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38-447: Tancheng is the southernmost county-level division of Shandong Province and borders Jiangsu . It is about 90 kilometres (by road) south of Linyi City, and almost 300 kilometers south by southeast of Jinan , the capital city of Shandong Province. Qingdao on the coast is 250 km. NE of Tancheng. Just over into Jiangsu is Xinyi . Tancheng is the “Hometown of Chinese Ginkgo” and “Hometown of Chinese Tamarix”. The population in 2011

76-402: A bridge between the common people and the government. There were three kinds of yamen runner, zao ( 皂 ), zhuang ( 壮 ), kuai ( 快 ). But in fact, there were more different kinds in specific . Zao usually served around the court, Zhuang provided physical labor and Kuai were in charge of inspection, investigation, and arrest. Zao acted as the officials' bodyguards. They usually followed behind

114-487: A card on the waist belt to identify themselves. In the Ming Dynasty, due to their duties, yamen runners were considered as a debased class ( jianmin , 贱民 ), which is even lower than good commoners ( liangmin , 良民 ) such as farmers. It is the lowest stratum in society. The salary provided by the court for the yamen runner was low compared to other jobs. The average daily salary was enough for only one meal. While

152-558: A complaint at the Yamen in Tan-ch'eng. They alleged their neighbor Kao killed Jen's wife the woman Wang, while in an adulterous affair. The case came before Magistrate Huang Liu-hung (see above). Kao and his wife were put in the grim city prison. Thus ended day one of proceedings. Day two Jen testified that he awoke at night to see Kao with a knife lead his wife away. He followed them to Kao's house where Kao's wife awaited. Afraid, Jen left. Kao denied

190-461: A district of a city administers many communities or residential committees . Each of them has a residential committee to administer the dwellers of that neighborhood or community. Rural areas are organized into village committees or villager groups. A "village" in this case can either be a natural village, one that spontaneously and naturally exists, or a virtual village, which is a bureaucratic entity. Five cities formally on prefectural level have

228-1332: A good coffin near her home may pacify her spirit, Huang felt. County-level division Provinces Autonomous regions Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures Autonomous prefectures Leagues (Aimag) (abolishing) Prefectures Provincial-controlled cities Provincial-controlled counties Autonomous counties County-level cities Districts Ethnic districts Banners (Hoxu) Autonomous banners Shennongjia Forestry District Liuzhi Special District Wolong Special Administrative Region Workers and peasants districts Ethnic townships Towns Subdistricts Subdistrict bureaux Sum Ethnic sum County-controlled districts County-controlled district bureaux (obsolete) Management committees Town-level city Areas Villages · Gaqa · Ranches Village Committees Communities Capital cities New areas Autonomous administrative divisions National Central Cities History: before 1912 , 1912–49 , 1949–present The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since ancient times, due to China 's large population and geographical area. The constitution of China provides for three levels of government. However in practice, there are five levels of local government;

266-662: A poet was established in his youth. Later at the court of the Liang dynasty in south China, he compiled the anthology New Songs from the Jade Terrace . Tancheng in the 17th century is the setting for Jonathan Spence 's multi-layered microhistory. It contains an idiosyncratic narrative, many social vignettes, and several criminal cases: The Death of Woman Wang (1978). Spence draws on three sources for Tancheng. The first two authors, also magistrates, came to Tancheng from other provinces and are described below. The third and most well known

304-523: A special status in regard to planning and budget. They are separately listed in the five-year and annual state plans on the same level as provinces and national ministries, making them economically independent of their provincial government. These cities specifically designated in the state plan (Chinese: 计划单列市 ) are Yamen A yamen ( ya-men ; traditional Chinese : 衙門 ; simplified Chinese : 衙门 ; pinyin : yámén ; Wade–Giles : ya -men ; Manchu : ᠶᠠᠮᡠᠨ yamun )

342-413: A stereotype that corresponds to their inhabitants. The most recent administrative change have included the elevation of Hainan (1988) and Chongqing (1997) to provincial level status, and the creation of Hong Kong (1997) and Macau (1999) as Special administrative regions . Provincial level governments vary in details of organization: Prefectural level divisions or second-level divisions are

380-439: Is a piece of paper on which a yamen runner was drawn, and upon which is recorded an accusation or tax liability, as well as a demand for the recipient to appear in court or pay the tax. The prefects and magistrates issued this to the litigants or tax defaulters in the hope that they would voluntarily appear in court or pay tax in arrears. It's unclear when the paper yamen runner was created, but literature about it can be found during

418-548: Is from nearby Tancheng. In 1668 Feng K'o-st'an arrived in Tancheng from Fukien as the new magistrate. This was the year of the Great Tancheng earthquake . Its calamitous effects greatly complicated the situation he faced. Although Feng was a "chin-shih" , an 'advanced scholar', his experiences in Tancheng were not fortunate. He was dismissed from office in 1670. His Local History took a long view of Tancheng, recording that it

