On The Banned Books And The Mind-dictating Policy Of Ming And Qing Dynasties

This dissertation revealed the differences in mind-dictating policy of Ming dynasty an Qing dynasty in perspective of the Banned books.The Banned books, the definition of which is that the books are prohibited publishing, spreading and reading by the Administrative means of government. As early as the Warring State Period, in order to rigorously unify Legalist school, Shangyang from Qin State ordered that burn the Book of Songs and the Book of History and make decrees clear, to forbid the circulation of Confucian books. This is the first incident about banned book in ancient China. Since then all dynasties made use of banned book to promote measures of mental despotism. Even in Tang dynasty which is the most containable and lax period, augury and mystical interpretation, astronomy as well as books on war were prohibit by explicit order. In Ming and Qing dynasties, as an important method to the mind-dictating policy, banning some books became increasingly intense.This dissertation mainly includes three chapters. The first chapter introduces general situation of banned book in Ming and Qing dynasties ,and in the second chapter between the Banned books of the two dynasties I make a comparison ,from which I draw conclusions to reveal the differences between the mind-dictating policy of the two dynasties in the last chapter.Chapter one, is the Overview of the Banned books in Ming and Qing dynasty. In this part, it introduces the Banned books in Ming and Qing dynasty from fore respects of content, scale, means and disposition. The content of the Banned books in Ming dynasty divided into seven: taboo books, non-traditional academic books, script and novels, Keju model essay, cult books, astronomical books, private law books. In the respect of scale, the Banned books in Ming dynasty were about 427. The total number of orders and cases were 133. The government of Ming carried out 7 means mainly in the respect of means: noticing, Publishing the list of the Banned books, limiting the Banned books Publishing, etc. In the respect of disposition, there is 3 means for the Banned books itself. They were confiscation, burning, and burning the carved wood of the Banned books. The disposition for the persons related to the Banned books were death penalty, which was the most severe punishment, exiling, demotion, beating, sending home, which were more loose disposition, and ignoring which the most loose.There were five kinds of the Banned books in Qing dynasty. They were taboo books, script and novels, Keju model essay, cult books, Catholic scriptures. The Banned books in Qing dynasty were about 5360, and The total number of orders and cases were 402 in the respect of scale. The government of Ming carried out 7 means mainly in the respect of means: noticing, door-to-door seeking, establishing Bookstore to seek and confiscate the Banned books, buying the Banned books, Publishing the list of the Banned books, prohibiting the sale and rental of the Banned books, prohibiting the translation of the Banned books, publishing traditional academic books to improve the social morale. The disposition for the Banned books itself were burning books and their carved wood. The disposition for the persons related to the Banned books was according to the severity of the case. The government punished the family dependent of Offenders as well as offenders themselves, and involved the Officials who worked poor in the Banned books cases.Chapter two, comparing the Banned books of Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. In this part, It compares the Banned books from 4 respect above also. Qing dynasty lacked of non-traditional academic books, astronomical books, private law books, the 3 kinds of the Banned books than Ming dynasty, while the books of Catholic scriptures arose in the respect of content. In addition, there were a lot of cases of the Banned books owing to that the content or writer of these Banned books offended the court officials in the kind of taboo books. But it done not happen In Ming Dynasty. The ban of the astronomical books were relived in the Kangxi period. Apart from this, Non-traditional academic books and private law books both died away themselves. And their disappearance was directly related to the reinforcement of the mind-dictating policy in Qing dynasty. In the respect of scale, the total number of the Banned books in Qing dynasty was 12.6 times the number of Ming dynasty and the total number of cases was 3 times the number of Ming dynasty. But the dominant time of Qing dynasty was about 50 years shorter than Ming dynasty(the scope of this study limits to Daoguang period). The means of banning books in Qing dynasty was more comprehensive also. door-to-door seeking, establishing Bookstore to seek and confiscate The Banned books, Publishing the list of the Banned books, these most effective means was never used in Ming dynasty. The emperors of Ming dynasty Promulgated useless royal Instructions often, and moreover neglected the flood of the Banned bocks. The government of Qing dynasty sought the Banned books more thoroughly. Almost every case was interrogated by emperors personally. Even each version of the Banned books and their possible spread of local were sought by the government. And they burnt carved woods of the Banned books as well as the Banned books thoroughly. The disposition for the persons related to the Banned books was much more severe than Ming dynasty. The penalties were more severe. The implicating for family members was more general. Even the government implicated Innocent persons often. And all the accusations of taboo books and cult books were equivalent to Rebellion having no pardon besides that. This dissertation comes to the conclusion that the banning for books was more severe in Qing dynasty than in Ming dynasty by the Comparison above.The Chapter Third is mainly on the comparison of the Ming and Qing Dynasties' mind-dictating policy by studying the book-forbidden. First of all, the author discusses the complex relationship between the book-forbidden and the mind-dictation: the book-forbidden is an instrument and performance of the Dictation, and the Dictation is the drive and final purpose of book-forbidden. We could come to the conclusion that there was much more rigid control of mind in Qing Dynasty than Ming Dynasty, because the relationship and book-forbidden was much more rigidly carried out. And it is also the purpose: by comparing book-forbidden to discuss the differences between Ming and Qing Dynasties. At last the author would analyze the reasons from tribal minority rulers and centralization of imperial power that lead to the much more rigid control, and simply argue the influence.