I'm afraid everyone is familiar with the term "returning home", but what kind of policy is it to say "returning home" specifically? I'm afraid few people can explain it clearly. In fact, in short, it is the political reform of "floating official system" implemented by the government for ethnic minorities in southwest China. After reading this sentence, the author has four questions:

1. Why should Southwest China implement the policy of "returning farmland to streams"?

Second: Why only target ethnic minorities?

Third: Why use "floating officials" instead of leaders of local ethnic minorities?

Fourth: Why should we implement "changing soil into water"?

Let's discuss these three issues in detail, and you can also think about them first.

Distribution map of ethnic minorities in China

First of all, why should the southwest region implement the policy of "land to flow"? It's very simple, because the southwest is a place where many ethnic groups gather. The southwest of China includes Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang Autonomous Region and Chongqing. Of course, this is the current regional division. But in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yunguichuan still existed. These provinces are all multi-ethnic provinces, so it is natural to implement them in these areas.

Then the question is, why should we implement the policy of "changing soil into water" in these places? In fact, this has to start with the "toast system" in the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The scene of "Returning the Soil to the Stream" in E Ertai-Image Source Network

Tusi system was developed on the basis of Jimi county system in Tang and Song Dynasties. Its essence is "governing local people with local officials". In short, the government recognizes the hereditary status of local ethnic minorities and confers titles, thus indirectly ruling the local ethnic minorities. However, the government's recognition of the existence of this system is tantamount to recognition of the status of local minority rulers, so it also recognizes a number of independent collectives formed under this system to some extent. Since it is independent and not controlled by the government, it naturally does not need to accept some orders or policies of the central government.

Therefore, the imperial edict promulgated by the central court at that time was not really implemented at all. The local internal struggle is still fierce. There are always fights or wars within some toast families. In the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi, the Lushi family of Dongchuan Yi people killed each other for the inheritance right of the local government, and the scene was quite tragic.

In fact, the policy of "changing soil into water" was gradually implemented after the middle of Ming Dynasty, precisely to solve the contradiction between local officials and feudal dynasties. Because with the gradual development of social productive forces, the chieftain system is increasingly unsuitable for the needs of society, and at this time, the constant resistance of the people has shaken the rule of the local official system. As a result, the local official system formed a situation of opposition to the feudal dynasty and strongly opposed the rule of the feudal dynasty. Therefore, the feudal dynasty had to take action to control the ethnic minorities in these areas if it wanted to consolidate its dominant position.

The policy of "returning home" was introduced under this background. During the Yongzheng period, Yongzheng sent E Ertai, a confidant, to the southwest as governor, and the policy was to "change soil into water".

Yong Zhengdi once asked E Ertai to return to the native land in southwest China, and achieved excellent results-Yongzheng statue.

So, how is this policy specifically implemented?

According to Huang Xianfan's General History of Zhuang Nationality, there are generally two ways to change soil into flow:

"From top to bottom, first change the earth house, and then change the soil state. The second is to seize all favorable opportunities. If some local officials have no heirs, successors, or clan struggles, they will send floating officials to take over; After the local officials killed each other and were pacified, they sent Liu Guan to take over; Some local officials committed crimes, or after the anti-DPRK was suppressed, they were dismissed for their crimes and replaced by floating officials. Some people applied to the feudal dynasty to "change the soil into the stream", and the dynasty changed the hereditary local officials into the stream officials in the meaning of obeying the people. In short, the feudal dynasty changed its course as soon as it had the chance. ...

In other words, the original management mode of minority chieftain is changed into the management mode of government officials. Tusi are the leaders of primitive ethnic groups, and officials are appointed by the central government. The implementation of this system can not only enhance the cognitive scope of ethnic minorities, relieve their original backwardness, but also strengthen the central government's rule over some ethnic minority gathering places. In short, this is actually a political means to consolidate feudal rule. However, its influence is still quite great.