Three colors and seven colors are sometimes used, which is a rare treasure.
The above poem is from the imperial poem "Picking pearls" written by Gan Long. Gan Long wrote more than 40,000 poems in his life, which can be described as outstanding in quantity, but uncertain in quality. His poor poetry level is often regarded as a joke by later generations.
However, although Qianlong's poems did not leave much place in the history of literature, they still have certain historical research value because of their diverse themes and reflecting a part of social life at that time. For example, the poem above shows the scene of pearl pickers taking mussels from water and pearls from mussels in Qing Dynasty.
Pearls picked by pearl pickers are not ordinary pearls, but oriental pearls produced in Songhua River, Heilongjiang River, Yalu River and Wusuli River basins in Northeast China. Oriental Pearl is crystal clear and round, which makes the Qing dynasty nobles love it very much. They regard it as a symbol of power and dignity and embed it in all kinds of clothes. For example, the Oriental Crown worn by the Empress and the Empress Dowager is inlaid with hundreds of Oriental Beads, and against the backdrop of the Oriental Beads, the luxury of the royal family arises spontaneously.
The Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower
It is true that the preciousness and beauty of the Oriental Pearl can be discussed. However, I know less about cultural relics and can't talk too much. But from the collection process of Dongzhu, we can see more grand topics. This topic is, how did Qing * * * rule subjects of all ethnic groups in China?
The Great Qing Dynasty under the rule of the Qing Dynasty was a multi-ethnic and multicultural country. How to govern such a diversified country is a very fatal topic for the Qing dynasty, where the number of ruling nationalities is not in the majority. Dynasty rulers often have to consider how to maintain the centripetal force of all parts of the empire and prevent the collapse of the imperial order without changing the pluralistic situation of the whole empire. History has proved that in countries with low pre-modern productivity and communication level, such an imperial order with coexistence of pluralism and centripetal force is the key to maintaining the long-term stability of the whole empire.
Ganlongdi
In this paper, I will start with the microscopic perspective of "the operation of the collection industry of East Pearl in Qing Dynasty" to show how the Qing Dynasty used power in the process of collecting East Pearl to ensure the order of imperial power.
The governance plan of Northeast China has a special political position in the Qing Dynasty and today's three northeastern provinces. Because the Nuzhen tribe in Jianzhou, where the Qing Taizu Nuerhachi lived, was located in the northeast, the whole three northeastern provinces (then called Manchuria) were regarded as the land of Longxing to be protected. Different from the mainland, Manchuria has an independent and pluralistic management system instead of a highly centralized provincial and provincial bureaucracy with imperial power up to the grassroots level. Manchuria is divided into three parts: Shengjing, Jilin and Heilongjiang. Among them, Shengjing, as the origin of the royal family in the Qing Dynasty, has the highest status, while Jilin and Heilongjiang have slightly lower status. However, because they are close to Shengjing and located on the Sino-Russian border, they are of high strategic value, so they are also managed under different systems from the mainland.
The three northeastern provinces in the Qing Dynasty covered an area larger than it is now.
The officials in charge of the flag-bearers in these three parts are called "generals", and there are three of them, one in each place. In addition to being able to directly manage the local Manchu banner, the general also has the right to manage most of the affairs within his jurisdiction. Below the three generals is their deputy, the deputy commander-in-chief, who is responsible for managing the area around the garrison (which can be regarded as the capital). According to the political system of Qing Dynasty, the administrative officials in Northeast China should be selected from Manchu to maintain their rule.
Fu Kang 'an, a famous general, was once a general of Jilin and Shengjing.
The biggest feature of the northeast management system is that there is no unified political system to integrate and control all grass-roots societies. The grass-roots society in Northeast China is very different from that in Guanzhong area, where the state-county system is generally implemented, and a regional hierarchical structure can make power reach the bottom from the upper level through the bureaucratic system. However, in the northeast, in addition to the Eight Banners directly controlled by the general, there are a large number of non-banners, and there are also some unique Eight Banners systems in the northeast, which are different from the Eight Banners in Shanhaiguan. In fact, in Northeast China, neither Banners nor Manchu are in the majority, which undoubtedly increases the diversity of Northeast China.
There is no unified management system for different groups in Northeast China. Some groups are not allowed to enter areas outside their homes, while others have a wide range of actions; Some were encouraged by the Qing dynasty to collect or fish and hunt, and some were encouraged to farm; Some are controlled by bureaucrats in Northeast China, and some can maintain their autonomous status as long as they pay tribute at any time. In short, the management of various groups in the Qing Dynasty almost relied on policies or accidental factors adapted to local conditions, and there was no written system prevailing in the whole Northeast.
The prevailing Eight Banners system has not been fully promoted in Northeast China.
