Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills/Book 3/Duties of a District Magistrate
Duties of a District Magistrate
Ta Ch‘ing chou hsien kung shih (大靑州縣公事)
A new appointment is announced in the Provincial Treasurer's Yamen by a notice hung up. A notification on red paper is sent to the present official, giving his successor's name and other particulars; this is also posted in the yamen.
Those managing public business in the yamens collect money for the new magistrate's outfit—a thousand or perhaps several thousand taels, ti hsü chih (遞須知). If the money is accepted these men will afterwards attend to affairs according to their own wills; otherwise the magistrate will be more free.
On the proper day men and horses are sent off to bring the new official. On arrival at the city gates he enters a pavilion put up for the purpose where a pig's head, feet and tail, san shêng (三牲), are prepared with candles and incense already burning, and he kneels and worships the city gates. Some officials are very superstitious as to the point at which they enter the city.
One of his first duties is to inspect the city walls, yüeh ch‘êng (閱城), and he also worships in the Confucian temple. Both old and new incumbents worship the seals of office when these change hands. There is also a ceremony of kneeling and bowing toward Peking.
On a lucky day at a lucky hour the seals are handed over in the yamen inner court in the presence of the official underlings and public men. After this the yamen runners march round the outer court, jumping as they go, and then go in and k‘o t‘ou to the new official. This is to welcome him and to acknowledge his authority.
He sends cards to the important men and offices in the city, after which people call to pay their respects.
Then the roll of underlings is called, including the writers, yamen runners and country headmen. This is afterwards done monthly.
The grain in the government granaries has to be measured, yüeh ts‘ang (閱倉), before the former official leaves; but sometimes an estimate is made and a sum of money paid over to cover deficiency.
The retiring magistrate must receive an acknowledgment that all has been duly handed over. Unless he produces this to his superior officer in the capital he will not get a new post.
The new man puts out a proclamation, kuan fang (關防), telling the public he has brought no relatives or friends with him and that they are not to be deceived by any professing to be such.
The former official is escorted out of the city, and the guilds and shopkeepers cover his sedan chair with red silk or cloth. If he has been popular a big umbrella, embellished with many people's names, may be given to him; tables are set out in the street with wine and sweets.
An examination is held for candidates for the attorneys' or copyists' places, k‘ao tai shu (考代書). Successful candidates, about eight in each district, have to pay thirty taels before receiving their seals. They may have associates who pay part of the money and use the same seals. All lawsuits pass through these men's hands. An indictment is not received unless written on the official paper and stamped by the official attorney.
On certain fixed days, usually the 3rd and 8th of each moon, the large doors of the yamen are thrown open and the indictments by poor people are received without fees, fang kao (放告). Such are not received on other days unless on the 1st and 15th as the magistrate returns from worshipping at the temple.
A table hung in the yamen gives a list of cases and dates of trial.
There are three courts in a yamen. The outer, t‘ang (大堂), is the imperial court; the second, or êrh t‘ang, is the district court and the inner, hua t‘ing (花廳), is the magistrate's private court. Both when he takes his seat in the imperial court and when he adjourns the court, three guns are fired.
When a "coroners' inquest" is held a pavilion is put up for the magistrate and his retinue; his nose is filled with assafœtida, o wei (阿魏), and underlings carry incense. If the body is fresh the wu tso (仵作) simply calls out to the recorder the wounds, etc., on the body. In an important case, the magistrate himself examines what is said to be the fatal wound, chih ming shang (致命傷). If the body is decayed it is boiled in big pots, the bones are rubbed clean with cotton wool and the wounds show up on them! For such a case the wu tso has to call in experienced assistants. Some seventy or eighty different kinds of knives or instruments are brought into use; the bones of the body are counted and expected to number 360; the water-carriers are put on oath, since salt mixed with the water obliterates bruises on the bones.
