晚清会馆的制度建设、运行与社会适应——由杭州鄞县会馆出发

Institutional Construction,Operation,and Social Adaptation of Guild Halls in the Late Qing Dynasty——Starting from the Yin County Regional Guild Hall in Hangzhou

省城杭州的鄞县会馆建于同治年间,到光绪时已形成四进院落的规模,称嘉宾堂,主要服务于同乡士子备考寓居,为确保会馆切实发挥作用,会馆制定了严格的规章制度,光绪年间会馆重订规约达64条,涉及禀告立案、会馆收支、入住资格、住馆规范、禁例等,彰显制度建设之用心。由此或可窥见晚清自上而下权力运行的规范化趋势及民间社会对这一趋势的呼应,体现出中国社会官民力图走出制度建设不足之窘境的积极努力。从会馆题名可见鄞县会馆对该地乡试有较大的带动作用,从会馆收支明细中亦可见该地好文尚义风气的浓郁。

The Yin County Regional Guild Hall in the provincial capital of Hangzhou was built during the Tongzhi period.By the Guangxu period,it had formed a four courtyard scale,known as the Guest Hall,mainly serving the preparation for examinations and residence of fellow townsmen.To ensure the effective operation of the hall,strict rules and regulations were formulated.During the Guangxu period,there were approximately 64 new rules and regulations involving reporting and filing,revenue and expenditure,admission qualifications,living standards,and prohibitions,demonstrating the intention of institutional construction.This may reveal the trend of standardized governance from top to bottom in the Late Qing dynasty and the response of civil society to this trend,reflecting the active efforts of Chinese officials and civilians to overcome the predicament of insufficient institutional construction.The title of the guild hall shows its significant influence on the local township examination,and the income and expenditure details reflect the local culture of valuing education and righteousness.