Primary-level Governance in Suzhou City since the Song Dynasty
In the Song dynasty,the Suzhou City was named as Pingjiang Fu(平江府)and it was di-vided into four Xiang(厢)and ten Xiang(乡)in the urban district.Using the method of Historical geogra-phy to study the changing process of these two kinds of divisions from the Song dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties,this paper puts forward the following opinions.Firstly,the Yu(隅)in the urban districts dur-ing the Ming and Qing dynasties was inherited from the Xiang(厢)during the Song dynasty.And the Yu was divided into several Tu(图),which aimed at levying tax and maintaining public security under the juris-diction of Fuguo Xian(附郭县).Secondly,the establishment of Tu during the Ming and Qing dynasties was influenced by the governance of Bao(保)and Wu(伍)that jointly subjected to the Xiang(厢)during the Song dynasty.Thirdly,the central government in the Northern Song Dynasty abolished the Xiang and Li sys-tems(乡里制).But the administrative division of ten Xiang(乡)had been preserved.During the Ming and Qing dynasties,Xiang became the folk culture community that centered on local god temple and led by the local chairman.Finally,the Xiang(乡)in the urban districts of Suzhou City was incorporated into the sys-tem of Tu to manage well during the Ming dynasty.The Xiang(乡)and Xiang(厢)were transformed from overlapping mode to mutual connection.
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