A Study Of The Governor Of Lingnan Dao In Tang Dynasty

Nanling, which lies across the border of modern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province, Hunan Province and Jiangxi Province, is the largest mountain and the most important natural boundary of China. Nanling is also called Wuling in a narrow sense, south of which is the area of Lingnan. In Tang Dynasty, Lingnan Dao was established to govern this area, and the Governor of Lingnan was its chief executive. This article is attempted to examine the role the Governor of Lingnan plays on the development of Lingnan Dao in Tang Dynasty by studying the evolution of administrative division, the recruitment of governors and their administration.In addition to the preface, this artical is divided into three parts.The first chapter introduces the evolution of the administrative division of the Canton Prefecture of Lingnan Dao in Tang Dynasty. In Qin and Han Dynasty, the southern area acted as the center of Lingnan. Guangzhou was founded as a prefecture in the east of Lingnan as late as the period of Wu State (229-280A. D.), and developed to be the center in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-581). In Tang Dynasty, Lingan Dao, composed of Guang in the east and Gui, Yong, Rong and An in the west, was established. As the resident of the Governor, Guang Prefecture outranked the other four.The second chapter discusses the selection of the Governors of Lingnan. Before Tang Dynasty, chief commander of Guangzhou served concurrently as the general of the five prefectures. After An Lushan-Shi Siming Rebellion, the general was promoted as the Governor of Lingnan. By studying the officials with detailed record, this chapter tries to explore the criterion that the central authority used to nominate the governor and argues that the central government attached more and more attention to the position.The third chapter studies the administration of the Governor. The role of the Governors included four parts in general, which were military, surveillance, civil affairs and finance. First, military administration was the primary power, involving army enlistment and transfer, weaponry maintenance, officer appointment, strategy formulation, external enemy defense and internal security keeping. Second, the Governor was entitled to supervise the local officials and despots. He was also in charge of judging the criminal cases under his jurisdiction according to the relevant law. Third, concerning civil affairs, the Governor was responsible for the household change, education and customs, helping the disabled and improving the agriculture. Lastly, the Governor also had the financial power of regulating and levying tax as well as paying tribute. Since Guangzhou was an important transportation hub and trade port in Tang Dynasty, the Governor of Lingnan had a significant influence on the foreign commerce growth. To conclude, the Governor played a vital role in the development of Lingnan Dao.