Ming Xuan Big Governor Research

Taking Xuan-Da Governor in the Ming Dynasty as the research object, in the perspective of the governor system in the Ming Dynasty, this paper intends to discuss the setup and the operational mechanism of Xuan-Da Governor in the Ming Dynasty, and to further explore the functions of Xuan-da Governor in Ming Dynasty and its continuation and the vanishment in the Qing Dynasty.The Governor System was an important regional political system in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The establishment of the Governor System was another major change in the regional political system in the Ming Dynasty following the establishment of the system of Separation of the Three Departments. The governors and the procurators, since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, gradually have become the chief executives in local governments, while in the Qing Dynasty became the local chief executives in the legal sense. Therefore, the discussion upon the governor system of the Ming Dynasty is of great significance to the study on the evolution of local political system of the Ming dynasty.The Governor came in to being on the basis of the Governor-Inspector System being universally adopted. The governors can be classified into the Local Governors and the Specialized Governors, and also local governors can be divided into the Permanent Governors and the Temporary Governors. The procurators were mainly responsible for the local civil affairs, while the governors’responsibilities focused on the military aspects. The procurators and the chief commanders were all responsible to the governors, who became the supreme local military and administrative chief.Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the remnants of the Mongolia military forces had long been the main concerns of the northern defense. And Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi were important parts of the northern defense line of the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, along with the changes of the Ming-Mongolia relationship and the changes of the northern defense situations, Xuan-Da area had become the forefront of northern defense for the Ming Dynasty against Mongolia, highlighting its military status; Xuan-Da, as the portal to the capital, was an important line of defense for the capital against Mongolia. During the period of Yongle, the Ming Government set up Xuan-Da frontier town, garrisoned by a chief commander. In the first year of Zhengtong period, the Ming government established Xuan-Da Procurator. After the Tumu Crisis in the second year of Jingtai period, the Ming Dynasty set up Xuan-Da Governor. Until the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing period, Xuan-Da Governor had become stationary and been institutionalized until the end of the Ming Dynasty. Xuan-Da governor administers three towns and Procurators of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi. Xuan-Da Governor was not only related to the Governor System of the Ming Dynasty, but also closely related to the Ming-Mongolia relationship, the national policy and defense strategy of the Ming Dynasty.Since its establishment, Xuan-Da Governor had experienced the processes of temporary to permanent atatus and institutionalization, increasing to stabilized power, changing to stabilized jurisdiction, the institutionalization of designation and so on. To the middle and late period of Jiajing, Xuan-Da Governor System had been basically perfected and institutionalized. Xuan-Da Governor, since its establishment in the second year of Jingtai period to its stabilization in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing period, had been administering the procurators, the chief commanders and many other officials, and also had close relationships with the emperor and the central government. Therefore, the operational mechanism of Xuan-da Governor System concerns a wide variety of issues. Xuan Governor plays different roles in different periods of the Ming Dynasty. From its establishment to the late Jiajing period, Xuan-Da Governor played a key role in fighting against the intrusion from Mongolia, given Xuan area being the center of northern defense during this period. After the middle and late period of Jiajing, with the center of northern defense’s shifting to Jizhen and Liaodong, and the realization of Longqing Peace Settlement, the power of Governor weakened thanks to less defensive pressure upon Xuan-Da area.The thesis includes four chapters.In the first chapter, the Ming-Mongolia relationship and the situation Xuan-Da was faced with were elaborated. In the light of the changes of the Ming-Mongolia relationship and the transformation of the northern defense situations, the strategic position of Xuan-da became increasingly prominent. In order to strengthen the defense against the intrusions from Mongolia, Ming established Xuan-Da frontier town, garrisoned by a chief commander.The second chapter mainly covers the establishment of Xuan-da Procurator. After the establishment of Xuan-Da frontier town, Ming’s setting up of the Xuan-da Procurator is to make up the inefficiency of chief-commander-guarding system, also is to implement the ruling strategy of civil officials containing military officials.The third chapter expounds the establishment and evolution of Xuan-Da Governor in the Ming Dynasty, and explores the operational mechanism of Xuan-Da Governor System. In order to make up for the inadequacy of the Procurator System, to strengthen the unified-governance and effectively coordinate the defense of war zone in Xuan-Da area, the Ming Dynasty established Xuan-Da Governor in Xuan-Da area. The mechanism mainly concerns the Xuan-Da Governor’s relationship with the central government, the local officials of the Procurator and Three Departments, the guardian eunuchs, and provincial investigating censor supervisory.The fourth chapter elaborates the functions of Xuan-Da Governor in the Ming Dynasty, and gives a specific analysis of the different roles played by Xuan-Da Governor in the different periods of the Ming Dynasty and its continuation and the vanishment in the Qing Dynasty.