443 documents
Unless otherwise specified, the descriptions of sources in this section are extracted from Pierre-Etienne Will and collaborators, Handbooks and Anthologies for Officials in Imperial China: A Descriptive and Critical Bibliography, 2 vols., Leiden: Brill, 2020
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Description
documentTypeBook
TitleZhi’an wenxian 治安文獻 and Zhi’an wenxian erji 二集 [Documents on Administering and Pacifying, with Second Installment]
Topic4.1 Magistrates handbooks: General
Historical periodEarly Qing (1644-1796)
CountryChinese
AuthorLu Shouming 陸壽名 and Han Na 韓訥 (comp.)
CollectionGuanzhen shu jicheng 官箴書集成
Number of volume3
Publication typeWoodblock
Comment

A very rich compilation of administrative documents by a variety of Ming and early Qing authors of every rank (or sometimes organizations, e.g., “the Ministry of Revenue”). The pref. recalls that know-how (才猷) is a prerequisite to administering the state, and that erudition (學術) is the foundation for keeping the people peaceful. Han Na—obviously the actual compiler—explains that he endeavoured to combine both dimensions for the benefit of inexperienced beginners, while emphasizing contents directly useful for the present time. The work starts with two essays by Han Na, titled “Jinke yulü jie” 金科玉律解 and “Weizheng guimo bian” 為政規模辨, sometimes placed before the fanli, both discussing difficulties in the interpretation of the Penal Code based on Jinke yulü and Weizheng guimo (which Han Na attributes to 大司寇石水蘇先生, i.e., Su Maoxiang, the author of Da Ming lüli linmin baojing [q.v.])—two texts reproduced or discussed in many private editions of the Ming Code. J. 1-2 are devoted to taxes (錢榖部), with 3 documents on corvée (徭役部) at the end of j. 2. J. 3 is on military affairs (軍政). J. 4-7 are on justice, with three essays at the end (entitled “Zhaoyi xuzhi” 招議須知, “Weizheng guimo lun 論,” and “Shenyu chuyan” 慎獄芻言). J. 8 is devoted to education, salt administration, coinage, colonies (屯政), irrigation, customs duties, postal service, and taxes on reeds (蘆政). J. 9 deals with the tea and horse administration, famine relief, and policies in abeyance (廢政). J. 10, on “newly promulgated rules on etiquette for civilian and military officials” (新頒文武儀注), features 57 articles on communication formats (行移體式), as well as 15 on etiquette for newly appointed officials, extracted from Linmin baojing (q.v.). Within each section the documents quoted are arranged by genre, such as regulations (條約), rescripts (批申), directives (公檄), communications (咨移), proclamations (告諭), judgments (讞語), etc. The various sections have introductions by Han Na. The texts are heavily punctuated, with notes in the upper margin. Most examples deal with Jiangnan and Zhejiang. In some respects (including the poor printing) this anthology and its sequels are not unlike Li Yu’s Zizhi xinshu (q.v.), published at exactly the same time. The fanli alludes to it, to regret that it emphasizes literary quality (文詞) over regulations (體例); on the contrary, the Ming-period Linmin baojing (q.v.) is strong on laws and regulations but lacks literary quality: Han Na tried to combine the advantages of both in his own selection.

SubjectLaw
LanguageChinese
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