英文摘要 |
The Qing government began to appoint patriarchs during the Yongzheng period in areas where patriarchal clans lived together, as a way to strengthen the Bao-jia system and govern the clans. Taiwan was a new settlement of Han immigrants, so the clans were not well developed. Notebly, in I-lan, where Han immigrants moved during the Jiaqing period, there was not enough time for them to propagate a clan. But, the present study found that the local government appointed many patriarchs for the different surnames in I-lan. The question arises: if there were no dominent clans, how and why were patriarchs appointed? What was the function of the government-appointed patriarchs? These are the questions which this study tries to answer, and which hopefully helps us to know more about the local governing system in the Qing Dynasty. This research has produced following foundings: 1. I-lan was a society of mixed surnames, but the Zhang-zhou immigrants were the majority, which caused the immigrants to have a stronger sense of identity besides having the same surname; 2. On the eve of I-lan becoming part of the Qing Dynasty, the Taiwan local government had just approved the policy of appointing patriarchs. Although there were no clans that lived together in I-lan, the immigrants had surname identities and elected their patriarchs. The local officials utilized it, and the practice of government officials appointing patriarchs became a policy of I-lan. 3. The distinguishing feature of I-lan government-appointed patriarchs was there was no real clan for a patriarch to run. They contained a group of immigrants who had surname identity while they did not live together. The government appointed patriarchs universally for the different surnames, and did so through entire 19th century. Most of the appointed patriarchs were landlords or rich merchants. 4. The government-appointed patriarchs became helpers of local government in governing. They helped to control and to solve internal disputes among those people who had the surname identity, some patriarchs were actively involved in public affairs just as they were as gentry. |