晚清妖术恐慌及其社会应对——以1876年两江地区的剪辫摄魂妖术为视角

Sorcery Panic and Social Countermeasures in late Qing Dynasty——Center on the Liangjiang Area's "JianBianYaoShu"

1876年,肇始于南京并由修造长干桥引发的"剪辫摄魂"妖术谣言逐渐蔓延至周边市镇,继而波及当时的两江地区,在社会上造成了群体性恐慌。事件之初,由于直省各级官员在应对民众的恐慌行为时表现出的玩忽态度以及对剪辫人身份在判断上的失误和措置失当,引发了民众的强烈不满,进而加剧了民众与官府的隔阂,政府的公信力亦遭受民众的质疑。随着事态的发展,地方官员放任民众的无序行为,使社会愈加混乱。在缺少及时有效的官方消息和人云亦云的情况下,造成了"三人成虎"的局面。"长干桥事件"遂由起初的造桥剪辫的奇闻怪谈最终酿成这一时期一连串的地方动荡,并最终演化成了民教矛盾。因此,晚清地方政府在处理社会危机时所采取的应对方式足以使当今社会引为鉴戒。

In 1876,the rumor of"JianBianYaoShu"triggered by building the Changgan Bridge at Nanjing gradually spread to the surrounding cities and then to the Jiangnan region,causing sorcery panic at that time.Due to the oversight of local officials and the errors in the disposal of discontent it made a strong dissatisfaction among the people,pulling away the distance between the people and the rulers.The government's credibility is also being questioned by people.With the development of the situation,local officials let people make the society more in chaos.Because of the local government's procrastination led the"Changgan Bridge Incident"from the odd news developed into a local unrest and then became Christianity's conflicts eventually.Therefore,it is worth pondering the ways of local government in handling the social crisis at Liangjiang Area.