If murder is suspected in a house and no traces can be seen, the room is shut up and thoroughly fumigated with mulberry leaves and the walls and floor are soaked with vinegar; then the blood will show up on the walls and even the position of the body may be clearly seen. This kind of inquest involves the expenditure of some thousands of taels and only the rich can indulge.
On returning from an inquest the magistrate in his chair goes through burning straw at his yamen entrance, to drive off noxious smells and evil spirits.
When there is a conflagration the magistrate must get up any hour of the night to assist. Underlings carry a huo kou (火鈎), a long pole with a hook on it for pulling down houses, and a ma la (麻塔), or hemp mop on a pole, which is dipped in water and dabbled on freshly ignited places. In recent years force pumps have been introduced. The official orders the pulling down of houses to prevent the fire spreading, and he enquires when and how the fire originated. If a resident started it he will be beaten to expel the fire demon, and if it is not his first offence he may be expelled from the neighbourhood. An incendiary if caught will be put to death, as the crime is of equal gravity with murder and grave-robbing.
For the official duty of praying for rain, etc., see under Fasts. On the 1st and 15th of each month incense is burned, chiang hsiang (降香), in the temple of the city-god ch‘êng huang (城皇), the god of War, the god of Literature, the god of Fire and perhaps elsewhere. The official may go himself or by deputy. A Mohammedan official will only act by deputy.
In spring and autumn, at fixed times, sacrifices of five pigs, five sheep and an ox are made to the Sage in the Confucian temple.
Sacrifices to the god of Agriculture are offered in March and September. The god is said to be Shên-Nung (神農) (B.C. 2700). He is also called Hou t‘u (后土皇), and Ti shên (地神). These sacrifices are generally made in a field kept for the purpose, but used for farming between times. The offerings are pigs and sheep.
At the feast in the 7th moon and at Ch‘ing ming offerings are made at the li t‘an (厲壇), or altar of the discontented dead. Piles of paper money are burned in a roofless stone structure usually in the public burying ground. Sometimes the magistrate does this public duty by proxy.
The official does not attend on the execution ground, but he must see the prisoners bound and the heads must be brought back to him. He whips the executioner lest evil influences should be brought by him. (See under Punishments.)
The collection of the land tax, ti ting (地丁), or chêng liang (正糧), is often managed by a semi-official dealer in taxes. He advances the money when necessary, at a high interest.
The tax is said to be two fen or candareens per mou, but it will often be two mace. In times of great distress it is remitted, yu mien (憂免), and also where land is silted up or washed away, yung mien (永免).
Besides the land tax there are the military expenses tax, chün hsü (軍需), and the willing contributions to government, chüan shu (捐輸). There is further a pourboire, or squeeze called chin tieh (津貼), and also li chin (厘金), or assessment on certain articles, etc.; thus the pig tax, which rose to 1,500 cash per pig; oil so much per ts‘ao (槽) (120 catties); inns, so much per bed, etc.
Of late years a tax office, called chin chüan (津捐), has been opened in each county. A tax collector's position was reckoned much more lucrative than an ordinary district magistrate's.
Taxes in refined silver are sent to the capital under armed escort, all expenses being deducted.
Travelling expenses must be given to underlings of high officials passing through the district, and when a deputy official goes through he receives Tls. 50 besides travelling expenses.
Fuel and bedding must also be provided out of taxes to passing troops.
The train bands must present themselves, in uniform and with weapons, to answer the roll call.
Some headmen of "parishes" etc., must also appear. These are the tsung pao (總保), or head of a district; t‘uan shou (團首), or head of 1,000 families; chia chang (甲長), head of 100 families; p‘ai shou (牌首), head of 10 families; and hua hu (花戶), or head of each family. Only the first three need appear at review.
Each family is registered and is given a door-tablet with name and number in the family written on it; this costs about 40 cash. The tsung pao is nominated by the people and appointed by the magistrate. The t‘uan shou is elected by the "parish" and the p‘ai shou by those concerned. Each reports to his superior, the tsung pao often having free access to the yamen. The tsung pao settles many local troubles and in lawsuits his word goes a long way; but bribery and injustice are very common.
