Analysis about the Civil Self Sphere’s Functions of Naxi in the Social Management and Social Change of Modern Lijiang

Since the end of Qing dynasty, the civil self sphere of Naxi has played an active role in social management. The development and extension of the self sphere is a supplement of official power and help to construct orders in social management; moreover, as a response to the social change, under the circumstance of disorder and threats from the abroad which China confronted, the nongovernmental power among the Naxi society actively supported and participated in the nation liberal movements and contributed to the government change between the old one and the new one. Naxi is a symbol of the minority societies in the southwest China. Through the analysis about the self sphere’s functions of Naxi in the social managemen of modern Lijiang, this paper tries to understand the modern civil societies of ethnic minorities in the front region of China.

The management of the official self sphere is mainly about the management of the king and the officials. The social management of the civil self sphere is mainly about the carry-out of the collective entertainment activities in the villages(e.g. Boat Race, Dragon Dance, temple fair, etc.), the construction of the public infrastructure(e.g. the building of the road and the bridge, the development of the free education or the village school, etc.), the development of the family organizations, societies and rural pacts, and so on. The conventions reflected in the festivals, life rituals, weddings and funerals, and commercial activities were also one of the basic aspect of the civil self sphere. The rituals made the

Rural collective entertainment activities and the construction of the public infrastructure possible and made the rural social management come into true. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the civil self sphere in China became more and more vital, played the role of self-government and penetrated into some parts of the common sphere. Even the convergence between the two spheres and the cohabitation between the government and the society appeared.

First, the “self sphere” and the “common sphere” in traditional social management.

In the Chinese traditional social management, there were some management areas called the “common sphere”　that both the government and the society could played roles together, such as taxation, agricultural infrastructure, education and so on;　at the same time, there were also areas called the “ self sphere”　that the government and the society played their roles respectively, including the official “self sphere” and the civil “self sphere”. The official self sphere includes the norms about the palace activities and the contacts between the officials. These norms are well-known as called “Li”.

Second, the active role of the civil “self sphere” of Naxi in the social management of modern Lijiang. The roles of the civil “self sphere” in social management during this period are followed:

1.The civil laws reflected in the festivals, life rituals, weddings and funerals, and commercial activities are conventions;

2.The development of the family organization, the guild organizations and cultural societies among the civil “self sphere” can play a supportive role in the government management;

3.The prosperity of the free education is one of the most important aspects of the development of the civil “self sphere”;

4.The active role of the Conghui（賩会）is also a reflection that the self-organization power of the society is strengthened.

Third, the nongovernmental power among the Naxi society actively supported and participated in the social change and contributed to the government change between the old one and the new one.

1. The civil power spreaded new ideas through the creation of newspapers and the posters;

2. The local progress people and patriotic intellectuals encouraged the people’s passion to defend the Japanese invasion through the societies, book-reading clubs, speeches, artist performance in schools;

3.　With the various progressive societies rose and the power to reform the society became stronger, a lot of “red” intellectuals and merchants appeared.

Upon the analysis above, we could come to the following concultions: firstly, at the end of the Qing dynasty, the civil self sphere has been fostered in the ehnic minorities’ societies of Yunnan and the Naxi society of Lijiang was in the middle stage among them. Secondly, both self sphere and common sphere did play their roles in the traditional social management. But the boundary between the two spheres was flexible. When the official power was not sufficient or weakened, the civil power would penetrate into the common sphere. When the self sphere became a supplement of the common sphere, it seemed that the self sphere extended its own scope by itself.

Thirdly, the conflict and the coordination between the civil self sphere and the common sphere existed. When the government supported or acquiesced the natural extension of the self sphere, it’s possible that the coordination and cohabitation between them would appear. If the civil power helped the government to govern, and even it converged with the government, the grassroots social management would be in order; if the civil power was suppressed seriously and the civil interests were ignored or eroded by the government, the grassroots social order would be broke and the crisis would appeared from the bottom of the society. When we manage the contemporary society, we should actively guide and use the power of the civil self sphere to participate the management of the local affairs belong to the common sphere and realize the coordination and cohabitation between them.

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Old Resonances, New Practice – Tso Among the Naxi in Southwest China

Xiuyun Zhao   Lijiangmuseum

Rotating Saving and Credit Associations or Roscas are popular in many countries, especially in those developing countries. The basic principle of Roscas is that a group of people who know and trust each other contribute a fixed amount of money at regular intervals to a fund. This fund is rotated entirely among the members of the group. The main purpose of organizing Roscas is to give financial support among the members while they have difficulties. There is also a similar association named tso which is popular among the Naxi in Southwest China. However, tso among modern Naxi, instead of its financial function, has already transformed into a kind of social organization where members could be entertained. In other words, the original financial function of tso is not as important as it was to the local people. People’s motivation to engage in tso is “just for fun” or “to be entertained” as most of local people said. In this paper, the author aims to put tso in a specific historical structure starts from Republic China to Modern China to analyse why this happened through the perspective of historical anthropology as well as the tool of gender. The paper will make a conclusion that tso’s change is resulted from the economic development after China implemented a series of political and economic reforms. Simultaneously, the author also mentions that although present tso among the Naxi has a very important function of  “being entertained”  as most participants said,  the “social capital” related to tso practice is another reason for the popularity of tso among the Naxi.

