Fiscal Reform and Shantang in Jiangsu and Zhejiang During the Late Qing Period

Abstract

It is known to all that many shantang 善堂 were set up mainly in Jiangsu 江蘇 and Zhejiang 浙江 in China in 19th century, but why they began to spread rapidly from then on especially in southern Jiangsu has not been explained. In this study the author explains the origins of the shantang through the process of fiscal reform. From the 19th century Chinese fiscal affairs became rapidly difficult. Consequently, local governments became short of money and began to collect various illegal commission called lougui 陋規 through subordinate officials called xuli 胥吏, yayi 衙役 and dibao 地保. Collecting lougui was prohibited in Zhejiang in 1794, but in Jiangsu it continued and caused misery to the people until the fiscal reform of Ding-Ri-Chang 丁日昌 in 1868. There were various ways to collected lougui, and especially in southern Jiangsu subordinate officials often bullied people into handing over exorbitant fees when examining a person dying on the street. Then during the Jiaqing era Han-Shi-Sheng 韓是升, who lived in Xu-Shu-Zhen 滸墅鎮 in Suzhou 蘇州, established a shantang called Yi-Shan-Gong-Tang 一善公堂, which bore the expense of examination to prevent the officials from self-willed collection of lougui. This system was authorized by Ba-Ha-Bu 巴哈布 in 1812, and the establishment of shantang were promoted in other districts. They spread in Suzhou Songjiang 松江 and Taicang 太倉, and protected people from lougui until the fiscal reforms were carved out. On the other hand, they did not proliferate much in Zhejiang, where fiscal reformation had been carried at an earlier stage. Shantang were originally welfare-oriented but the purpose of this new type was to allay expenses for subordinate officials. They protected the middle classes threatened by these officials rather than the weaker social strata. The propertied people in those days founded shantang willingly, not to show mercy to the weak, but to provide for examining persons dying on the street.