The Social Problems Of Late Qing Dynasty In Fujian Area And Local Governance

In the first half of the nineteenth Century,the ruling crisis of the Qing Dynasty was deepening day by day,and the trend of benefit-mankind thought was prevailing.Through further investigation of social customs and cultures,the scholar-officials at that time wrote many books and articles,appropriately proposed and implemented their governance thoughts.Chen Shengshao once wrote a book called Wen Su Lu(?????),which was a typical example.Chen Shengshao was regarded as a practical scholar because he had the ambition to benefit mankind and society.He was appointed as local official in Jianyang,Gutian,Xianyou,Zhaoan,Shaojun and Lukang,etc,which laid the foundation of carrying out his benefit-mankind thought.Local social problems written in Wen Su Lu were really complicated,with many pernicious habits in the aspects of the management of the patriarchal clan,the study atmosphere of the scholars,the social customs in Fujian area and so on.In the management of the patriarchal clan appeared problems,including extravagant weddings and funerals,heir cases,and fights with weapons between the clans.In the study atmosphere,scholars paid less attention to their literature,some of whom losing their faiths made a money by being attorney and profited by instigating lawsuits.In the social customs,there were social phenomena involving high local prices,frequent theft,gambling,erotic operas and addiction to opium,causing society turmoil.In a word,the social problems in Fujian area were mixed and interwoven,forming a vicious circle.In addition,a closed cycle system was formed based on the unique natural and social environment of each region.Aimed at solving these social problems,Chen Shengshao took many measures in the process of local governance,such as appropriately appointing the clan leader,building the academy to educate the people,encouraging the development of agriculture according to local conditions,and improving social atmosphere.He also integrated social problems with governance measures,and wrote them into Wen Su Lu.Chen Shengshao's official position was mostly at the intersection of government and rural society.He must face the dual contradictions between Confucianism and local customs,government control and rural autonomy.The governance of Chen Shengshao measures played a certain role in reconciling the conflicts between national and local realities,Therefore,Chen Shengshao combined the influence which the government put directly on the local government with the strategy of relying on people to manage other people,intending to infiltrate the influence of the imperial court into the township society.but the effects were limited for it didn't relate to the root of the problem.Wen Su Lu not only outlined the social features of Fujian area that all kinds of corruptions crept in during the middle of Qing Dynasty,but also reflected county magistrate's practice and difficulties in local governance.