''Dibao'' (''ti-pao''),
[; also ]romanized
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
as ''tepao''. sometimes called headmen
or constables,
[Bernhardt, Kathryn ''et al.'' ]
Civil Law in Qing and Republican China
', p. 117. Stanford University Press, 1999. . Accessed 4 Nov 2011. were local officials in
Qing
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
and
early Republican China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, typically selected from among the prominent landowners.
[Henriot, Christian. "Invisible Deaths, Silent Deaths: 'Bodies without Masters' in Republican Shanghai". ''Journal of Social History'', Winter 2009, p. 433.] Working in communities of around 100
household
A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...
s, they were charged with overseeing boundaries and land disputes.
He
notarized
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
all real estate
deed
In common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions, sealed. It is commonly associated with transferrin ...
s on a commission basis and collected the land tax,
as well as overseeing minor punishment such as the
cangue
A cangue () or tcha is a device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in East AsiaJamyang NorbuFrom Darkness to Dawn, site '' Phayul.com'', May 19, 2009. and some other parts of Southeast Asia until the early years of the ...
.
As foreign
missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
and businessmen gained the right to hold property in China from the
unequal treaties
Unequal treaty is the name given by the Chinese to a series of treaties signed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, between China (mostly referring to the Qing dynasty) and various Western powers (specifically the British Empire, France, the ...
, the local headmen could be caught between them and their superiors in the Chinese hierarchy, for instance during the construction of the
Woosung Road.
[Pong, David.]
Confucian Patriotism and the Destruction of the Woosung Railway, 1877
, p. 649. ''Modern Asian Studies'', Vol. VII, No. 4. Cambridge University Press, 1973.
The ''dibao'' administered villages under the ordinary Chinese administrative system. A similar office called the ''shoubao'' (''shou-pao'') was established under the Qing in 1725 to manage the
Banner system
The Eight Banners (in Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin and Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu households were placed. In war, the Eight Banners functioned as armies, but the ...
.
The ''dibao'' were the successors of the
Qin and
Han ''tingzhang'',
[.] the
Sui and
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...
''lizheng'',
[.] and
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
''baozheng''.
[.] They were occasionally also known as ''baozheng'' or as ''dijia''
[.]
After 1900, they began to be replaced by less autonomous ''cunzheng'',
[.][Liu, Chang. ]
Peasants and Revolution in Rural China: Rural Political Change in the North China Plain and the Yangzi Delta, 1850–1949
', p. 58. ''Routledge Studies in the Chinese Economy'', vol. 25. Routledge, 2007. . Accessed 4 Nov 2011. although this transition was not completed until the
Republican era Republican Era can refer to:
* Minguo calendar, the official era of the Republic of China
It may also refer to any era in a country's history when it was governed as a republic or by a Republican Party. In particular, it may refer to:
* Roman Rep ...
.
See also
*
village (China)
Villages (), formally village-level divisions () in China, serve as a fundamental organizational unit for its rural population (census, mail system). Basic local divisions like neighborhoods and communities are not informal, but have defined bou ...
*
village head
A village head, village headman or village chief is the community leader of a village or a small town.
Usage
Brunei
In Brunei, village head is called or in the Malay language. It is an administrative post which leads the community of a ...
*
notary public
Notes
References
{{Qing dynasty topics
Government of the Qing dynasty
Eight Banners