributed to two reasons. First, the empire had a territory that was unprecedently expansive and it needed more information exchange and communication both interiorly and exteriorly. Second, the influence of the old Mongolian system still lingered. In Yuan Dynasty shichen were very active. They were highly qualified and enjoyed high status.They were given considerable power and assumed many kinds of missions. They covered a wide geographical scope including the Euraisa Continent.The shichen of Yuan Dynasty played a unique role in politics, society, military affairs and many other fields, so they were the group of people that should not ignored in the historical scene. From the exploration of the shichen of Yuan Dynasty, we would discover some historical features about that period.The origin of the shichen in Yuan Dynasty could be dated back to the Mongolian tribe period. The author here specifies the actions of dispatching shichen recorded in Secret History of the Mongols, and studies the cases in detail one by one. By generalizing the action of dispatching shichen in the early period, the author finds that most shichen served as nokor beside the noble leaders, and there were no systematic literary and credential systems. In conclusion, the actions of dispatching shichen in this period were still in the early stage of development, and there were no complete institutional systems. However, there were still some traits that make the shichen in the early Mogolian period different from their counterparsts of other dynasties, especially their strong subordination to and dependence on the nobles,and this influenced the role of the shichen of Yuan Dynasty.After the founding of the the Mongolian Empire,to send Xuanchai to announce decrees became an important form of shichen's mission and this practice played an important role when the Court was proclaiming and conveying decrees and orders, dealing with government affairs and so on. This practice was more or less of transitional significance,and it also laid the foundation for the institutional system of dispatching shichen in Yuan Dynasty.Shichen were assigned and dispatched by different kinds of shizhang (masters, hosts, usually the nobles who held the power) and bureaucratic structures. In the light of dispachers, there were two kinds of shichen. The first kind were sent by the Emperor (or Khan), princes, queens and other nobles (these people were called zhuweixia in Yuan Dynasty),and the second kind were sent by many kinds of bureaucratic institutions such as zhongshusheng (the Central Secretariat),shumiyuan (the Privy Council),yushitai (the Censorate), xingsheng and other government organs. Basing on the studies of different related features, the author analyzes a variety of shichen in detail.First, zhuweixia's dispatching shichen (including the Emperor and other nobles).This was an effective method for the nobles of the Golden Family to strengthen their rule and to maintain and acquire privileges. It was also an important means for them to dominate or intervene in the ruling of the empire in terms of politics and military affairs. Jinzi shichen, who were sent to Tibet by the Emperor of Yuan were on behalf of the central court. It was beneficial for strengthening the control and administration of Tibet. When the Emperor was parading between Dadu and Shangdu, shichen served as a connction between the Emperor (including ministers) and important bureaucratic structures(Zhongshusheng etc.) left behind.They played an important role in announcing decrees, transmitting military messages and conveying orders. This type of dispatching shichen was obviously affected by the retainer system.Second, bureaucratic structures's dispatching shichen.These shichen also had great impact on the management of state power. Xuanshi and zouchai were special and important professional envoys in the bureaucratic structures of Yuan Dynasty. They followed the superior's orders, handled concrete affairs and transmitted messages. Due to the special historical and social background of the time, xuanshi and zouchai were sent by shizhang(superiors) and held stronger powers. So they had greater impact on the country and society than the messengers of other dynasties.The author studies two distinctive kinds of shichen from the perspective of their identity and status. The Keshig shichen of Yuan Dynasty were unique in history, and the system was closely connected with the tradition of "administering the country through retainers". However, shichen dispatched as rushi (scholar messengers) mainly showed that Mongolian—Yuan rulers absorbed and utilized Han culture.The activities of shichen in Yuan Dynasty had relatively significant impact on politics and society. At a time when the system of stage transport was perfect and convenient, shichen passing through stages abused power, exploited transport resources and harassed the officials as well as commoners. Disturbance on local people and officials by shichen thus became a serious problem. As the problem continued for a long period and the influence covered a wide scope,their behaviors did certain harm to the society. The Government paid much attention to this, but the many measures that it had taken virtually came to no obvious effect. This essay intends to deal with the behaviors of shichen, the social harm brought about by their disturbance and the reasons behind their rampancy. Shichen were also involved in royal succession conflicts and they played there unique roles. And it is important to note that the shichen of Yuan Dynasty were closely connected with the retainer system, and dispatching shichen was an important means to "administer the country through retainers".Affected by the military conquest, the shichen dispatched abroad by Mongolian-Yuan Dynasty to dependent countries and conquered regions draw special attention.The author presents a study of the shichen dispatched to Southern Song Dynasty, Korea, Annan, Japan and other typical areas and surveyed the evolvement of the relationship these regions and Yuan Dynasty. Among these missions, Hao Jing's journey to Southern Song Dynasty was especially important, so the author analyzed him in detail as an individual case. The missions of shichen between Yuan Dynasty and the four khanates contributed to the exchanges between the East and West and revealed the changes of their relationships. Most of the shichen dispatched by the Yuan Court were not able to accomplish their missions, and many of them were killed or held in capativity. So they had their own unique tragic lot. These were caused by many reasons, such as the political and military situation and the conquest concept of Mongolian rulers. The activities of shichen were closely related to all aspects of the empire's national life--political, economic, cultural and military, especially military conquest. Through the analysis of the shichen of Yuan Dynasty, we could get an understanding of the political and social life of Yuan Dynasty from the perspectives of internal and diplomatic affairs. The shichen of Yuan Dynasty which rooted in the unique dual Mongolian-Han political and cultural background had their own special characteristics and significant influence that could not be neglected.