Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional culture - On the influence of China's ancient patriarchal autocratic system on the formation of China's traditional culture. Be specific, thank you.
On the influence of China's ancient patriarchal autocratic system on the formation of China's traditional culture. Be specific, thank you.
2.3. 1 patriarchal clan system in the Western Zhou Dynasty
The "home" of the Zhou Dynasty was a political unit, which was quite different from our current concept of "home". So we look at Mencius? Hui Liang Wang Xia said: "If you ride a country with thousands of riders, you will kill your monarch, and you will ride a country with thousands of riders." It can be understood from the narrative of this passage that the "country" at that time was a combat unit with 1000 carriages, while the "home" was a combat unit with 100 carriages, so it can be seen that the "country" and "home" were neck and neck at this time. But from the ancient literature, although "home" is a political unit, it is still intertwined with people who are related by blood. Generally speaking, the scope of "home" is composed of it runs in the family's grandfather. As for the "clan", it is the blood of the same great-grandfather, and their spouse, the combination of nine generations living under one roof. In short, "home" is included in "home". Therefore, in contrast, people in the "home" are more closely related than those in the "home".
The original meaning of "Zong" is a temple to worship ancestors. Only people belonging to the same family can go to "Zong" to worship their ancestors. However, when offering sacrifices to ancestors, "big" and "small" should be decided according to the distance of blood. Generally, the simplest difference is that the eldest son of an ancestor is "big" and the other illegitimate children are "small". According to the system at that time, Zhou's inheritance right was "big", while other princes (including titles such as public, Hou, Bo, Zi and Gong) had small inheritance rights; But in the hereditary territory of these princes, the eldest son who inherits the throne is the "big one" in the territory, and other illegitimate children are the "small ones". And so on, extending to every class. In this spirit, the members of "family" are closer to "big" and the members of "clan" are closer to "small clan".
The main purpose of this system design is to let future generations not forget their origins and unite people closely by blood relationship. This measure was a very favorable system for the developing Zhou people at that time. We now see a lot of documents left over from the pre-Qin period, which will first talk about how to maintain the "home", then talk about how to govern the country, and finally talk about how to level the world. Exploring the development process, we can also say that in the concept at that time, we should unite the forces of "small sects" first, and then consolidate and give play to the forces of "big sects", so as to win the "world". Based on this cognition, the concept of paying special attention to family ethics naturally appeared.
Patriarchal organization with eldest son inheritance as the core
The emergence of the eldest son inheritance system is a perfection of social class rule.
Regarding the organization of sects, it is recorded in the Book of Rites that the other son is an ancestor and the next one is a sect. Your successor is a small sect. Some will never move, and some will move fifth. Those who will never move, after another son. Those who live in it follow their ancestors, and those who live in it move in the fifth century.
Other sons: illegitimate children, sons with different surnames (other countries) and three kinds of ordinary people, or sons other than the eldest son. The latter is more reasonable.
Inheritance: refers to the descendants who inherit the position of the other son, that is, the eldest son and grandson of the other son.
Follow you: you mean the father who died under the patriarchal clan system and neutral the throne of God in the ancestral temple. Here you should mean your brother, and succession means inheriting the descendants of other sons and brothers.
Biezi is the positive branch of a family. Although it is not dead, it is still necessary to sacrifice ancestors. This is a large number. Another son's brother is a branch of a family. After the Five Dynasties, their relationship with other sons has gone beyond the scope of the same clan, so they no longer worship the ancestors of other sons, but worship the ancestors of their own branch for filial piety. Although the big and small sects are relative, they are absolute to the son of heaven. A large number of small clans lead younger brothers, and emperors, princes, doctors (Qing) and scholars form a strict family-style ruling system.
sysytem?of?enfeoffment
Patriarchal system directly led to the feudal system.
The enfeoffment of the eldest son to the younger brother is politically "granting land to the people" and the patriarchal clan system is "giving the son as the ancestor", which is of great benefit to consolidating the supreme rule of the eldest son and the status of the world patriarch.
Later generations recalled: all over the world, is it the land of the heavenly king, the heavenly emperor and the six countries, with four directions like stars. Therefore, we should choose talented people to protect the royal family and become a barrier to the center of the world.
Strict ancestral temple sacrifice system
The "clan" and "secret" of the patriarchal clan system are the roof and the "stone" is the Lord of God, which are collectively referred to as temples dedicated to the position of Lord of God. Its original meaning is "Zunzudian" (explaining words by writing). "Respect the teacher and respect the road, it is the ancestor, and it is respected by the ancestor ("White Tiger Yi Tong ")."
Patriarchal clan system not only distinguishes the hierarchical relationship between the descendants of the same clan by blood relationship, but also maintains the unity of the clan, so it attaches great importance to "respecting ancestors and respecting ancestors" Businessmen also have complicated sacrificial ceremonies, but they don't have strict patriarchal significance like the Western Zhou people. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, ancestor worship was a privilege. As the saying goes, "If Zhi Zi doesn't sacrifice, the sacrifice will be against Zongzi" (Book of Rites, Qu Lixia). He also said, "Only bastards who don't worship their ancestors know their ancestors." The responsibility of most people is to respect and unify their families, not to be close to each other, but to respect each other.
