HIS 3501C.docx

HIS 3501C.docx

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HIS3501C

HIS3501C

TopicStudiesinTraditionalChineseHistory:

EthnicityandWomen:

ConquestDynastiesinChina

Lecturer:

ProfessorPriscillaChung

Students:

VictoriaGoad（06838054）

LauWingCheungStephanie（05717601）

ChuiPuiYiuYippee（06826094）

TheBalanceofSinicizationandBarbarizationintheQingDynasty

Introduction

TheQingDynastywasthedynastythatruledChinafrom1644CEto1911CE.ItwascreatedbythereunitedJurchentribes,calledtheManchu.Duringtheformationofthisdynastyandthroughoutit,theQingdemonstratedtheirskillofbalancingtheirnomadiccustomswiththecustomsoftheHanChinese.Thisbalancingwasillustratedbytheirgovernmentsetup,socialcustomsatthelocallevel,language,educationsystem,andliteraryprosecution.TheabilityoftheQingtoharmonizetheirnomadicculturewiththeChineseculturewasthereasonwhytheywereabletobethelongestlastingforeigndynastyinChina.

PoliticalSetup

TheManchuQingsetuptheirgovernmentsothatitbalancedtheHanChineserulingstyleswithnomadicrulingstyles.OneofthefirstrulersoftheQingDynastyacknowledged,“…IrulebothManchuandChineseandmustensurethateachgroupgetsitsdue”whichshowsthattheQingunderstoodtheneedforthebalancebetweenChineserulingstylesandnomadicrulingstyles.Somepreviousnomadicdynastieshadtriedtoruleusingonlynomadicmethods.Othernomadicdynastiesbecameextremelysinicized.BothoftheseledtoshortrulingperiodsbecauseeithertheChineseorthenomadswouldbecomeextremelyunhappywiththerulingstyle.Thiswouldleadtorevoltoranotherdynastytakingover.SotheQingincorporatedboththeManchuandtheHanChineseelementsintotheirgovernment.

TheManchuhadabannersystemsetuptoexpandanddefendtheirempire.Abannerwasaunifiedterritorialadministrationwithamilitaryorganization.Alltogether,twenty-fourbannerspersonallyservedtheemperor.Bannermenweretrustworthyservantsoftheemperor.Theyservedasagroupforfuturecivilbureaucratstobechosenfrom.Thissystemwasclearlyanomadicsetupbecausetheemperorservedastheownerofthebannermen,butnottheirfather.However,theattemptatdiversitywasseenthroughthebannersystembecauseitwasmultiethnic,withmembersthatwereChinese,Manchu,andMongol.

SinicizationoftheManchurulingstyleisalsoevident.InstitutionalpracticesfromtheMingDynasty（明朝）werekeptandtherewasthecreationofaChinese-staffedbureaucracy.Also,theQingtookConfuciantermsandideasinordertosupporttheirpoliticalauthority,andtheyencouragedthestudyoftheclassicsandvenerationofancestors.TheQingacceptedtheideathattheemperorrulesfromhismoralgoodness,theideathattheemperoristheSonofHeaven.EarlyexperimentswithChinesegoverningstyleshadbeenconducted.BeforetheManchutookoverChinatheyhadsetupaciviladministrationbasedontheBeijingmodelinMukden.

Despitethesestepstobecomesinicized,theQingtookstepstopreservetheirownidentity.Thiswasasmartmovebecauseitpreventedthenomadictribesfromfeelingostracized.ManchuriawasgovernedbyaManchumilitarygovernmentandnoChinesewereallowedtoimmigratetoNorthManchuria.TheQingalsotookstepstopreservetheirracialpurity.ThiswasmostlikelydonesothattheManchuwouldnotfadeawaywithinterracialmarriage,especiallysincetheywereaminorityinChina.TheQingalsosupportedcustomdivisionssuchasManchuwomennotbindingtheirfeet,andtheytookstepstopreservetheirlanguage.ThesestepstodifferentiatetheManchufromtheChinesewereimportantbecauseitkepttheManchuinchargeanditkepttheirfellowtribesmenhappy.

TherulingofChinabytheQingshowstheblendingofsinicizationandbarbarization.TheManchumilitarycontrolofChinawasmaintainedbytheestablishmentofbannerbarracksatstrategicpoints.ThisclearlyshowsthebalanceofbarbarizationandsinicizationbecausethebannersystemwasnomadicbutthefactthattherewerenowusedasastationarymilitarywasveryChinese.TheQingalsoarrangedthatimperialprincesshouldbepensionedandgivenwealthbutnotallowedtobecometerritoriallords.ThiswasveryChinesebecauseitkeptpowercentralized.Nomadictribeswerealsodividedup.ThiswassomethingthattheChinesedidduringeverydynastytopreventthenomadsfromgainingpower.Traditionally,itisfoundthatChinesestyleofrulinghelpsadynastylastlongerbecauseitcentralizespower,andtheManchuQingdidthis.

