明代朝觐考察馈遗研究

A Study of Gifts Presenting at Pilgrimage Investigation in Ming Dynasty

明代地方行政首长每三年入京上计一次,通常在京停留一月有余。在此期间,上计官普遍会广泛拜访京城师友;在宾主尽欢的同时,难免发生礼物的授受。自明中期开始,上计官在考察间隙向在京师友馈遗财物的情况便屡见不鲜,但当时官员乃至普通民众却极其反常地对这种行为予以适度容忍。直到上计官的馈遗超出一定限度后,明廷才开始从中央层面对这一行为予以约束,但当时的官员却又对朝廷明禁熟视无睹。结合明代朝觐馈遗的案例研究可以发现:授受馈遗双方的收益远大于风险是造成当时问题的根源所在,只有确立公开透明的官员选拔和考核机制,朝觐馈遗这一问题才能迎刃而解,政坛清风才能随之而兴。

According to the institutions of Ming Dynasty, all local chief officials had to visit Peking every three years, called pilgrimage investigation. When lived in Peking,local officials had lots of time outside ,of assessment and often spent unoccupied time visiting teachers and friends settled in Peking. During the visiting, there was usually a phenomenon of gifts giving and receiving which called the gifts presenting at pilgrimage investigation. Since the middle of Ming Dynasty, the gifts presenting at pilgrimage investigation had extensively existed in the officialdom of Ming Dynasty and had a bad effect on the political ecology. However, this issue had actually been moderately tolerated by officials as well as civilians rather than being extremely hated. When this issue overran the tolerable limi-tation ,the central government began to prohibit this behavior strictly. However, capital and local officials complied with those prohibi-tions selectivity. The fact that benefit of gifts presenting outweighed its risk was the root of this issue. Only by establishing an open and transparent mechanism of selection and assessment will this problem be solved smoothly and will there be an honest and？upright polit-ical climate.