近代皖中农村宗族对祖坟的保护——基于看坟人视角

Protection of Ancestral Tombs by Clans Living in Rural Areas in the Central Part of Anhui Province in Modern Times:Based on the Perspective of Grave Keeper

在中国传统农村社会,祖坟对宗族有着非常重要的意义。但是,地处野外的祖坟难免遭受风雨侵蚀和人畜破坏,故设置专人看守,这也是宗族保护祖坟最重要保护措施之一。近代皖中农村宗族为保护祖坟普遍设置了看坟人,且多选择坟地附近住户,以地邻为首选。随着祖坟地块增加,看坟人数量也随之增加。因受距离和置田招佃看坟等因素影响,看坟人多为外姓。近代皖中看坟人的职责通过立约确定。从承看契约看,看坟人职责具有多重性,尤以防止人畜侵害为最重要。请地保作中和政府颁发禁示是宗族确保看坟人更好地履行职责的重要举措。由于看坟人是在平等协商基础上自愿和宗族建立契约关系,所以积极性比较高。宗族为了进一步调动看坟人积极性,不仅在报酬方面实行优待,而且在生活上多有照顾。祖坟在看坟人守护下长期存续,为农村宗族通过坟祭培养族人一本观念和等级思想、形成凝聚宗族群体和维系宗族稳定的强大精神力量提供了条件,从而在一定程度上促进了中国传统宗族社会的延续。

In traditional Chinese rural society,ancestral tombs were of great significance to clans.However,the ancestral tombs in the wild were inevitably eroded by wind and rain and destroyed by humans and animals,so setting up dedicated personnel to guard them had become one of the most important protective measures for the clan.In modern times,the clans living in rural areas in the central part of Anhui Province generally arranged grave keepers to protect their ancestral tombs,and most of them chose residents near the graves,with adjoining farmland households as the first choice.As the number of burial sites increased,the number of grave keeper also increased.Due to the influence of distance and factors such as buying land and inviting tenants to guarding graves,most of grave keepers were other surnames.The responsibilities of grave keepers in the central part of Anhui Province were determined through contracts.From the contract of acceptance,we can see that the responsibilities of grave keepers are diverse,especially the prevention of human and animal encroachment.Requesting the local constable to serve as a mediator and the government to issue a ban was an important measure for the clan to ensure that grave keepers better fulfilled their responsibilities.Due to the fact that grave keepers voluntarily established contractual relations with the clans on the basis of equal consultation,their enthusiasm was relatively high.In order to further stimulate the enthusiasm of grave keepers,the clan not only implemented preferential treatment in terms of remuneration,but also provided more care in daily life.The ancestral tombs have long existed under the guardianship of the grave keepers,providing conditions for the clan living in rural areas to stimulate the concept of the same ancestor and hierarchical thinking through the sacrifice in the cemetery,form a strong spiritual force to condense the clan group and maintain the stability of the clan,thus promoting the continuation of the Chinese traditional clan society to a certain extent.