The society of tradition in the management in China has the officer people all can give play to the management domain of effect, if taxes spread out and levy and start construction the water conservancy, initiate education etc., and is called ” altogether land within certain boundaries “; Also there are at the same time the officer people respectively to develop the domain which managed oneself, and are called ” from land within certain boundaries “, ” from land within certain boundaries ” the certainly land within certain boundaries ” with among the people that this includes official again. The official includes palace activity standard and government officials’s contact standard, usual ” ceremony ” speaking from land within certain boundaries, and oneself land within certain boundaries of official is managed chiefly to show into the management to monarch and government officials. Among the people and the clan organisation the development and Hui organized body and local rules and regulations valid for all the inhabitants of a township organisation Huo Yues etc, among the people Zi the land within certain boundaries still Bao Kuos the four seasons and the eight periods and the life ceremony and the wed funerals marriage as well as the trade matter Huo Dong etc the appointment among the people becomes social custom the habit prevailing custom.

1. since the modern times, the operating space that the beautiful river Naxi nationality district society among the people kept bigger, physical strength among the people in the society management certainly the land within certain boundaries domain is positively promising, the society among the people is brisk, and the society certainly organisation ability strengthens, makes the beautiful river Naxi nationality basic level society management appears relatively has the order state.

On the other hand, since the Republic of China, the differentiation of various politics physical strength is made up frequently the politics upheavel the acute change of society, and outside political physical strength is opposite to each other to loosen to directing control of Naxi nationality district. Along with the development of Naxi nationality district society economy, small-scale peasant economy is grown ripening, the popularization of civilization education, as well as the tradition of Naxi nationality community autonomy, the oneself operating space that the society among the people can keep bigger. The society hastens in many unitizations, and the intermediate strata is expanded, and becomes the complicated society that carries on that can undertake many kinds of society functions of role stablize physical strength, and among the people managing the domain to opposite to each other to prolong oneself, arousing the society vigour, oneself strengthens the organisation ability in the society. Is being so, and is making in the society upheavel after the Republic of China of beautiful river Naxi nationality society, even in the outside society political physical strength frequently in the differentiation combination, beautiful Jiang Zhengfu under Kuomintang political power is dominant is close to in is paralysed or the corruption, and having lost the management controlling under the circumstances of the ability of society, the physical strength of dependence society among the people relies on society middle-level harmonious and keeps balance and conformity and control, Naxi nationality society relative stable ground development still and keeping with going on. The management function of many governments is taken on by the society among the people.

This chiefly shows in the development of urban and rural clan organisation, and the private or community stands like a forest, and, 賩(chong)  can be prospered, and the guild organisations such as chamber of commerce etc build, and the civilization mass organizations also enliven very much, thus in the weak district that the official controlled, is positively giving play to the function that the society managed.

2. since the modern times, Naxi nationality district society among the people enlivens, and the society is from strengthening of organisation ability, and it is that the beautiful river Naxi nationality district of modern times realizes one of important society condition of society revolution changes smoothly that the revolution organisation rises.

On the foundation that is being brisk in the society among the people, the dark owing to the national government is rotten fully to be known by people, and the popular feelings deviates, and the secret Party organizition of Chinese Party Dian, Yinnan Province west relies on just physical strength of self to intermediary and later stage in the 40′s, the good certainly organisation ability of Naxi nationality urban and rural is used, and the propaganda takes the mass organizations such as meeting and organized body etc as the open-minded revolution and to opposing the foundation struggling against. At beautiful Jiang Zujian the beautiful river Party branch of the Chinese Party, developed the peripheral organization of party ” Yunnan peasant take a stand against meeting ” and ” democratic youth alliance of China ” built like masses of the people night school, literacy class and brother’s meeting, reading meeting, elder and younger sisters’s meeting and busy season exchanges labour mass organizations such as group and reading meeting and singing team etc on this foundation, and still built the beautiful river staff and workers federation in intellectual and the peasant of beautiful river, and arouses to raise that the masses come to understand, and carries on the revolution struggle. These are all liberated and establish the good social base for the peace of beautiful river. Is that we cultivate the good citizen society today and the foundation to build the harmonious society

3. developing the beautiful river Naxi nationality district physical strength among the people tradition positively promising in the society management.

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