RAS-1977 — Page 95

## TWO ESSAYS ON THE CH'ING ECONOMY OF HSIN-AN government in his Discussion of the Official System (￥##): 79 (咸豐: During the troubled years of the Hsien-Feng period (: 1851-1862), the gentry of the various villages formed t'uan-lien (*) for the purpose of self-defence. If a village was weak, then it united with other villages to form one large district. In this way, all of the villages within one geographically distinct area were united under one committee of gentry, referred to as chu. These organizations were responsible for collecting taxes, and were managed by a staff of local administrators.34 The similarity between these developments, which transpired in Nan-Hai Hsien (南海縣), and the description of the collapse of li-chia in Tung-Kuan is remarkable. There was an unquestionable link between the presence of taxlordism and chu throughout South China in the nineteenth century. Kuhn (1970) cites evidence from Hunan which demonstrates that the primary function of chu in that province was the collection of the land tax; in some areas, chu effectively coupled the monopolization of land tax collection with the early administration of likin.35 In Hsin-An itself, it is quite clear that the services performed by taxlords were often coordinated by gentry committees; moreover, the services performed by these groups were essentially identical to those performed by the chu of Nan-Hai (these include: dispute-settlement, maintenance of irrigation works, temples, schools, roads, bridges, and the provision of sacrifices.)36 I propose that chu were essentially bodies of taxlords which regulated the collection and expenditure of revenue from agricultural production within the boundaries of tung or similar areas.37 The collection of revenue was greatly facilitated by 1) the location of chu in the major market town of the tung, and 2) its recognized status as overseer of the affairs of the tung, with the right to petition the magistrate in the name of the inhabitants.38 After collection of the land tax, a certain amount was extracted and set aside as public funds to meet "fixed costs." For extraordinary expenses, such as those incurred by the resistance campaign, the taxlord-gentry would either petition the magistrate to temporarily forego collection of the land tax, or would levy supplementary taxes of their own on the established rent and tax quotas of villages within the tung.39

## TWO ESSAYS ON THE CH'ING ECONOMY OF HSIN-AN

government in his Discussion of the Official System (￥##):

79

(咸豐:

During the troubled years of the Hsien-Feng period (: 1851-1862), the gentry of the various villages formed t'uan-lien (*) for the purpose of self-defence. If a village was weak, then it united with other villages to form one large district. In this way, all of the villages within one geographically distinct area were united under one committee of gentry, referred to as chu. These organizations were responsible for collecting taxes, and were managed by a staff of local administrators.34

The similarity between these developments, which transpired in Nan-Hai Hsien (南海縣), and the description of the collapse of li-chia in Tung-Kuan is remarkable. There was an unquestionable link between the presence of taxlordism and chu throughout South China in the nineteenth century. Kuhn (1970) cites evidence from Hunan which demonstrates that the primary function of chu in that province was the collection of the land tax; in some areas, chu effectively coupled the monopolization of land tax collection with the early administration of likin.35 In Hsin-An itself, it is quite clear that the services performed by taxlords were often coordinated by gentry committees; moreover, the services performed by these groups were essentially identical to those performed by the chu of Nan-Hai (these include: dispute-settlement, maintenance of irrigation works, temples, schools, roads, bridges, and the provision of sacrifices.)36

I propose that chu were essentially bodies of taxlords which regulated the collection and expenditure of revenue from agricultural production within the boundaries of tung or similar areas.37 The collection of revenue was greatly facilitated by 1) the location of chu in the major market town of the tung, and 2) its recognized status as overseer of the affairs of the tung, with the right to petition the magistrate in the name of the inhabitants.38 After collection of the land tax, a certain amount was extracted and set aside as public funds to meet "fixed costs." For extraordinary expenses, such as those incurred by the resistance campaign, the taxlord-gentry would either petition the magistrate to temporarily forego collection of the land tax, or would levy supplementary taxes of their own on the established rent and tax quotas of villages within the tung.39