National and Society (Local Self-Government and Constitutional Reform in Late Qing China)

Author: Ma Xiaoguan
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The local self-governing movement that emerged in the late Qing Dynasty was an important part of the modern Chinese constitutional reform efforts. During the preparation for constitutional reform, the Qing government formulated regulations for local self-governance and instructed provincial governors and inspectors to implement them according to the regulations. However, from the beginning, the Qing court's promises of local self-governance were very limited. They particularly emphasized "the origin of state power," "the distinction between official governance," and "heavy responsibility and supervision," fearing that the gentry and common people might step over the line. In contrast, the new-style bourgeois gentry and merchants had their own understanding of local self-governance. They were not satisfied with merely assisting local officials in managing public affairs such as roads, sanitation, charity, and public security. Instead, they emphasized the distinction between "administration and representation within local self-governance" and promoted the model of bourgeois parliamentary politics at the grassroots level, laying a solid foundation for the state to implement constitutional reform. At the same time, they linked local self-governance with the development of capitalist economy and culture, which naturally added more positive significance to their proposals and practices. Unfortunately, due to the Qing government's superficial promotion and covert obstruction, coupled with China's lack of the tradition of urban self-governance or collective self-governance found in European countries, the local self-governance movement in the late Qing Dynasty ultimately yielded little effect. This remains a great regret in the history of modern Chinese civil rights movements. The local self-governance movement in the late Qing Dynasty was indeed a beneficial attempt at modernizing China's political system, making it a very worthy subject of research. In recent years, scholars both at home and abroad have conducted some research on this topic and achieved certain results, but further discussion is still needed on many issues. The book State and Society: Local Self-Governance and Constitutional Reform in the Late Qing Dynasty written by Comrade Ma Xiaoguan incorporates the latest research findings from both domestic and international studies. It adopts research methods from related disciplines such as political science and sociology, and systematically and deeply explores the local self-governance movement in the late Qing Dynasty from the perspective of the relationship between the social political structure (i.e., "state and society") and China's early political modernization (i.e., "political development"). It is one of the few academic works that specialize in the study of local self-governance in the late Qing Dynasty. After reading the entire manuscript, I perceive the main features of this book as follows:
First, by examining the economic development, changes in the class structure, intensification of social conflicts, and rigidity of the bureaucratic system in the late Qing Dynasty, the book proposes original insights into the causes of local self-governance in the late Qing period. It argues that the rise of local self-governance was driven on one hand by social demands, as the bourgeois class, including the gentry and merchants who were transforming into the bourgeois class, represented the emerging social forces and proposed political reforms to address the times. On the other hand, it was driven by the government's needs, as the late Qing government, in an effort to maintain its declining autocratic rule and strengthen control over grassroots society, was forced to adopt the banner of local self-governance and sought to integrate it into the government's framework. In other words, local self-governance in the late Qing period was driven by both the state and society, which determined its complex nature and the difficulties it faced in development.
Second, by comparing the local self-governance regulations of various levels in the late Qing Dynasty with those of early local self-governance in Western European countries and Japan, the book clearly defines the policy orientation of the late Qing government in promoting local self-governance. It argues that the organizational form and basic spirit of late Qing local self-governance were modeled on Japan with some modifications. The purpose was not to grant the people the power to participate in politics or to implement a bourgeois constitutional system, but to adjust the relationship between the government and society and to establish a new position for the gentry and merchants as "assistants in governance." This was done to stabilize the autocratic political foundation through the form of self-governance. Due to the intervention and control of the Qing government, late Qing local self-governance bore a strong official character and became "autocratic in nature."
Third, using modern political development theory, the book explains that late Qing local self-governance was a product of China's capitalist development and one of the political achievements of the national bourgeoisie. As a pioneer of modern local political reform, it constituted a step in China's early political modernization. At the same time, the book objectively analyzes the historical limitations of late Qing local self-governance, pointing out that the failure of late Qing local self-governance to develop according to the wishes of the bourgeoisie and achieve the initial goals of constitutional reform was due to the lack of various subjective and objective conditions for implementing local self-governance and bourgeois democratic politics. Achieving these conditions was not an overnight task, which was undoubtedly a fundamental reason for the slow progress and setbacks in China's early political modernization.
In summary, this book presents a thorough and grounded study of the issue of late Qing local self-governance. It not only makes a valuable contribution to the research on this topic but also raises some thought-provoking questions for further consideration. Comrade Xiaoguan has dedicated many years to scholarship, showing diligence, sincerity, and a down-to-earth approach, earning praise from his teachers and peers. Today, with his achievements and refined knowledge, I am filled with joy. In this brief note, if there are any misleading statements, I sincerely hope that readers and fellow scholars will forgive me.