The causes and adaptations of ancient curfews

Author: Cao Shenggao (Professor, PhD Supervisor, College of Literature, Shaanxi Normal University)

【Abstract】 The ancient curfew system was originally a habit of work and rest formed to adapt to the natural law of working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Later, nocturnal travel was banned in the closed gates, the city, the palace gate and the lifang, forming a curfew system. Since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the curfew was imposed on the yuan, and the people were no longer restricted to gathering in Lifang at night. The Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties continued to impose a curfew on the Yuan Dynasty, and the rest of the time the curfew was imposed. After 1924, the curfew system was gradually abolished and the night line was opened, and the curfew after liberation was only used as a temporary vigilance system and public security measures.

In modern society, curfew refers to the prohibition of nighttime activities and actions at specific times and in specific areas in order to facilitate disaster relief, maintain law and order, and restore order as a temporary control measure. However, in ancient China, the curfew, as a regular system, was strictly enforced in miyagi, capital, closed and villages, and was an important measure to maintain public order. Although there was a tradition of curfews in the Shangyuan Dynasty after the Tang Dynasty, the curfew, as the basic system of ancient urban management, social governance and maintenance of order, continued until the 20th century.

Conform to the concept of curfew

Chinese culture believes that day is yang, night is yin, yang is moving and yin, people should follow the laws of nature to produce and live, work at sunrise, and rest at sunset, thus forming a way of working that "morning is desolate, with the moon and the lotus hoe returning". Due to the lack of public lighting equipment in ancient times, the road can only be illuminated at night with the help of moonlight and stars, which is inconvenient, coupled with the appearance of wild beasts, it is not suitable for night travel, thus forming a tradition of resting at home at dusk and closing the door of the city. It can be seen from the "Ritual Record of Running Funerals" that people's concept of work and rest during the Qin and Han Dynasties is not to take the night road. Even such an urgent matter as the funeral is "a hundred miles a day, not a night." Only the death of one's parents will walk when one sees the stars, and he will give up when he sees the stars."

Because of this, in the management of the city, special officials have been set up to come to the night to determine the unified time and implement the regulations of not traveling at night. The "Zhou Li" says that the "Si Yao Clan" is responsible for the night ban, and the function is "to divide the night with the stars, to command the night soldiers to ban the night, the royal morning walker, the curfew walker, the night wanderer", according to the rise and fall of the stars to determine when the night ban and when to lift the ban, and lead the subordinates to inspect the streets, strictly prohibit night travel, passage, and prohibit wandering at night. Wang Anshi explained in his "Zhou Guan Xinyi": "The royal morning walker, the imperial envoy must walk clearly. Curfew walkers, forbidden to stop. "It is believed that the function of the Si Yao clan is to determine the time of night confinement, and the second is to be responsible for inspection. Qiu Mao of the Ming Dynasty explained in the "University Derivative Supplement": "This so-called night ban is also. The current system prohibits people from walking at one point and three points, and releases people from walking at five more and three points, which is the meaning. "It is believed that the curfew system that began in the Zhou Dynasty continued until the Ming Dynasty, and said that the Ming Dynasty began to ban the night at three o'clock (around 20:00) and lifted the curfew at five more three o'clock (around 4:20).

The ancients believed that spring birth, summer long, autumn harvest, and winter hiding were the ways of heaven and earth, resting at night and living in winter. When meng dong was mentioned in the Book of Rites and Moon Orders, the state issued an administrative order: "The weather rises, the earth's atmosphere declines, the heavens and the earth are impassable, and it becomes winter." "As a measure of winter administration. The Huainan Zi Shi Zexun contains winter decrees: "Shen Qun forbidden, fixed and closed, repaired obstacles, closed off the liang, forbidden to migrate abroad, sentenced to death, killed, closed, large search, stop intercourse, forbidden night music, fleas closed and opened, in order to plug the adulterers." It clearly mentions that in winter, it is forbidden to play music at night, because the winter night is long, and the city gate should be closed early and opened late, which is not only in line with the way of heaven and earth, but also to guard against adultery and evil.

The habit of work and rest formed by this concept became a curfew system in the Han Dynasty. In the first year of Yongning (120) of the Han Dynasty, Emperor An of Han promulgated the "Edict on the Prohibition of Night Travel", which clearly required that "the bell rings out, and there must be no walkers in Luoyang City", and at night, night travel is prohibited in the city. When Cao Cao was serving as a lieutenant in northern Luoyang, emperor Xiao Huangmen's uncle, who was favored by emperor Hanling, was executed by Cao Cao for traveling at night. It can be seen that the law of curfew in the Eastern Han Dynasty was severe.

The curfew is closed at night, and the gates and gates of the city are closed at night, and nocturnal travel is prohibited. People can only move in their homes or in the workshop, and it is strictly forbidden to gather and wander at will. The Tang Law Of Neglect contains the law of curfew management in the palace city of the Tang Dynasty: those who are eligible to enter and leave the palace are limited to entering and leaving during the day, and if they enter at night, they are punished according to the theory of indiscriminate entry. Whoever enters without the right to enter shall be guilty of a second degree; whoever enters the temple with a weapon shall be hanged; and whoever goes out at night shall be punished with a staff of eighty. According to historical records, these regulations were strictly enforced. In the second year of Yuan He (807), in the summer of April, the eunuch Guo Limin was killed by a staff because he was drunk and left the palace at night, and Jin Wu Xue Ling and the inspector Wei Ling, who were responsible for his violation of the curfew, were demoted and expelled from the capital.

After the implementation of the curfew system in the capital city in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was included in the law in the Tang Dynasty, which became the basic method of urban management and played an important role in maintaining social order and public order.

