從朝廷到地方──元代去思碑的盛行與應用場域的轉移

From Imperial Glory to Local Participation: The Role of “Steles of Appreciation for Departed Officials” in the Mongol Yuan

本文由元代去思碑數量遠過於前代的現象出發，將文體視為一種文化模式，觀察去思碑產生的社會環境與行為，由此探索元代去思碑大盛的動力與意義。本文指出，元代取消唐、宋必須事先申請核准方可立碑的規定，一方面反映朝廷對頌揚文字管制的鬆弛，並影響當代建碑的風氣，另一方面也使得去思碑成為純地方性的事務，改變了建碑的意義。不過，制度鬆綁的影響只是一面，另一面則是蒙元新政治結構下的官吏士人群體對去思碑之名的追求與應用，是產生去思碑的主要動力。雖然去思碑不再是皇帝敕賜的榮耀，但其形式傳統賦予「循吏」之名的文化價值，卻在蒙元「後科舉社會」的新政治結構中發揮新的作用，成為一地官府與地方上層「士民」熱衷的活動領域。去思碑作為官員個人的資產，其應用存在於士大夫的網絡中。而作為地方紀念碑，在無需審查、大量出現的環境下，去思碑也成為地方人士參與政治行動的領域。對去思碑的應用因地而異，反映的是地方社會的性質。

Steles of appreciation for departed officials” (qusi bei, or “steles of benevolent administration”, dezheng bei) were erected widely in the Mongol Yuan period (1206-1368). What were the cultural values represented in the qusi bei and the social activities that produced this genre? This study identifies a key institutional change as its starting point: in the Yuan, the establishment of qusi bei no longer required application to and approval of the court in advance, a regulation established in the Tang and observed, at least in the code, in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. This change reflects the Yuan court's different attitude toward controlling stele writing (and the fame it produced), but it also entailed a change in the meaning of the practice. Under the new Mongol Yuan political structure, the stele provided an important means of political participation, both for the literati officials and for local society in general. Literati used the steles to pursue recognition and even fame as “good officials” (xunli), an important cultural ideal, and to foster trans-local literati networks. In this sense, a stele functioned in the network of literati, going beyond the locality in which it physically existed. At the same time, as a local monument, it was also a site for the construction of local history and a means of political participation in local society.