Measures and Challenges of Patronage Governance in the Qing Dynasty
Patronage governance reached its peak during the Qing Dynasty,yet faced significant underlying challenges.Specific governance measures included:firstly,the refinement of legislation,with laws,regulations,and imperial edicts complementing each other;however,there were shortcomings such as lack of precision and coordination with human emotions.Secondly,emphasis was placed on prevention by raising awareness that patronage is a violation of the rule of law and a self-serving behavior.The imperial court and officials adopted various preventive measures but faced limitations such as limited recognition and excessive reliance on education.Thirdly,reporting was required with penalties for failure to report patronage;however,few people reported due to fear of being considered unreasonable or harsh.Lastly,punishment was strengthened with instances where double standards were applied for political reasons.Patronage governance achieved some results but was never comprehensively or effectively eliminated.The core issue lies in the contradiction between emotions and the law:whether patronage is a public virtue or private interest,and whether the path to patronage governance is moral or legal.The legislative history of patron-client crimes in the Qing Dynasty represents a struggle between emotions and law—a breakthrough for law within an environment dominated by human emotions—and typifies traditional Chinese legal philosophy.
the Qing Dynastypatronagehuman emotionsrule of law
万方数据
维普
