异乡的“熟人”——清代徽人同乡组织救助体系中的保人

Acquaintances in a Foreign Land: The Role of Guarantor in Huizhou People’s Assistance System in the Qing Dynasty

保人参与到入堂厝棺、义园埋葬、棺柩归籍,以及归乡、就医、领养等各类同乡组织救助中,是整个救助体系得以循序运行的关键,是救助成立必不可少的条件,且为受助者承担着担保责任。“熟”是选择保人的关键因素。以熟作保,在当时的社会结构、文化传统、伦理观念、法律制度之下,成为了最便宜有效的构建救助组织与受助者之间关系、实现救助目标的方式。以熟作保在城镇各类事务中的广泛存在,显示出传统乡村熟人社会在城镇的延续和发展,映射出传统乡村关系网在城镇的迁移和复制。而从保人参与和身份来看,同乡组织并不能完全复制一个乡土熟人社会,保持如乡土熟人社会中的明确边界。经济关系中保人强调的是“保”,在保人身份的选择上,侧重于保人的经济能力和社会地位,即代偿能力和信用度。而在同乡组织救助中,保人强调的是“人”,即更看重保人的熟人身份,更多的是为得到一种确认。

The guarantor’s participation in various assistance activities of townsmen organizations, such as entering the hall where the coffin was placed, burying the dead in the cemetery, bringing the coffin to the dead’s hometown, seeking medical advice, and adoption, was the key to the orderly operation of the entire assistance system.It was an indispensable condition for establishing assistance and held the guarantor responsible for the recipient.“Familiarity” was a key factor in choosing a guarantor.Under the prevailing social structure, cultural tradition, ethical concept and legal system of the time, taking one’s acquaintance as a guarantor became the cheapest and the most effective way to build a relationship between the assistance organization and the recipients, and to achieve the assistance goals.The widespread presence of taking acquaintances as guarantors in various urban affairs shows the continuation and development of traditional rural acquaintance society in towns and cities, which reflects the replication of traditional rural relationship networks in towns and cities.But viewing from the identity and participation of a guarantor, townsmen organizations could not fully replicate the society of rural acquaintances and maintain clear boundaries of the society.In the economic relationship, the “guarantee” capability of the guarantor was emphasized.Thus, the choice of a guarantor focused on the guarantor’s economic capacity and social status, that is, his ability to compensate and his credit standing.But in the assistance activities of townsmen organizations, the emphasis was placed on the “person”,and the acquaintance identity of the guarantor was more important.