Civilization And Control:A Study Of The Village Rules And Regulations In Henan Prefecture In The Qing Dynasty

As a part of rural governance,village rules and regulations are not only an important practice of self-restraint and management,but also an inevitable choice for the country to civilize and control the countryside.The study of traditional Chinese village rules and regulations is the important part of academic research.Cases in the specific area will reflect different regularity and characteristic.The inscription materials are rich in related texts,showing us the operation mechanism,organization form,specific content and function of Henan Prefecture’s village rules and regulations in the Qing Dynasty.Combined with the social reality at that time,it examines the actual state in which the national,local and rural forces play a role in the process of formulating,implementing and supervising village rules and regulations,thus deepening the in-depth understanding of the grassroots society.Henan Prefecture is located in the mountainous and hilly region of western Henan Province.In the Qing Dynasty,the population increased rapidly and the human-land conflict became more and more prominent.In this context,it is necessary to regulate public behavior to promote production development and maintain social order.As a result,there are various types of village rules and regulations.First of all,there are many detailed records of people’s livelihood standards in related materials,including mountain forest protection,water conservancy and labor affairs,involving the protection of mountains and trees,the distribution of water resources and the assessment of tax labor and other issues.These norms were sufficient to coordinate the production behavior of the people and make their agricultural activities more orderly.Afterwards,in the early Qing Dynasty,the official establishment of the compulsory education form of township covenant preaching,township rules and folk covenant based on the oracle and hadith,combined with the actual life to update the rules,so as to supervise and constrain the people’s behavior.The existence of village rules and conventions,such as worship of literature and education,clan rules and family teachings,and rural beliefs,can not only effectively coordinate the relationship among the members of the organization,but also promote the virtuous cycle of rural social ideology and ethos.In the next part,a series of public security norms appeared in rural areas of Henan prefecture in the Qing Dynasty,which not only had constraints on people’s daily customs,but also had treaties to ban misbehavior,covering village rules and conventions on living standards,gambling and civil disputes,which relatively effectively maintained the normal operation of rural social order.Generally speaking,the village rules and regulations in Henan Prefecture were distributed unevenly in the Qing Dynasty,which reflected the differentiation of social problems and the diversification of regional development.At the same time,through the comparison and observation that the time-space differences of village regulations and rules in the different dynasties and prefectures,it is found the village rules and regulations in Henan Prefecture have unique value.As an important way for the state to control the grass-roots level,the practical effect of village regulations is often with timeliness.The rulers rely on local officials and grassroots organizations to complete rural control and promote the standardization of rural people’s behavior.In the process of regulation,the local government,the rural elite and the public represent the state power and the grassroots society respectively.These three forces communicate with each other and connect with each other,constituting the whole process of the operation and effectiveness of the village rules and conventions.