「在民の役」 : 『巴縣檔案』に見える鄕約像 --前近代中國の國家による社會支配の一側面--

Abstract

In Qing China, the post of xiangyue 鄕約 was appointed by state mandate as were those of the lijia 里甲 and baojia 保甲. However, it differed from the lijia and baojia, which had the character of organizations and were intended from the beginning to re-organize a natural village into an administrative village, as the xiangyue was not an administrative organization aimed at re-organizing people based on settled framework, but a position that was mainly intended, according to its founding principle, to educate the people. Yet, the xiangyue gradually changed into an administrative organization or position in the course of its operation. The first section of this paper elucidates a concrete image of the xiangyue by examining the placement of the xiangyue in Ba county during the Qing era, the duties of the xiangyue and baozheng 保正 as seen in certificates, zhizhao 執照, and the duration of the duty tours of the xiangyue. The second section introduces conflicts over the selection of xiangyue, especially those that grew into lawsuits, among groups of inhabitants within local society by using archival sources, and thus analyzing an aspect of administrative lawsuits. The third section examines the duties of the xiangyue focusing chiefly on tax collection (and particularly contract tax payments and subsequent debt collection) and labor levies, and thus clarifies an aspect of the xiangyue in executing a part of the local administrative services. In sum, the xiangyue was ultimately an official organization that reflected the will of the despotic state, and belonged neither to village autonomy nor to the third realm situated between state and society. The exiguous power of the xiangyue in its execution of official duties was ultimately a partial extension of administrative power of the county magistrate and did not originate in village autonomy or the third realm.