地区性社会差异与淮北的初夜权

Regional Social Differences and Droit de Seigneur at North Anhui

由于国家权力对淮北的长期介入,能够成为淮北社会精英者,多是政治、行政或军事权力的拥有者,至少是接近军政权力、并获得其支持的群体。总体而言,这个群体财富的获得和积累,是通过与平民阶层零和博弈的方法进行的。这与江南士绅大不相同,后者多通过工商业、市场经济,即与平民阶层双赢的方式来盈利致富。崇尚权力的淮北精英多是道德的践踏者,而非像江南精英那样比较遵从传统伦理道德并致力于经世、济世实践。因此,淮北精英沉湎于包括初夜权在内的物欲享受。从本质上看,初夜权源于国家权力失范、而非土地积累。

Owing to the long-standing intervention of state power in local affairs of north Anhui,those who were able to come over to be social elites were mostly political,administrative or military power owners or the community who were close to and obtained supports from them.In one word,the obtainment and accumulation of the wealth of this community was made in terms of zero-sum game with the populace,which is rather different from the case in the south of the Yangtze River,where the gentry achieved their riches by industrial and commercial marketing that benefits the mass at the same time.The elites who upheld political powers in the north were in the main those who trampled on moralities whereas those in the south would in general follow traditional morals and even exert efforts to governing but benefiting the people.That is the reason why the north elites overindulged themselves in the enjoyment of material desires,including the droit de seigneur,resulting from the state quo of abusing the state power rather than fortune accumulations.