Before the Zhou dynasty, the emperor's temple was five temples:
By the middle of the Zhou Dynasty, although the civil and military were brilliant, according to the arrangement of the lineage of the Zhou Dynasty, it no longer belonged to Kao, Huang Kao and Xian Kao, and it was not a special temple according to the system. But "if there is a king of virtue, it should be a Sect, and its temple cannot be destroyed." Therefore, the second temple in Wu Wen was added to worship the gods below Wu Wen and above Xiankao, so it became seven temples. That is, the Book of Rites says: "There are seven temples of the Emperor, three Zhao and three trees, and seven temples of Taizu."
Strict moral maintenance and ritual culture
The patriarchal clan system strictly distinguishes the difference between relatives and friends, so it establishes moral ethics such as filial piety, morality and being close to the people. Moral content such as not being married with the same surname can be reflected. Established a culture of rites and music.
2.3.2 Traditional social structure of China under the influence of patriarchal clan system
The first is the widespread implementation of the principle of paternal descent.
The so-called paternal lineage refers to the complete exclusion of female members in the arrangement of blood types. Although this is common in the early history of world civilization, only China is the most determined.
Second, the family system is enduring.
Family is formed by the reunion of male ancestors and descendants. Because of their consistent economic interests and cultural mentality, they have formed a stable social entity beyond history and become the basic cells of society.
"clan right" has become a powerful social support force to compete with political power, theocracy and husband right.
Clan rights have a strong influence in social life, which is the main symbol of the enduring family system in China. Clan rights have a strict and fixed organizational form and are combined with local gentry rights and political rights. Clan rights have largely assumed the functions of local political power.
Three words, home and the world are isomorphic.
This is also called "the continuation of home and the world."
The essence of "isomorphism between family and country" is the structural identity of family, clan and country, that is, the expansion of country and the unification of "national rights" and "political power". In other words, China's social ethics and national ethics are all derived from family ethics. Or as Liang Shuming said, China has a home but no country.
In ancient western Europe, consanguineous politics was basically replaced by geopolitics and hierarchical politics. In China, it's different. Geography, career and material destiny are all based on blood relationship. Monarchical power and patriarchy are both external and internal, and "country" and "home" are interlinked. "The axis of social operation is the ethical and political system established under the guidance of patriarchal clan system, which personifies the relationship between father and son, monarch and minister."
Fourthly, the patriarchal legal system is formed according to the moral relationship between blood relatives.
The merger war in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period led to the disintegration of patriarchal order. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the enfeoffment system has been replaced by the county system. In addition to the succession to the throne, it is still determined by the royal lineage. In the selection and appointment of administrative officials, the recommendation and examination system was implemented (after Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was finalized as the imperial examination system), that is, the "virtuous" replaced the "pro". However, the influence of patriarchal clan system still extends to later generations-
First, the inheritance of political power and economic property rights generally follows the principle of paternal descent, completely excluding the status of female members to ensure that power and wealth do not flow into other ethnic groups.
Secondly, the patriarchal clan system, which is maintained by blood, has lasted for a long time and has become an inseparable social cell outside the dynasty change. The continuation of this family incense often depends on the tenacious existence of three elements: ancestral temple, genealogy and clan field.
Thirdly, the combination of clan power and political power is consistent with the goal of state power to promote strict Ming religion, etiquette and maintain patriarchal autocratic order; The state power also controls its subjects with the spirit of family, which is the so-called "isomorphism of family and country" and "the unity of monarch and father" mentioned by Liang Qichao, a close neighbor. "The organization of China society is based on family, not on individuals, so the so-called harmony between family and country is the same. Although the patriarchal clan system of the Zhou Dynasty was abolished today, its spirit still exists. "
Yan Fu, a close friend, also believes that until modern times, China people were "a nation that preferred sons to daughters". These are all insights from ancient and modern perspectives.
The characteristics of chinese social organizations are closely linked with the continuation of patriarchal clan system, which is the long-term persistence of authoritarian regime.
As early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, when the country was just formed, there was absolute monarchy. If we say that before the Spring and Autumn Period, the autocratic power of the emperor was based on the enfeoffment system, and the hereditary governors distributed the land to the people and enjoyed greater distribution rights; Then after the Warring States period, the county system was gradually established, and the autocratic power of the monarch was realized through the direct command of non-hereditary court officials, thus transitioning to a unified autocratic centralized system. In 206 BC, the king of Qin seized power, "strengthened his long-term strategy of conquering the mainland" and formally established a centralized monarchy, which lasted until the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 19 165438. Compared with the autocratic monarchy system in Europe in the late Middle Ages, the autocratic monarchy system in China was formed earlier and lasted longer. Although it had more than 2,000 years of ups and downs, the general trend was to strengthen day by day and form strict control over all levels of social life, including using household registration and angel lee system to imprison people; Use politics to control culture, and use power to interfere with academics, so that "if the evil monarch stops, the discipline will be unified and the statutes will be clear."
