宋代的地方官、士人和社会舆论——对苏州地方事务的考察

Local Official,Gentry and Public Opinion in the Song Dynasty:A Case Study of Local Public Welfare in Suzhou

北宋末年和南宋时期由于地方财政状况的恶化,造成了地方官府在公益事务中活动范围的缩小,地方士人更多关注当地事务,在地方事务中日渐活跃。但这并不能说明南宋时期在公益事务中地方官府逐渐无所作为和地方势力优势地位的确立。由于宋代中央财政的集权日益加强,使得征敛频繁,加剧了地方官府与民众之间的矛盾,但这也迫使地方官府与地方势力之间彼此相互依赖,使得两者在地方事务的运作过程中有可能走得更近。本文以宋代苏州地方事务为中心,考察了地方官和民间力量(尤其是士人)在这些事务推动过程中的接触和互动。在这些事务中,地方官始终扮演着重要角色,他们或多方询访,或接受士人的建议,积极与各阶层民众沟通,在遇到富豪的批评、阻挠时,则与之周旋,晓之以辞,求其态度之转变,以调动各类资源,在官府财力有限的情形下,推动地方事务的开展。地方士人和豪富势力也通过与官府的合作,经常往来,确立其在地方社会的影响。地方事务的开展引发舆论的关注,地方官、士人和豪富都受其影响,并试图运用舆论的力量来达成其目的,其中士人是舆论形成和传播的关键因素。

In the late Northern Song and the Southern Song Dynasties,local gentry were more active in local public welfare as well as local affairs due to poor local government budget.This paper examines relationship between local official and gentry in local public welfare during a time of heavy central government taxes and tension between local government and people which caused interdependence between official and gentry in local public welfare.Why and how did local official and gentry interact in public welfare are explored in the case of Suzhou.Local official played an important role in encouraging gentry take part in local public welfare.On the other hand,gentry had more influence in local affairs by cooperating with local government and public welfare.It is argued that public opinion had great impact on official and gentry in public welfare.