Interpretation of traditional cultural terms in China: feudal system

The enfeoffment system is the enfeoffment system of the princes by the ancient kings or emperors of China. The Shang dynasty began to enfeoffment princes, with titles of Hou and Bo. After the Western Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, because its capital was far away from the northwest, it was not conducive to controlling the vast territory and ruling the descendants of the Shang Dynasty. They distributed royal children and heroes on a large scale by fiefs and residents. Governors enjoy hereditary sovereignty in their fiefs, and they also have the responsibility to obey the emperor's orders, pay tribute regularly, provide military salute and forced labor, and safeguard the security of the Zhou Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the county system adapted to centralization gradually replaced the enfeoffment system. Qin Shihuang unified the whole country, popularized the county system, abolished the enfeoffment system and established the first autocratic centralized dynasty. Since then, there have been examples of enfeoffment, but the nature is not exactly the same.

concept

Modern scholars have different opinions about when the enfeoffment system officially originated. The emergence and development of enfeoffment system has gone through a long process, and the origin time has been difficult to verify. According to Records of the Historian, in the era of the Yellow Emperor, "the vassal salt invited guests to follow", "the vassal salt respected Xuanyuan as the son of heaven", and the Yellow Emperor "placed the left and right prisons in the world", describing the early feudal system. With the continuous development of the Five Emperors and Three Dynasties, the perfection of the feudal system reached its peak in the Zhou Dynasty. Liu Yimou said: "From Tang Dynasty, Yu Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty, emperors and governors ruled separately", that is, from Yao and Shun Dynasty to Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty, feudal system was adopted.

In ancient China, the "emperor" distributed the land to the children of the royal family, heroes or descendants of the ancient emperor. The fiefs were called vassal states, fiefs or vassal states, and the monarchs who ruled the fiefs were called princes and princes.

In order to maintain the rule, the enfeoffment system stipulated that governors must:

(1) obey the orders of Emperor Zhou;

(2) the vassals have the obligation to defend Zhou's territory;

3 follow the battle;

4 tribute;

(5) the obligation of pilgrimage.

At the same time, the governors were enfeoffed with the Qing doctor in their respective governments. Then, Dr. Qing distributed the land and people to scholars. Dr. Qing and scholars should also undertake obligations such as fighting at the next higher level. In this way, layers of packet, formed a strict hierarchy within the aristocratic ruling class, "emperor-vassal-QingDafu-scholar".

Qin Shihuang unified, abolished the enfeoffment system and implemented the county system. At the beginning of Han dynasty, it was adopted at the same time. After the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms was pacified, the officials of the feudal state were appointed and removed by the central government, and the vassals only collected rent tax, so the feudal state existed in name only. After Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were also enfeoffment systems in different dynasties.

Naming of enfeoffment system

Zhang Qizhi said: "The enfeoffment system in the Western Zhou Dynasty is called feudalism, which means that the country was established by enfeoffment system.

social formation

According to the theory of bipolar world, during the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, Guanzhong was the political form of gentry and serfdom economy, the Central Plains was the political form of Qing Dafu and the economic form of slavery, and the South was the political and economic form of primitive tribes. The overall social form of China is the political form of Qing Dafu and the economic form of slavery. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Guanzhong was a landlord political form and a tenant farmer economic form among the common people, while the Central Plains was a gentry landlord political form and a serfdom economic form, while the South was a great scholar-bureaucrat political form and a slave economy form, and the overall social form of China was a gentry landlord political form and a serfdom economic form. During the Five Dynasties, Ten Kingdoms, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guanzhong was the political and economic form of yeoman, the central plains was the political form of subaltern landlord and tenant farmer, the south was the political form of gentry landlord and serfdom, and the overall social form of China was the political form of subaltern landlord and tenant farmer.

From the formation of the Xiongnu Empire in 300 BC to the demise of the Turks in 745 AD, the social form of Central Asia changed from tribal system to semi-tribal and semi-feudal serfdom. From the demise of the Turks in 745 AD to the modern stage, the social form of Central Asia changed from semi-tribal and semi-feudal serfdom to feudal serfdom.

The political form of the Arab Empire and its subsequent dynasties is a relatively unified feudal political form, and the economic form is serfdom.

The political form of medieval Europe was a decentralized gentry system, and the economic form was serfdom.

Relevant dynasties

Zhou, Han, Jin and Ming Dynasties