For Longxing land in the northeast, the Qing dynasty did not allow non-Manchu people to enter at will. The Qing royal family tried to keep the essence of "purity", "primitive" and "simplicity" in Northeast China, but large-scale reclamation and commerce would lead to the disintegration of its essence. Therefore, from the second half of the17th century, the Qing dynasty began to implement the "northeast closed door policy". The rulers of the Qing Dynasty restored the "wicker border" built in the northeast border area in the early Qing Dynasty, which was a way for others to enter the side wall at will and plant wicker on it, hence the name. At the same time, the Qing Dynasty implemented the ticket printing system, so all people who want to enter the Northeast need to apply for ticket printing before they can cross the border.
The existing Liubianbian remains are a symbol of the northeast closed policy.
The collectors of Oriental Pearl lived in the northeast, and there was usually a hidden rule transaction between the Qing Dynasty and the aborigines here: if the aborigines did not want to be included in the Eight Banners system, the grass-roots management mechanism of the Qing Dynasty, they had to pay extra tribute to show their obedience. In some Eight Banners peculiar to Northeast China, the flag bearers also need to pay tribute in exchange for tax relief.
Among the many tribute tribes, there is a tribe that is specially responsible for going to the East Pearl, which Qing * * * called "offering sacrifices to Ula". Wula was a tribe in the northeast of China during the Ming Dynasty. Relying on the prosperous trade of the East Pearl River, Wula has a very important position in Northeast China. After the rise of Nurhachi, Wula tried to compete with it, but was defeated by Nurhachi, becoming the coat of jurchen and providing the Oriental Pearl for the court.
Dashengwula boundary map
In later history, Wula was gradually incorporated into Wula Banner. Different from the standard Eight Banners system, Wula Banner needs to pay Dongzhu to the Qing Dynasty regularly. Moreover, in the whole imperial order, the Urals maintained a quite unique position. They are not included in the strict administrative bureaucracy, but are allowed to have their own management institutions. This management organization is not under the jurisdiction of Jilin General, one of the three generals, but can be directly under the jurisdiction of the central system of the empire. Every year, Ulla's manager is not in charge of Jilin General, but reports directly to the Ministry of Interior.
The life of the Ura people is quite militarized. All pearl pickers should be incorporated into the Pearl Picking Team "Pearl Picking Pavilion". One out of every 20 pearl pickers is an officer in charge of leading the team. It is not easy to collect pearls. Some shellfish farms are close to settlements, while others are very far away. Zhu Xuan's team had to walk more than 500 kilometers to get there.
Ula, a sacrificial animal on pilgrimage
The process of getting pearls from mussels is also quite annoying. After finding the shellfish bed, the paddlers will pull the mussels up with paddles, and then the pearl gatherers will roast the mussels on an open flame until the mussels open themselves to expose them. Not all mussels are lucky enough to grow pearls. Most mussels have nothing in their bodies, and the efforts of pearl pickers are in vain. Moreover, not all pearls can be used for tribute. The classification of Dongzhu in Qing Dynasty was quite strict. Only the East Pearl with a certain size, weight and color can be turned over as a tribute, reaching the tribute regulations of the Qing Dynasty.
In the whole collection process, each process should be recorded in detail: the number of pearl-picking teams, the distance traveled, the quantity of rations carried, and the quantity of guns and ammunition used ... These contents are recorded and then summarized to General Manager Wula. Finally, General Manager Ulla summarized the quantity and classification records of work briefing and pearls collected to the Ministry of Interior.
The court will punish pearl pickers who can't complete the tribute task. The forms of punishment are often mental and physical: the salaries and flogging of Zhu Xuan leaders will be imposed on them. But ... it pays well. If the number of Oriental pearls collected exceeds the specified number, even if there is only one pearl, the leader of the pearl picker can also get Mao Qing Bu and silks and satins as rewards. If the pearl picker dies unfortunately, the court will also provide a pension. For example, a pearl diver drowned in 1809, and the family of the deceased received 12 silver.
Imperial crisis: Dongzhu production fell sharply. If we focus on the Jiaqing archives after the death of Qianlong, we will find a noteworthy phenomenon: from the end of 18, the number of pearl pickers and the output of Dongzhu dropped sharply. 1798 Jilin is still mining about 2,000 pearls, but after 1800, the output figure often hovers around several hundred pearls. In fact, since the Qianlong dynasty, the output of Dongzhu has plummeted. Since 1980s, the output of winter bamboo has dropped sharply.
For modern people, when the number of a species drops sharply, we often wonder whether the over-exploitation in the past has caused ecological damage and led to the collapse of the biomass in our habitat. But the emperors of the empire didn't think so. The adaptability and reproductive ability of mussels are amazing. They will change their breeding methods according to the changes in their surrounding environment and transport themselves with fish. Therefore, for emperors and generals, the sharp decline of the Oriental Pearl must not be a natural ecological factor to any extent.
