Land And Power

Land survey,as a traditional measure of cleaning up taxation in every dynasty,was given more connotations in the context of local self-government in early moderm China.Land survey is an important local events which has a rich linkage with the politics and economy of the local society.So it's a great entry point for observing local society in early modem China.The Land Survey Office of Baoshan County held a large-scale land survey activity and achieved outstanding results in late Qing and early Republican China.This thesis discusses the rules and regulations,organization personnel and basic operation of the Land Survey Office of Baoshan County,and further explores the actual operation of local finance and geopolitics in Baoshan County.The source of funds,the distribution of benefits,the treatment of economic disputes and the disposal of foreign merchants' land reflect the important role of the Land Survey Office and its activities in the local financial system of Baoshan County.The educational background and interpersonal relationship of Baoshan local gentry,the complex interaction between the Land Survey Office and the official,and the contradictions between the Land Survey OflBce and the grassroots administrative managers show the dynaxic relationships and complex aspects between official and gentry,local autonomy and official governance,upper elites and grassroots administration in early modem society.Through the vertical and horizontal comparison and analysis of the land survey in Baoshan County,it can be seen that land survey activities in Baoshan have their own characteristics and advantages.This thesis takes the land survey in Baoshan as a window to observe the actual situation of local finance and local self-government in Baoshan County in the late Qing and early republican China,which also looks into the early modem county-level social grassroots operation and enrich the understanding of the local social appearance in early modem Yangzi Delta,eventually provides an empirical case for revealing the changes and development of local society.