A Sdudy On The Postal Service In Xiangxi Area In Qing Dynasty(1729-1912)

Post is an important transportation and communication organization in ancient China.It plays an irreplaceable role in promoting information transmission,strengthening regional linkage and maintaining local rule.After the Qing Dynasty's land reform and return,the strategic position of the western Hunan area is extremely important,because it is located in the main road between the inland and Yunnan and Guizhou in the southwest,and it is also a sensitive intersection zone between the Han inhabited area and the minority inhabited area in the southwest.In addition,the special topographic environment in Western Hunan,during which Xuefeng Mountain and Wuling Mountain are parallel in northeast-southwest direction,and Yuanshui runs through it,creating a natural passageway connecting the eastern and Western regions,which laid the foundation of the post road network in Western Hunan.In order to strengthen the control over the minority areas in Western Hunan,the Qing government set up 23 posts,namely 10 big posts and 13 small posts,and 137 emergency Posts running through the provinces,prefectures and counties.It also established a branch line from the main post road to bring Yongshun Prefecture into the post road network,and finally formed a relatively complete post system in Western Hunan in the Qing Dynasty.In order to effectively govern the post system in Western Hunan,the Qing government carried out drastic reforms in the management of post stations.At the provincial level,the management of post stations was changed from "Taoist and supervisory" to "Patrol and Superintendent General Core",and at the state and county level,the post stations were managed exclusively and concurrently from state to county,so as to clarify their powers and responsibilities,thus further strengthening the management of post stations.? At the same time,the normal operation of posts can not be separated from the necessary material basis guarantee.The Qing government made corresponding policies to guarantee the allocation of posts from the postman,the posthorse and the postage fee.The number of horses and fuses allocated to the posts in Western Hunan has gone through a process of development from more to less and then to stability,which is inevitably related to the development and change of the political situation in the Qing Dynasty.When the political situation is turbulent,the amount of horses and fuses will be fixed when the political situation is stable.In the late Qing Dynasty,apart from the limitations of the post system itself,the Qing government's regime was becoming increasingly decadent and its management was out of place.The problems of the post malpractice in Western Hunan were highlighted,and the post operation was declared paralysed.With the introduction of modern new means of transportation and communication,the old post system lost its "soil" for survival,and was eventually replaced by the new way of postal service.