Introduction to the Rural Drinking Ceremony System in the Ming Dynasty

Another way to strengthen rural education is to implement the rural drinking ceremony system. In Chinese history, the rural drinking ceremony was popularized in the Zhou Dynasty. After the founding of the Republic of China, taking into account the system of the Tang and Song dynasties, the Zhou officials belonged to the people to read the law, and set the countryside drinking ceremony. E Wu April, Zhu Yuanzhang notified the world, held the countryside drinking ceremony. Specific practices are: in Tianfu, Zhili states, counties, in Mengchun every year in the first month of the first month and October in Mundong, there are senior officials and academic officials to lead the scholars into the school. This method was also adopted in the provinces, states, and counties of the laymen, and in the capital city, where the internal society of the people consisted of several hundred schools with grain leaders or internal leaders. The oldest of the hundred is the chief guest, and the rest sit in dental order. Each season is traveled among the schools, all in proper dental order, while the Binh Hsing Hsien Nang Chun Chiu and the Western Society may also be passed. The wine and food used should not be too extravagant. If you read the law, use this statement of the book of precepts compiled by the Ministry of Justice, and also read its Wuzhi Yamen. All the generals and commanders of the Wei Qin army, including the officers of the guard, should also use the precept book compiled by the Great Capital Governor every new day of the month and lead their assistants to read it. In this way, everyone knew the police and they would not don't violate the law. Later on, the rural drinking rituals of the Ming Dynasty evolved roughly like this: each village held two village communal dinners per year, one in the first month, somewhat like the whole village one in the New Year's Spring Festival, and the other in October. the rural drinking in October was much like the end-of-the-year reunions that we have at our present establishments. But in the Ming Dynasty, such rural drinking gatherings were not as relaxed as they are now, but were full of serious political overtones. First it was hosted by a person of high status. Before dinner, he would read out the latest laws and regulations, give a sermon, and praise and encourage good people and good deeds that happened during the year. Bad people were to be seriously criticized and educated. If any insisted on education or had a bad attitude, he was declared a recalcitrant citizen on the spot. Once he is designated as a recalcitrant citizen, the consequences will be extremely terrible. The recalcitrant citizen himself will be turned over to the government, and then he and his family will be sent to a sparsely populated remote area. That's why such a reunion feast is not good at all. If someone is declared a recalcitrant citizen, they must go to the elderly Ling Paozhi "wife and husband" couple, both from the village. If they are lenient, they have to be lenient and not send. Some people say there is no need to engage in this rural drinking ceremony, but can not yet finished. If the elected elders not if they could not fulfill their duties well, they were likely to be punished, and those who seriously failed in their duties would be sent to the frontier. When elected, the leaders of Li and A took turns, the respected elders were elected to be educated, and the food chiefs were responsible for the collection and distribution of taxes and food . This was probably rural autonomy under the Great Unified Empire. When it comes to rural autonomy, some people are particularly excited. This is China's democratic rural reform, right? As you can see from the above, Li Jiachang, the old man and the chief of grain were indeed elected, but that was within the boundaries delineated by the imperial court. For example, only households that grew a lot of grain could be elected as Li Changs and those that grew a lot of grain could be elected as Grain Chiefs. Once elected, they could not carry out the policy agenda on their own, but were guided by edicts and other instructions. As a result, there was no real local autonomy. One issue that seems to have been overlooked is family power. Zhu Yuanzhang did not China's successive generations relied too much on local family power in his village autonomy. My view is that Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have a soft spot for them. Some local families and noble families were the target of the Hongwu period and Zhu Yuanzhang could not rely on them too much.