The emperors did not blame the fault on nature, but on people. Dongzhu, with its small size and high price, is born for illegal trafficking and is bound to be favored by the underground trading industry. The rulers believe that the sharp drop in the output of East Pearl must be related to the pearl pickers who sacrificed to Ulla, and the pearl pickers were guilty of stealing from themselves and forgetting their righteousness. After collecting the Oriental Pearl, they didn't hand in all the collected materials, but kept them for themselves.
In fact, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty never gave up rectifying the order in Zhu Xuan to avoid the "corruption" of pearl pickers. As early as the Kangxi era, Kangxi had already announced the order to severely punish pirates in the sacrifice of animal Ula, stipulating that those who stole the East Pearl would be flogged, shackled and even hanged. 1724, the court also stipulated the reward and punishment measures for the Yanbian guards of the Great Wall. If the guards can catch those who steal the Pearl of the Orient, they will be rewarded. If smuggling is spared, it will be downgraded.
Kangxi emperor
However, the methods of rewarding guards, rating rewards and punishments, and adding Karen still cannot avoid the sharp decline of Dongzhu's output. The emperors were very angry about this. Paying the East Pearl is an extremely important part of the tribute system, which not only provided a lot of wealth for the Qing Dynasty, but more importantly, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty regarded it as a symbol of their dominance in the empire. Possession and theft of the East Pearl is not only an economic issue, but also a political issue, which symbolizes whether the imperial order can be maintained and whether the emperor can continue to exert his authority.
Therefore, the emperor used more powerful measures to solve the problem of East Pearl. The core of this measure is to greatly strengthen the power of local officials in Northeast China and narrow the scope of autonomy of Zhashengwula. During the Qianlong period, the Qing Dynasty began to set up a large number of outposts in Dongzhu Valley to supervise the expropriation. At the same time, the emperor granted Jilin General the power to supervise pearl picking. Jilin General, who had little contact with the sacrificial animal Ula, became the immediate boss of Ula, and the statistical data of managers were handed over to the general government, which then handed it over to the capital.
Just like his father, Jiaqing, the son of Qianlong, adopted a tough policy towards Ula.
With the passage of time, the autonomy rights of Urals in Northeast China have been eroded more and more seriously. /kloc-in the middle of the 0/8th century, the local government took over the work of compiling the accounts of the people who sacrificed to Ula. Before that, it was the responsibility of general manager Ulla. Through the preparation of household registration, the local * * * has also obtained the responsibility of paying wages to pearl pickers. At the same time, people in Wula also have a new task-besides collecting pearls, they also patrol to find pirates. This series of reform measures has gradually turned the Wula tribe with great autonomy into a bureaucratic system similar to that in the Guanzhong area, and the imperial power can reach the grassroots level from top to bottom.
Conclusion Unfortunately, many policies of the Qing emperor did not effectively avoid the sharp decline of Dongzhu production. During the Jiaqing period, the output of Dongzhu was almost impossible to recover. The reason may be a large number of illegal exploitation and trafficking, or it may be an irreversible result caused by ecological damage. In desperation, the Qing emperor could only lower the standard of offering sacrifices to Ula again and again. /kloc-in the 0/9th century, it was normal for the Qing emperor to order the mining of Dongzhu in that year.
In a series of history of Dongzhu collection industry in Qing Dynasty, we can see that Dongzhu production played an important role in the imperial power order in Qing Dynasty. In the early and middle period of Qing dynasty, tribute was an important channel for the central government of Qing dynasty to contact a tribe with great autonomy and no bureaucracy. Through tribute, the Qing emperor established the rule over these autonomous tribes.
However, when the output of Dongzhu decreased, the Qing emperor would regard it as a phenomenon that challenged the imperial order. Wula should have obeyed the regulations of the Qing Dynasty and turned over all the Oriental pearls, but now she keeps them for her own use. Faced with this situation, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty weakened the autonomy rights of the Wula people and strengthened the local power in order to supervise and control the Wula people more deeply. Driven by the goal of restoring the output of Dongzhu, the Qing dynasty completed the bureaucratization of the fighting animal Ura.
If you only look at the value of Dongzhu itself, you won't feel anything important. Dongzhu is not an extremely expensive rare treasure, and the trade income of Dongzhu is not an important part of the financial system in Qing Dynasty. However, it is behind this small Oriental Pearl that embodies a grand topic, that is, the maintenance and reconstruction of imperial order.
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References: Autumn of the Empire: delicacies, forbidden areas and natural boundaries in the Qing Dynasty Author: Xie Jian Translator: Guan Kang
Wula (7) Empire (69) Northeast (1)