城隍如何守城:善城隍与晚清湖南地方政治

City God's Defence of the City:The Patron of Shanhua County and Local Politics in the Late-Qing Hunan

明洪武年间始,朝廷要求各地府州县遍设城隍神。善城隍即善化县城隍之神,又称定湘王。明清之际,善城隍经历了国家神地方化的过程。以善城隍庙为中心,结成了一张由信仰、文化和经济等相联系的关系网。1852年,太平军攻打长沙城81日不下,善城隍因护城有功,被敕封"永镇"二字。考察善城隍守城及敕封的来龙去脉后发现,官方敕封的真正原因是安抚在战争中做出贡献的商民,以达到联合地方力量维护社会稳定之目的;而敕封行为的发生,是缘于长沙民众的请求。地方神明能够成为地方政府解决地方问题的原因,不仅与清王朝统治能力日渐式微有关外,还与地方神明的内在发展以及地方社会力量的增强相关。对于是否利用地方神明来解决地方问题,不同的地方官员的态度可能并不一样;在利用的过程中,晚清政府对不同神明态度亦并不相同。

Due to the central court's demand,temples dedicated to the City God were built nationwide since the Hongwu reign( 1368-1398). The present author discusses the Shanhua Country's patron,who was also revered as Dingxiang wang( 定湘王). Combing through the story,the present author finds that the true reason why the God was prestigiously conferred lay in the central court's aspiration to stabilize the local society,as well in local residents' request.