信仰、秩序与权益表达——岭南善会类型及其管理制度(1840—1949)

Faith,Order,and Expression of Rights and Interests:Forms and Management System of Lingnan's Benevolent Societies During 1840-1949

第一次鸦片战争之后,岭南民间举办善会蔚然成风。善会初始于以血缘为纽带的宗族,后逐渐拓展到以地域为基础的村落,再进一步发展为以业缘为纽带的工商业,这就形成了办会宗旨繁多的各类善会组织。民国时期的善会组织,受西方文化制度的影响,从名称到组织架构,越发呈现出现代公司制的特点。善会蕴含了祖先崇拜和鬼神信仰,是传统儒家文化的延续;其孕育的平等守约意识,推动了近代工商业的兴起与发展;善会通过规条的制定形成对会员权益的保护,而对个人权利的维护推动了民间个体权益的觉醒,有助于为构建现代国家奠定公民意识。

After the first Opium War,benevolent societies became common in Lingnan region in Southern China.These societies began with kinship-based clans,gradually expanded to villages based on geographical proximity,and further evolved into industries and businesses based on occupational ties,thus forming different ones with diverse purposes.During 1912-1949,benevolent societies were under the influence of western cultural systems,with their names and organizational structures increasingly exhibiting characteristics of modern corporate system.Benevolent societies embodied the worship toward ancestors and belief in ghosts and gods,which were thus deemed an extension of the traditional Confucian culture.Imbued with egalitarian and contractual consciousness,these societies propelled the rise and development of modern industry and commerce.By formulating rules and regulations,benevolent societies protected their members' rights and interests,thereby raising the awareness of individual rights among the populace,and laying the foundation for citizen awareness in building a modern nation.