The Regional Supervisors'Promotion Practice in the Ming Dynasty:Centering on Xiao Zhuan Fa
In the middle and late Ming dynasty,there was a customary practice named Xiao Zhuan Fa in the promotion of Regional Supervisors.According to Xiao Zhuan Fa,Qianshi(佥事)was promoted to Canyi(参议),whose rank changed from 5a to 4b,and Canyi was promoted to Fushi(副使),whose rank changed from 4b to 4a,and so on and so forth.The customary practice of only one grade up per promotion broke the previous practice of two grades up per promotion.This paper compares the detailed information of the officials'promotion recorded in Ming Shilu with related accounts of the Ming people and draws the following conclusions.When Huiju was introduced at the beginning of the Ming dynasty,there had already been examples of Regional Supervisors who were promoted only one grade per time.However,examples of Regional Supervisors being promoted one grade each time appeared in large numbers in the early years of Emperor Zhengde's reign,when Liu Jin was in power.Promoting one grade at one time not only enabled Liu Jin to enlist officials and demonstrate his personal authority,but also alleviated the dilemma of lack of posts for so many people following the drastic downsizing of Regional Supervisor vacancies.The regularization of the practice of Regional Supervisors being promoted one grade each time was attributed to the structural dilemma that the official positions were limited while the officials were numerous,as well as the pivotal position of Regional Supervisors in the promotion of officials from lower to higher positions.Under the realistic pressure of the increasing number of bureaucrats in the middle and late Ming dynasty,the tendency of Regional Supervisors being promoted one grade each time couldn't be stopped immediately,and became an important promotion practice that was banned but continued until the end of the Ming dynasty.
Ming DynastyPromotion of Regional SupervisorsXiao Zhuan Fa
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
