ISSN 1712-8358[Print] Cross-Cultural Communication ISSN 1923-6700[Online] Vol. 10, No. 1, 2014, pp. 48-55 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020141001.4228 www.cscanada.org Civilizational Spread and Ethnic Fusion: Analysis of the Impact of Bureaucratization of Native Officers in Guizhou Region During Ming and Qing Dynasties JIANG Mengmei[a],*; LUAN Chengbin[b] [a]School of History and Culture & School of Ethnology, Southwest JIANG Mengmei, LUAN Chengbin (2014). Civilizational Spread and University, Chongqing, China. Ethnic Fusion: Analysis of the Impact of Bureaucratization of Native [b]Institute of History & Geography, Southwest University, Chongqing, Officers in Guizhou Region During Ming and Qing Dynasties. Cross- China. Cultural Communication, 10(1), 48-55. Available from: http//www. *Corresponding author. cscanada.net/index.php/ccc/article/view/j.ccc.1923670020141001.4228 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020141001.4228 Received 6 October 2013; accepted 23 January 2014 Abstract Bureaucratization of native officers is a major event in the INTRODUCTION history of Guizhou region, which went through the Ming Before the Ming and Qing dynasties, central and Qing dynasties. In fact, this process is also a province governments of various dynasties based their policy of establishing process during which the civilizations of governing Guizhou on the “loose control” Jimi system. central plains and minority groups interacted and fused After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, in order together, and the territory of Guizhou province was to prevent the repetition of history, i.e. Mongol Yuan’s gradually settled. Bureaucratization of native officers detour to Yunnan to take Southern Song dynasty by in Guizhou is a systematic project which replaced surprise, the rulers managed Guizhou as the strategic the economic bases under different social systems area for controlling southwest China, especially Yunnan. in Guizhou with the advanced economic production With the increasingly apparent shortcomings of the relations under feudal landlord system in central plains native chieftain system, the Ming dynasty’s policy using politics and military as the intervention precursor, towards native chieftains also experienced a transition economy and commerce as the penetration means, and from appeasement to forced transformation. After cultural and educational integration as the auxiliary the Qing dynasty entered and governed Guizhou, the strategy. Bureaucratization of native officers significantly characteristics of its policy towards native chieftains impacted Guizhou region’s politics, ethnology, culture, were closely related to the political and military situation economy and ecology. The purpose of this powerful top- of the time. The determinant factors for completion of down, center-periphery spread and dissemination of bureaucratization of native officers during the Yongzheng Han civilization to Guizhou region is the assimilation period are the political needs of the imperial court, of civilization and the construction of a unified multi- urgent frontier situation and Yongzheng monarch and his ethnic country. It is exactly during the dynamic exchange, subjects’ political character. Due to different subjective struggle and fusion between the Han civilization, which and objective conditions of Ming and Qing dynasties’ is representative of central dynasty, and Guizhou’s local bureaucratization of native officers, the initiative of civilization that the unity in diversity ethnic structure is bureaucratization, specific means taken and matters able to be achieved, and a uniform centripetal force is able after bureaucratization differed. The impact of such a to be formed. comprehensive, long-enduring regional restructuring is Key words: Bureaucratization of native officers; reflected mainly in the following aspects: Ethnic fusion; Civilizational spread Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture 48 JIANG Mengmei; LUAN Chengbin (2014). Cross-Cultural Communication, 10(1), 48-55 1. RECONSTRUCTION OF POLITICAL native chieftains were at their heyday, the jurisdiction and authority were also greatly reduced compared to the SYSTEM Yuan dynasty; the lowest local officials were Tubazong, Bureaucratization of native officers is the largest and Tuxunjian and the like; Tuxiancheng (local deputy longest enduring reformation in the history of Guizhou governor) was appointed by the chief of the Zhangguansi, which combines political, economic, cultural and and Tuzhubu (local registrar) by the deputy chief of the military aspects, it prompted drastic changes in all Zhangguansi. These petty local officials have tiny area aspects of Guizhou, ended the history of separatist under their jurisdiction, with minimal power, and were regime and vendetta by native chieftains, fully entering not first level local authority, but were only underlings the administrative scope of the grand-unified country. of migrant officials. At first, they were responsible for The gradual deepening of the bureaucratization of “reception and etiquette”1. Later, they only took charge native officers is also a process of Guizhou’s gradual in the “collection of rents, food, taxes”, and were “not “assimilation with central plains” which is marked by the allowed to interfere with civil-military affairs” (Zhang, convergence of social structure and social control system. et al., 1974), and furthermore, could not drive people on From the perspective of the stage of social development, a large scale to carry out mergers and vendetta, this point the feudal serf society entered into the feudal landlord is extremely important in the history of Guizhou. In the society; from the perspective of economic patterns, the Ming dynasty, there were intense, frequent social conflicts feudal lord economy changed into the feudal landlord in the Southwest ethnic areas, especially in Guizhou, some economy. This conforms to the trend of historical have made yearly statistics, “among the Ming dynasty’s development, for the consolidation of multi-ethnic 276 years, the years in which warfare occurred in Guizhou country; the development of common culture of Chinese total 145 years, which account for more than half the time nation is beneficial. However, due to what Guizhou of the Ming dynasty” (Liu, 2001). The end of the history mainly highlighted during the bureaucratization of native of separatist regime and merger by native chieftains officers was military value, its economic significance allowed the first ever grand unification in Guizhou. Since was relatively minor, in other words, the construction of then, Guizhou implemented the political, economic and Guizhou province that accompanied the bureaucratization cultural policies consistent with the country, the central of native officers was not done under the conditions that government decrees were unimpeded in Guizhou, which the landlord system production relations had matured, enhanced the unity of all ethnic groups, facilitated the requiring the construction of corresponding political exchanges among various ethnic groups, and accelerated superstructure. This determines that Guizhou should political, economic and cultural development of all ethnic achieve a series of comprehensive “assimilation with groups in Guizhou, and especially, provided a peaceful central plains” catch-up process from the initial stage environment for the development of landlord economy. of beginning, which is Guizhou’s intrinsic inferiority The bureaucratization of native officers in Guizhou to the mainland. The reasons for the implementation of not only achieved “assimilation with the mainland” bureaucratization of native officers are not only the feudal on an administrative institutional level, but also on central government’s dissatisfaction with separation of a national psychological level. This is mainly due to powers by native chieftains, but also Tumu, Tushe’s strong the establishment of a new ethnical communication demand facing difficulty in social climbing due to blocked mechanism. That is, the intermediate link of native road to officialdom (Cheng, 2006). The bureaucratization chieftains was no longer needed between the Liuguan of native officers in Guizhou in the Ming and Qing (officials with limited tenure sent by the central periods abolished native chieftains, this intermediate government to govern former native chieftain territories) class, while retaining a considerable part of Tumu and government and the minority civilians, the central Tushe. Such unthoroughness in extent not only illustrates government was no longer in indirect control over the limitations of the bureaucratization, but also reflects minority compatriots, the relationship between central the extent of superstructure the productive forces at that and local governments no longer required maintenance by time can accommodate. For the central governments of native chieftains, meanwhile, the development of landlord the Ming and Qing dynasties, they still needed to borrow system production relations enabled farmers to dare to “put the remaining forces of native chieftains to some degree to pressure on officials” (Zhong, Vol.7), and “dare to sue achieve effective local governance, and Tumu, Tushe were their masters” (Tian, et al., 2006) in order to protect their also willing to show allegiance to the central governments, own interests, independent consciousness was awakening, relying on the feudal central governments to defend their dealing a heavy blow to the ideology under