The title deeds of newly purchased property have to be stamped, yin ch‘i (印契), at the yamen; and the rate has risen to 2 per cent with 1,000 cash for the ch‘i wei (契尾), a document sent to be kept in the provincial treasurer's yamen. Formerly an official about to leave office used to reduce the stamp fees, because all the money from this source went into his private purse; but latterly the tax-office has controlled this business.
The office of lao tien (老典) is sold for a term of five years. The price varies, of, course, in different places but in some places 3,000 taels are paid down with an annual payment of 1,000 taels: this belongs to the magistrate. In many places the gentry pay the incumbent 300 taels per annum, whether they have lawsuits or not, but if a guarantee against lawsuits is required much more is paid. These bureaus are where litigation is hatched and fostered, mismanaged and traded on, and the purchase money is very quickly recovered.
Hereditary pensions are paid to families of men who have done important service to the state, fa yin hsi (發蔭襲).
The hereditary barons among the tribesmen, t‘u ssŭ (土司), receive taxes from their people and pay tribute to the court.
There are four spring officials, ch‘un kuan (春官), one for each city gate, whose duties are to superintend the making of the spring ox and driver, mang shên (芒神). On the coming in of spring, these men don Ming dynasty clothes and a high hat called t‘ieh sha mao (鐵紗帽). They enter the magistrate's office, give congratulations, and receive food and wine, with silver medals for the year, then they leave the city, the magistrate following. In a selected field an old farmer and his wife await them. The magistrate ploughs his seven furrows, the farmer sows some grain, the wife bears a basket of food for him, and the couple receive a silver medal.
The post of ch‘un kuan is bought for a fixed sum and may be held for life. It gets an annual payment from the magistrate. (See under Four Seasons.)
At the end of the year the official seals are sealed up and are brought into use again at the middle of the first moon. (See under New Year.)
The literary examinations, k‘ao k‘o (考課), have been much changed lately and much chaos has resulted; hence a few notes on the old system must suffice.
Chi (季) k‘o examinations were held in the Academy at the four seasons, the subjects being penmanship and composition.
Monthly examinations, yüeh (月) k‘o, were held to select students for the Academy. The Academy head master had great power and could degrade unworthy scholars after examinations, shih k‘o.
The local gentry also held examinations in the country hui (會) k‘o. Twice in three years an examination, k‘ao shih (考試), was held to pick out the students fit to proceed to the prefectural examinations. The magistrate had to be shut in with the students in the examination hall, control the examination of the essays and publication of lists of passes.
No public business is done on the anniversaries of the deaths of former emperors, shou chi ai (守忌哀).
On the anniversaries of the accession of former emperors, the magistrate wore court dress, worshipped the wan sui p‘ai, but did not stop work. The birthdays of emperor, of empress, of empress-dowager and heir-apparent were similarly observed. At an emperor's death the magistrate had to sit in straw, tso ts‘ao (坐草), for a certain period.
At the proper time a tablet is hung in the yamen announcing "No litigation in harvest time," nung mang t‘ing sung (農忙停訟). Another informs the public that corporal punishment is lightened on account of hot weather, k‘u jê chien hsing (酷熱減刑).
Notices are also hung up when the official is busy with examination or has gone out on public business.
When sitting in court the three characters, 淸慎勤 "pure, careful, diligent," are hung over the magistrate's head; and over the entrance to the imperial court in the yamen is inscribed 天理國發民情, "Heaven's rectitude, the country's laws, the people's rights."
A common saying is, "The yamen opens like the character 八; if you've right but no money, don't enter." Yet the Chinese are keen litigants and go to court on very slight grounds.
A magistrate must give up office for three years on his father's or mother's death, ting yu (丁憂) and ting chien (丁艱). Not to notify such death is ch‘i chün (欺君), to deceive the emperor; to try to re-enter the official service before the three years are ended is man ch‘in (慢親), cheating kindred.