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456-518: Is no government on this level. As of 2017 , China administers 33 provincial-level regions, 334 prefecture-level divisions, 2,862 county-level divisions, 41,034 township-level administrations, and 704,382 basic-level autonomies. Each of the levels (except "special administrative regions") corresponds to a level in the Civil Service of the People's Republic of China . This table summarizes the divisions of

494-460: The City God 's temple that night. There Jen said that "it was he, Jen, who deserved to die." On day four Jen confessed. Thus his father had falsely accused the innocent, a serious crime. Finding mitigation , Huang let him go. Jen was sentenced to a potentially fatal beating and to wearing the cangue around his neck. The woman Wang, it was feared, might haunt the village as a hungry ghost . Burial in

532-456: The Qing dynasty . Within a local yamen , the bureaucrat administered the government business of the town or region. Typical responsibilities of the bureaucrat includes local finance, capital works, judging of civil and criminal cases, and issuing decrees and policies. Typically, the bureaucrat and his immediate family would live in a residence attached to the yamen . This was especially so during

570-481: The United States , the power of the central government was (with the exception of the military) not exercised through a parallel set of institutions until the early 1990s. The actual practical power of the provinces has created what some economists call " federalism with Chinese characteristics ". Most of the provinces , with the exception of those in the northeast , have boundaries which were established long ago in

608-498: The Yuan , Ming , and Qing dynasties. Sometimes provincial borders form cultural or geographical boundaries. This was an attempt by the imperial government to discourage separatism and warlordism through a divide and rule policy. Nevertheless, provinces have come to serve an important cultural role in China. People tend to be identified in terms of their native provinces, and each province has

646-605: The Ming and Qing Dynasties. Because it was tempting for yamen runners to take unlawful advantage of their position, magistrates would occasionally allow plaintiffs to take litigants to the court first. If a plaintiff failed to do so, the magistrate would issue a paper yamen runner. Only if both methods failed would an actual yamen runner be sent to arrest the litigant. In this way, fewer yamen runners were required. Such practices were typically employed only for mild crimes, however. For serious crimes such as murder, theft, gambling, and fights,

684-462: The Peking government was not forthcoming. Huang's duties were various, including criminal trials (see below). The Great Tancheng Earthquake ( pinyin : Tánchéng dìzhèn) is also known as the 1668 Shandong earthquake . At an estimated magnitude M8.5, probably it was the largest seismic event ever recorded for eastern China. The epicenter is thought to have been northeast of Linyi city. P'u wrote about

722-421: The People's Republic of China provides for three levels: the provincial, the county level, and the township level. However, in practice, there are four levels of government: the provincial, the prefectural level, the county level, and the township level. Rural villages and urban communities are sometimes considered as the fifth level, however they are defined by the constitution as “basic level autonomies” and there

760-493: The Qing dynasty, when imperial law forbade a person from taking government office in his native province. Yamen s varied greatly in size depending on the level of government they administered, and the seniority of the bureaucrat 's office. However, a yamen at a local level typically had similar features: a front gate, a courtyard and a hall (typically serving as a court of law); offices, prison cells and store rooms; and residences for

798-459: The adultery and murder. His wife Ts'ao offered an alibi per the village night watchmen. Huang released Kao and Ts'ao, and imprisoned Jen and his father. Huang rode out to the village on day three. At Jen's house, he saw extreme poverty. Also found was dried human excrement by the bed. A woman examined the body of woman Wang, finding on her neck massive bruises. The watchmen confirmed Ts'ao's alibi. Back in Tan-ch'eng Huang put Jen and his father inside

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836-561: The ancient Tso-chuan commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals , a classic text of China . It apparently tells of the journey by Confucius circa 524 B.C. from his home in Lu to the former state of T'an , to consult and study with the Viscount of T'an, also called T'an-tzu. Qufu was capital of Lu. Tancheng claims being then the capital of T'an. Xu Ling was born in Tancheng county. His reputation as

874-553: The area administered by the People's Republic of China as of June 2017 . The People's Republic of China (PRC) lays claims to 34 province-level divisions , including 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 special administrative regions and 1 claimed province. Provinces are theoretically subservient to the PRC central government, but in practice, provincial officials have large discretion with regard to economic policy. Unlike

912-482: The bureaucrat, his family and his staff. At the provincial level and above, specialisation among officials occurred to a greater extent. For example, the three chief officials of a province ( simplified Chinese : 三大宪 ; traditional Chinese : 三大憲 ; pinyin : Sàn Dà Xiàn ; lit. 'the Three Great Laws';) controlled the legislative and executive, the judicial, and the military affairs of

950-450: The lawsuit cases. They would ask for money from the other debased classes like butchers and prostitutes. Such unwritten rule is called dirty regulation ( 陋规 ) . Therefore, the actual income of the Kuai depended on their place of work; Kuai in large cities could easily collect a lot of money and Kuai in rural areas could be as poor as the homeless. Such corruption and extortion were rampant during

