The Ming And Qing Dynasties Guild Regulations Studies

Guild was a new form in Ming and Qing Dynasty that developed from the traditional ones and it has been the indispensible intermediate structure as our society changed It reflected the social evolution, indicated the social adjustment of feudalism officials, businessmen and even people from all walks of life, and signaled the foundation of a self-governing society and social order besides the feudal administrative system. Many scholars have got rich achievements by researches in various ways such as politics, economics, history, sociology, and architecture. This paper aims to analyze the self-governing effects of guild regulations and provide some practical references for our modern guild by doing some studies about guild at a law angel.The main body has four parts altogether. PartⅠincludes the following contents: guild creation and its development, and the brief introduction of the new form in Ming and Qing Dynasty as the traditional society developed. Development of the commercial economy in Ming and Qing Dynasty expanded the market and accelerated the circulation of commodity and people. Thus, businessmen who had no permanent homes required such kind of guild that could connect them with others considering both their emotions and benefits. In the above situation, the guild came onto the historical stage.PartⅡlists the distributions and current situations in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces by providing some historical data. Both Shanxi businessmen and Shaanxi businessmen were at the top-ten gangs of business. They had powerful economic strength so they often build joint guilds which were called "Shanxi and Shaanxi guilds". Their guilds were all over the country at that time. Some of them are even perfectly preserved nowadays. To take Shanxi and Shaanxi guilds as my object of study has certain representativeness.PartⅢdiscusses how guild regulations help to realize its various functions. In detail, this part studies at a folk law angle and shows how to adjust guilds when the regulations put into practice. The traditional governments punished people with heavy penalty and set principles for the economical development, but gave adjustment to marketplace itself. All-above provided space to the development of guild. Gradually, guilds exerted its authority instead of government. The regulations together with other gauges in folk formed the origin of civil law in Qing Dynasty. National law and civil law worked together to formalize and coordinate the social order.PartⅣdescribes the practical references of guild regulations in modern society. Studying guild regulation of Ming and Qing Dynasty is not only to know more about history and draw conclusions, but also get benefit from it. Although guild is different in nature from the associations in our modern society, they have similar functions and forms of organization. Its operation and rules offer some references for associations nowadays. The highly centralized monistic economic structure before Reform limited guild's development, but Open and Reform policy created conditions for it.Over 30 years' development, our national guilds begin to work through in the respect of industry coordination and autonomy, but we have to admit there are still big gaps to the function and effect that it should have, especially the insufficient autonomous rights make it impossible to become the real folk organizations. Our government should deepen the reform in structure and management continuously. As to the various associations, they need work out perfect industry regulations, form their own image. I hope that my paper can enlighten someone and help them.