Civiladministrationbestshowedthebalanceofsinicizationandbarbarization.Thereweresixministries,eachheadedbybothaChineseandManchuman.TheQingdynastyuseddualappointmentstohelpbalancebetweenChinesesocietyandManchusociety.ChineseandManchuwerebothassignedtothesamepositions;however,oftentimesaManchugovernor-generalwasinchargeoftwoprovincesthatwereeachunderaChinesegovernor.PartofthereasonforthatmayhavebeenbecausetheManchuwereaminority,butitalsomayhavebeendonetoshowthattheManchuweresuperiortotheChinesesincetheManchugovernor-generalwasinchargeoftwoprovinces,notjustone.TheexaminationsystemalsocontinuedtofunctionwiththehighestprestigeandefficiencyalthoughitwasusedmoreforassigningChinesetopositionsthanManchu.TheImperialHouseholdDepartmentwasasecretlevelofgovernment.Itwasawaytocounteractthesinicizationofthegovernmentsinceitbeganasawaytokeepthepalaceeunuchsincheckandpreventcorruption.Butitalsocollectedmoneythroughtaxes,trade,landrevenues,loans,fines,andtributes.SoithelpedtofurthercentralizepowerbutitpreservedtheirnomadicidentitiessinceeunuchswereveryChinese.NowtheGrandCouncilwasanotherexampleofthecombinationofChineseandnomadicgoverningstyles.ItbelongedtotheInnerCourtandhandledurgetbusiness.Manchu,Chinese,andMongolsallservedonit.AstheQingDynastybalancedtheChineseandnomadicrulingstyleswithinthegovernmentalsetup,thisbalancealsospreadthroughouttheempire.

SocialCustoms

Onthepolicyofsocialcustoms,theQingspreadbarbarizationsoastocontroltheHanChineseandestablishauthority.Asabarbariannomadicgroup,theQinghadtokeepbalanceofthesteppecustomsandtheHancustoms.ThesesocialpoliciesincludedthestrictlyadoptionoftheManchuhairstyle,queue,andtheprohibitionoffoot-binding.ThispartwillmainlyfocusontheQing’shairpolicyasitgainedgreatersuccessandreflectedtheManchudrivestosubmittheHanChinesetotheminority’spoliticalandculturalhegemony.HavinganalyzedtheimportanceandsignificanceofhairintheChinesesociety,thepartwilllookintotowhatextentweretheHanbarbarizedandtheManchusinicized,andthusrevealingthebalanceofthetwogroups.

Beforeproceedinglookingintothesignificanceofhair,oneshallfirsttakealookonthetraditionallyclothingandhairstyleoftheManchuandtheHanChineserespectively.

ForthemaleManchu,theirtraditionalclothingwascheongsam（長衫）andtheirtraditionalhairstylewastowearaqueueandhalf-shavedthehead.Suchstylewasadoptedforconvenience.TheManchulivedbyhunting,wearingthecheongsamenabledthemtoactwithgoodflexibility;wearingthequeuepreventedthehairfromhookedbythebrancheswhenhunting.

TheHanChineselivedonadifferenteconomy.Thelivedonagriculturaleconomyandthesociety’semphasiswasonliteracyratherthanmartialarts.So,theHanChinesedidnothavetoworryaboutthehookingproblemwhenmovingandthatmarkedthedifferenceofthetwoethnicgroups.ThetraditionalclothingoftheHanwasthin-sleevedandthemenusuallybounduptheirlonghaironthetopofthehead.

Asstatedbefore,theQingwantedtoestablishtheirauthoritythroughthesocialpolicy.Nurhaci（努爾哈赤）（1558-1626AD）,HungTaiji（皇太極）（1592-1643AD）andtheoncedominatingregentDorgan（多爾袞）（1612-1650）hadalltriedtoenforcethequeuepolicy.ThepolicywassometimesalittlebitloosenedbutfinallystrictlyenforcedduringDorgan’srule.TherewasasloganfromtheQinggovernment:

“Keepyourhead,loseyourhair;keepyourhair,loseyourhead”.Thisindicatedthatthosewhodidnotshaveandwearthequeuewouldbeexecuted.TheenforcementdidnotmeetsuccessatfirstandthatresultedinseveralgreatslaughtersoftheHanChinese.Here,onecanfindthattheHancommonersactuallyfoughthardertoprotecttheirhairthantoprotecttheMingregimeandemperor.AndthisreflectedtheimportanceofhairintheChinesesociety.

Infact,hairwasimportantandhadcertainsignificance,andthequeuepolicyoftheQingManchuwasaresponsetothesesignificance.Thefollowingparagraphswilllookintotheimportanceandsignificanceofhairinsociologicalandanthropologicalperspective,culturalperspectiveandpoliticalperspective.

Insociologicalandanthropologicalperspective,hairstyleisacustom.TotheHanChinese,thehairstylewaspasseddownfromtheirancestors.Inotherwords,itwasanancientcustom,sothehairstylecouldnotbechanged.TheHanChinesealsohadanothercustomtodowiththehair,thecappingceremony（guanli冠禮）.Itwascustomizedthatamalehadtocompletethisceremonytoindicatehisadulthood.Thiscustomwasfirstpracticedbyonlythescholar-officialclassintheZhouDynasty（周朝）,butthecustomwaslaterpracticedbymoresocialcategoriesintheMingDynasty.So,hairhaditssocialrepresentation.

TotheHanChinese,hairmeantmagicalpowertoo.TheHanChinesebelievedthathaircouldabsorbandstorespiritualpower.Sohaircouldbeusedtoextractsoul（soul-stealing）andstrengt