Chapter I: Official Positions in the Pre-Qin Period
Section 3: Etiquette governs the country on the Western Zhou Dynasty
Today we begin to talk about the Western Zhou, the development and status of the Western Zhou in the history of our country can be described as self-evident, it is the beginning of China's feudal etiquette and religion is also an important period of the initial formation of the perfection of the feudal system, laying a solid foundation for the formulation and improvement of the religious etiquette system of the feudal dynasties of later generations.
The Western Zhou Dynasty was a period of development and prosperity of China's slave society, and its political system embodied different characteristics from the past. The rulers of the Western Zhou Dynasty came to power through war and bloodshed, and they witnessed the Shang Dynasty, which claimed to be the descendants of the gods, collapse in the fire of the people's struggle, and the gods became weak and powerless to save the lives of the rulers. This ironclad fact could not but have a tremendous and profound impact on the political thinking of the rulers, causing them to doubt the authority and reliability of God, so they summed up the lessons learned, ruled the country with etiquette, and formulated a variety of ceremonies, in an attempt to maintain the aristocratic hierarchy through these ceremonies, eliminate internal strife, and achieve "noble and inferior" equality, orderly growth and order, and the rich and the poor. Let all the people of all colors be content with their duties. to maintain the long-term peace and stability of the rulers.
The official authority of the Western Zhou Dynasty also changed. The vast history of witchcraft in the Shang Dynasty was no longer important in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the officials in charge of the calendar, chronicle, planning, keeping archives, and recording history also began to diverge from theocracy, erasing the color of the gods and becoming official state officials. At the same time, the distribution of power is mainly based on the distance of blood, most of the senior positions such as Shi Bao are royal nobles, their power is quite large, often influence the government, when the monarch is young, you can even act as the regent of the king, such as the beginning of the Western Zhou, after the death of king Wu, his son was young, and the brother of king Wu, zhou gong, acted as the government. Most of the secretaries in charge of the government were also members of the royal family, and their power was also very large, some shiqing controlled the government for a long time, held great power, and the king of Zhou became a puppet, and even killed the monarch, which was most obvious in the early Western Zhou Dynasty and the eastern Zhou Dynasty.
The political structure of the Western Zhou Dynasty was relatively complete, and the official position setup was relatively sound. In the central organs, Taishi, Taifu, and Taibao were set up, collectively known as the Three Dukes, who were appointed by the royal nobles, who had the responsibility of guiding, assisting, and supervising the King of Zhou, and were not only the counselors of the King of Zhou, but also directly participated in the decision-making of state power, commanded hundreds of civil and military officials, and held a prominent position and a heavy responsibility. The following are divided into Qingshiliao and Taishiliao according to the nature of the work, which are parallel and do not govern each other. Qing Shiliao is the military, political, and judicial department of the central government, directly in charge of the world's administrative affairs. The head of the Qing shiliao is the secretary, who is the supreme administrator, and at the same time is in charge of the military, and can command the army to fight. Below the secretaries were Situ, Sima (司馬), Sikong (司空), Sikou (司寇), and Da xingren (大行) and other official positions. Situ managed the dynasty's public lands, mountains and forests, and the conscription of apprentices. Sima requisitioned military supplies and managed military supplies such as carriages, horses, ordnance. Sikong was in charge of the construction and maintenance of the royal palace, and also managed the handicraft industry. Sikou was in charge of the judicial prison. The Great Pedestrian was in charge of the reception and ceremonial affairs of the vassal princes. Taishiliao was a department in charge of calendar, sacrifice, divination, culture and education, and the chief was Taishi. Taishi was in charge of the calendar, recording the remarks of the princes and major events of the state, and often participated in important national activities. Because it can write about the matter directly to the prince, it has a customized role in the king's power. Under it were Emperor Taizong, who was in charge of royal sacrifices; Taibu, who was in charge of divination; funeral rites of the nobles; Yushi, who kept official archives; and musicians in charge of music and traditional Chinese studies.
There is also a group of officials serving the royal family. Ruzai was the head of the Zhou royal family, and was ordered by the king to handle the internal affairs of the royal family, but sometimes also involved in state affairs. The cook is in charge of the diet of the royal family. Embellishments are responsible for the production of royal clothes. The servants managed the Zhou King's carriages, often traveled with the king, and sometimes managed the order of the documents. The Royal Is the Coachman who drives the King. Fun horses raise royal horses. The division was responsible for the guards of the royal court. Men Yin guarded the palace gate. There were also eunuchs, i.e. eunuchs, who handled harem chores. However, the distinction between these and official State officials is not particularly clear, and sometimes they are also involved in the administration of state affairs.
In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the land was divided into seals. The fiefdoms of the princes were called "kingdoms", and the princes also practiced sub-fiefs within the princes, and the princes divided the land to Qing Dafu and called it "Yi", and Qing Dafu divided the land to "Shi" and called it "Lu Tian". Their official positions are. The princes were all nobles and courtiers of the Western Zhou Dynasty, who held political, economic, and maternal power over the country. However, at the same time, to fulfill the obligations to the King of Zhou, it is necessary to pay tribute to the King of Zhou on a regular basis, make pilgrimages, and lead an army to accompany the King of Zhou in case of war. In the directly subordinate territories of the Zhou kings and princes, political districts were also divided, and officials were set up to govern, and the city and suburbs were divided into different administrative units, each with a chief. In the far suburbs, it is divided into equals.
The western Zhou dynasty's official system was dominated by patriarchal feudalism and the Shiqing Shilu system. The official positions above the level of doctor are passed down from generation to generation, and the eldest son inherits the official position. The selection system is implemented below the doctor. The high-ranking officials of the dynasty were controlled by the clan nobles.
The Title of Western Zhou was conferred on the basis of blood relations. The King of Zhou was divided into three grades of princes and scholars, and at the same time, the princes were divided into nine grades, called "nine lives". From this point of view, in the Western Zhou Dynasty, a hierarchical system of "princes and princes, princes and doctors, and grand masters" had been formed, and different political rights were enjoyed according to the difference in ranks.
The Western Zhou officials' feng lu was them, and except for a certain tribute paid to the nobles of the higher rank, the rest was all for their own enjoyment, that is, "".
The Western Zhou Dynasty began to form a system of officials. In addition to the hereditary nobles, other officials serving at all levels of government are required to retire after the age of seventy to maintain the vitality of the bureaucracy. After retirement, officials can transfer to schools at all levels in western Zhou to impart knowledge, and at the same time sit in food and spend their old age in peace. This practice influenced many subsequent dynasties.