午夜剧场

What kind of officials were the bureaucrats of Qing Dynasty China, especially the Zhixian (magistrates) who directly governed the residents of their assigned posts? This book is a general-interest read in which I asked Huang Liuhong—a long-time friend in my research who himself experienced being a Zhixian—to act as a narrator and describe the reality of that life.

In the case of "overachievers" who passed the Imperial Examination on their first attempt, there were occasionally those who suddenly stood at the top of tens or hundreds of thousands of residents at the age of 20. This was because the Imperial Examination was a test to certify whether a person was virtuous; if deemed virtuous, they were granted that qualification regardless of age or experience.

However, once they actually practiced administration in the field, they encountered numerous difficult situations. For a talented young man who had been pampered for his academic excellence, the test-taking abilities he had prided himself on were not enough to contend with battle-hardened locals. If he unilaterally forced his ideals of a Zhixian, the local community would find it a complete nuisance and he could no longer hope for cooperation. On the other hand, if he easily compromised with local intentions, his governing ability would be questioned by his superiors, and demotion awaited him.

"Viewing the people as one's own children"—in other words, the Zhixian was required to treat the people with the same affection as if they were his own children. However, once they realized that this was nothing more than a slogan, they tended to see the people only as objects for extortion due to their own inherent greed. As if seeing through the Zhixian's true nature, the people would tease, "Gold and silver are the children the Magistrate loves." Yet, there is nothing more fearsome than the people. If extortion went too far, resentment would build in the hearts of the silent populace, and the official would end up suffering painful retaliation upon leaving his post.

Huang explained in great detail to these young men what it meant to be a Zhixian and passed on his know-how. He emphasized that the ideal form of a Zhixian is to discipline oneself and gain the trust of the people. Furthermore, he stressed that regarding the people around him, it is important to refrain from overdoing anything, concede where concessions are due, and maintain smooth relationships; this, he argued, was the secret to successfully fulfilling one's duties as a Zhixian.

Looking back on my own career as a teacher, there were many things I learned from Huang. If readers take an interest in this book and use it as a guide for their own lives, I am sure Huang would be delighted.

Eishi Yamamoto

Toho Sensho

298 pages, 2,640 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.