988-525: The magistrate would still send yamen runners directly for the arrest. The institution of the yamen fell victim to the Wuchang Uprising and the Xinhai Revolution , after which warlords often became the ultimate authorities, in spite of Sun Yat-sen 's best efforts to establish a Republic of China covering all of China. Sun Yat-sen tried to establish a form of self-government, or home rule , on

1026-421: The officials. During the trial, they would stand on both sides of the court to maintain order. They also performed the duties of escorting the prisoner, questioning the suspect and applying minor punishment. They had their own black uniform. Zhuang were comparable to modern security guards. Their main job was to guard the critical areas such as castle gates, the court, prison, and warehouse. They also patrolled on

1064-421: The province or region. Their yamen would accordingly be specialised according to the functions of the office. The great yamen s of the central government, located in the capital, are more exclusively office complexes. Yamen runner ( 衙役 ) is an occupation which served for yamen ( 衙门 ), the law enforcement department in ancient China. They worked as the lowest class in the government department which made them

1102-577: The provincial (province, autonomous region, municipality, and special administrative region), prefecture, county, township, and village. Since the 17th century, provincial boundaries in China have remained largely static. Major changes since then have been the reorganisation of provinces in the northeast after the establishment of the People's Republic of China and the formation of autonomous regions , based on Soviet ethnic policies. The provinces serve an important cultural role in China, as people tend to identify with their native province. The Constitution of

1140-444: The quake. He and his cousin were drinking wine in lamp light, when the roar came at them. The table rocked, spilled the wine. Roof beams and pillars "began to snap". Houses would "collapse and, as it were, rise up again". The "screams of men and women" they heard; the din of dogs and roosters. An hour later came a calm. Excited people in the streets at night, half dressed, shared earthquake stories. A day-laborer Jen and his father filed

1178-480: The reign of Xuande Emperor . The prefects and magistrates just turn a deaf ear on their clerks blackmailing the lower classes. Xuande Emperor described them "licentious, greedy, and insatiably exploitative, [or] degenerate and worthless." Since the social status of yamen runners was low and the income was unstable (usually low), yamen runners were mostly formed by vagrants, especially among Kuai. They were often strong but uneducated . A paper yamen runner ( 纸皂 )

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1216-408: The salary was not enough to live or raise a family on, working for the law enforcement department gave yamen runners some power that could be taken advantage of. The runners would charge a small fee from the litigants to cover the spendings. The prefects and magistrates acquiesced such a charging system as long as the amount is in a reasonable range. The Kuai, however, couldn't contact the litigants in

1254-872: The second level of the administrative structure. Most provinces are divided into only prefecture-level cities and contain no other second level administrative units. Of the 22 provinces and 5 autonomous regions, only 3 provinces ( Yunnan , Guizhou , Qinghai ) and 1 autonomous region ( Xinjiang ) have more than three second-level or prefectural-level divisions that are not prefecture-level cities. As of June 2020, there were 339 prefectural level divisions: As of August 18, 2015, there were 2,852 county-level divisions: The basic level autonomy serves as an organizational division (census, mail system) and does not have much importance in political representative power. Basic local divisions such as neighborhoods and communities are not informal, but have defined boundaries and elected heads (one per area): In urban areas, every subdistrict of

1292-456: The streets. Most of them were picked from among strong civilians. Kuais' duties included summoning defendants and witnesses to the court. They were usually asked to do the trips for the court , traveling long distances if necessary. During the tax season, they would be sent to remote areas to collect for the government. Therefore, Kuai had more contact with civilians than Zao and Zhuang. They didn't have their own uniform, but were required to hang

1330-465: Was "suffering for fifty years" from the 1622 White Lotus uprisings, which arose during times of drought, locusts, famine, sickness, and assorted banditry. People hurt, and despaired. In 1643 " Manchu troops under General Abatai " invaded Tancheng and "killed tens of thousands". In 1644 the Ming dynasty collapsed. In 1670 the scholar Huang Liu-hung arrived in Tancheng as the next magistrate. From Honan , it

1368-412: Was 970,000. The land area of the county is about 1,306.58 square kilometres. It is a developing city in a rural area. Tancheng is famous for its ginkgo trees. As 2012, this county is divided to 11 towns and 6 townships. A visit by Confucius to Tancheng had been kept alive in local memory. A temple and shrines marked the locations where Confucius was said to have been seen. The episode is described in

1406-434: Was his first posting. The people of Tancheng told him that the region had for many years been "destitute and ravaged". He found the people struggling for bare survival. They were also "unusually superstitious". It was very difficult to raise morale. The social fabric had begun to fray. To counter the "decades of catastrophes", Huang attempted to grant generous "tax concessions" and "corvée labor rebates", but adequate approval by

1444-516: Was the administrative office or residence of a local bureaucrat or mandarin in imperial China , Korea , and Vietnam . A yamen can also be any governmental office or body headed by a mandarin, at any level of government: the offices of one of the Six Ministries is a yamen , but so is a prefectural magistracy. The term has been widely used in China for centuries, but appeared in English during

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