The social structure of "patriarchal clan system-autocracy" and agricultural natural economy complement each other, resulting in an ethical-political cultural paradigm with the goal of "being sage inside and being king outside". This cultural paradigm lasted for a long time until modern times, but its deep structure is still being passed down.
Main features of ancient monarchy in China;
(1) The emperor has the highest legislative power, the highest administrative power and the highest judicial power, and is not subject to any restriction or supervision.
(2) Most officials are obedient, and there is a strong trend of conformism in officialdom.
(3) Bureaucracy is expanding, and bureaucracy and corruption are prevalent.
Centralization is the symmetry of "decentralization", and it is a system in which the ruling power of the state is centralized and unified in the central government. Under this system, local governments obey the central government and act according to its policies and decrees.
Monarchical autocracy usually refers to the form of political organization in which slavery and feudal countries practice monarchy. The monarch has unlimited power, and his will is the law of the country. He regards the country as his private property and relies on a huge military bureaucracy to maintain his rule.
Centralization, an absolutist who runs through China's ancient politics, has a far-reaching influence on China's history, which makes many people confuse "absolutism" with "centralization" and have a wrong understanding. A correct understanding of these two concepts is of great significance for studying and studying history.
First of all, absolutism
Authoritarianism is a form of political organization that is opposite to democracy. Its main features are:
1. The monarch is arbitrary, combining the highest power of the state, from decision-making to the exercise of military and political financial power. In an authoritarian country, the law is only the will of the monarch, and the emperor has legislative, judicial and administrative power, and everything in the world depends on the world. Your words, your likes and dislikes, become the highest principle to judge right and wrong. The monarch is above everything else, prone to tyranny and cruelty, while his subjects are deprived of their rights and freedoms.
Numerous bureaucrats, large and small, as representatives of monarchical power, exercise autocratic rule over the people. These bureaucrats are the servants of the emperor. They are always at your beck and call. They represent the kingship and rule the people in their jurisdiction.
Second, centralization
Centralization is a form of national structure, which mainly refers to the close relationship between the whole and part of the country and the central and local governments. Local governments are not independent politically, economically and militarily, and must strictly obey the orders of the central authorities, and everything is subordinate to the central authorities. Its main features are:
1. where the central government strictly controls, there is no relatively independent administrative system.
In order to control the local government, the central government attaches importance to the appointment and supervision of local officials. Since the Qin Dynasty in China, the appointment, promotion and transfer of local officials have been decided by the central authorities. Absolutely implement the system requirements that subordinates obey superiors, local governments obey the central government, and finally obey the words of the monarch. At the same time, the monarch deliberately caused the duplication of power in the establishment of official positions, which made them contain and supervise each other, and concentrated power in the central government without restriction.
Third, the difference and connection between absolutism and centralization.
As can be seen from the above, they are different concepts: one is regime, which embodies the relationship between monarch and minister; One is the form of state structure, which reflects the relationship between the central and local governments. Autocracy is feasible in a centralized country, and it can also be practiced in a local separatist dynasty. At the same time, not all centralization will lead to autocracy. However, under the specific historical conditions of feudal society, it is impossible to completely separate the two. Whenever autocratic imperial power is strengthened, centralization is often more effective, and vice versa. China established centralization in Qin and Han Dynasties, and then formed a set of strict and complete political organization and administrative system. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, centralization was highly strengthened, and as a result, the local three powers were concentrated in the central government, and the power of the central government was concentrated in the hands of the emperor. This will inevitably lead to autocracy, and absolutism is getting stronger and stronger.
Authoritarianism and totalitarianism are both different and closely related. Only by recognizing the difference between the two can we not deny the rationality of centralization when criticizing absolutism; Understanding the relationship between them can also prevent the disadvantages brought by excessive centralization.
(4) It exists for a long time and has a wide influence.
Main impacts:
In the early period of feudal society, progress was the main role.
(1) is conducive to the establishment, consolidation and development of a multi-ethnic unified country;
(two) is conducive to economic and cultural exchanges between regions, promote the spread of advanced production technology and culture in a wide range, and play a positive role in promoting national integration;
(3) It is conducive to effectively organizing human and material resources to engage in large-scale economic activities and large-scale engineering construction, laying the foundation for Chinese civilization to lead the world for a long time; It is conducive to preventing separatism, resisting foreign aggression and safeguarding the integrity and unity of the country's territorial sovereignty.
In the late feudal society, it mainly played a negative role.
(1) Politically, autocratic imperial power gives the monarch supreme power, which easily leads to tyranny; The unprecedented strengthening of autocratic rule has deprived the people of political power and status, prevented the development of democratic politics, and restricted and suppressed the display of the intelligence and creativity of the Chinese nation; It has formed a long-term tradition of rule by man, derived a huge bureaucratic team and privileged class, distorted personality and soul, and is prone to political corruption.
(2) Economically, the autocratic imperial power has seriously restricted the development of productive forces, hindered the development of budding capitalism and inhibited the growth of new relations of production.
(3) Ideological and cultural aspects: the autocratic system will inevitably lead to the strengthening of ideological and cultural control, and the increasingly severe cultural autocracy has seriously hindered the development of science and technology in China and culture in China.
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