Anti-theft curfew system

The concept of day and night ambush formed by ancient Chinese agricultural traditions made the late night quiet enough to provide cover for military operations and criminal activities. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were acts of sneaking into the city at night, such as in 627 BC, the Qin army was not prepared, did not fake the way, the people were ranked, the horse reins, day and night, trying to attack the Zheng kingdom, was to use the night to cover the march. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, thieves were rampant, and Liu Yi used night travel to avoid thieves before rushing to Chang'an. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, when the Jin people besieged lingshan village, Liu Jin's father and son and brother gathered 700 villagers, and also used night travel to avoid the patrol of the Jin soldiers, rushed to Luoyang, and broke through the barrier in the dark night. It is precisely because of the silence of the night people that it provides an opportunity for military raids and an opportunity for criminals to evade arrest, and the significance of military precautions and maintenance of law and order under curfews has been continuously strengthened, becoming an effective mechanism for maintaining public order.

During the Tang Dynasty, the curfew was in charge of Jinwu, who was responsible for day and night inspection and vigilance in the palace and the capital. During the Zhenguan period, in order to facilitate the execution of the curfew, a drum was hung at the corner of each street, and when the curfew came, the drum was beaten to stop pedestrians, which was called the "winter drum", which was the so-called twilight drum. After the drumming, the gates and streets are closed and locked, and the streets are not accessible between the blocks. Wang Wei once made a judgment on the time when the city gate should be closed, but because of the mistake of the person in charge, he did not close the door on time: "It will be a duty to pass through the day, to ban adultery during the curfew, to support the people of the other side, and to fulfill the duties." ...... And it is not to apply the gold key, empty iron off. ...... Too slow to live, trapped in mistakes. ...... There is no doubt that it will be strict. "(1) It is believed that the city gate is related to the safety of the city, and that the curfew should not be made in order to prevent theft and prepare for theft, and there should be no major mistake in forgetting to close the city gate and not closing the city gate on time, and the offender should be severely punished.

Under the curfew system, officials and ordinary people can only stay at home at night to drink and do things, or gather in the workshop, but they cannot move on the street. Even officials on duty cannot go out on the streets without a special pass. Bai Juyi once was on duty alone on the night of the Mid-Autumn Moon, neither going home nor traveling, so he wrote a poem to his friend Yuan Shu: "Yintai Jin Que Xi Shen Shen, alone in Hanlin. Three or five nights in the crescent moon, two thousand miles away from the heart of the deceased. "Say that you are alone in the official court, and you are bored." Wu Rong also wrote a poem to his colleagues when he was bored on duty: "The Mid-Autumn Festival moon is full of searches, and you enter the forbidden forest alone." He once hated the world for thousands of miles, and even more so deep in the heavens. (2) Feel so lonely. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Mei Yaochen went out of Beijing to go to work, and before leaving, he went to Ouyang Xiu's house to resign, Ouyang Xiu stayed drunk, and did not feel that when it was night, Mei Yaochen could not go home, so he had to drink with Ouyang Xiu for a night, and after waking up, he laughed at himself: "The sixth street is forbidden to go at night, and the child servant is surprised and stupid, what is the benefit of talking about the disadvantages of the soldiers?" Ten thousand mouths are not known to the Confucian. Saying that he could not go home because of the night ban, the two could only drink bitterly, talk about state affairs, and stay up all night.

The curfew system during the JinYuan period was more perfect. The Jin Dynasty set up a capital command envoy (正五品), patrolling thieves, controlling the night ban, and picketing the bo disciples, responsible for the night security of the capital. During the reign of Emperor Jin Zhangzong, the Right Chancellor Yan Xiang, the Governor Liu Wei, and the Official Langzhong Ali Thorn gave The Imperial Master Tang Kuogong as a shou, violating the curfew regulations, and all the officials who inspected them found out and were escorted back to the palace to be dealt with after listening. The next day, they were impeached, and they were either stripped of their first ranks or removed from office outright, showing the severity of the curfew. The Yuan Dynasty made more detailed regulations on curfews: the night ban time was from about 9 p.m. to about 5 a.m., and before the curfew, you could light a lamp to do business, and then you could study and work at home. Those who perform official duties, urgent illness, death and bereavement, and childbirth may apply for passage, and all others are prohibited. The curfew uses the bell as a trumpet, and in order to avoid confusion, the temple cannot ring the bell during curfew time. During the curfew, no one is allowed to walk freely, and it is forbidden to gather in prayer and sacrifice. Violators are punished by flogging, or by 107 canes for violating curfews against arrest or injuring inspectors.

This system continued during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and border cities and county towns outside the capital also strictly enforced curfews. In the Ming Dynasty, Juan went to Guyuan and wrote about the scenery after the night ban: "Diao Doufeng was forbidden at night in the early Qing Dynasty, and the felt curtain moon was cold to prevent autumn." Cloud Mountain is the most desolate, tonight border pass the first state. "After the curfew, only the moonlight shines on the border city, and it is cold. Qing Gong Wei wrote in the "Chaolin Pen Talk" that the poet Zhong Chunya was good at drinking, once drunk at night, violated the curfew regulations, was seized by the county lieutenant and executed with a cane, "every time he exhaled refreshingly", people regarded it as anecdote, but it can be seen that the qing dynasty county still implemented a strict curfew system.

The system of shangyuan ban is flexible

As a basic system, curfews help maintain law and order in Miyagi, Gyeonggi, and Gwan Pass. However, with the change of production and lifestyle, the curfew system is also constantly being adapted, adjusted and improved to make it more in line with the growing entertainment needs of the people. As mentioned above, the concept of the Qin and Han Dynasties, even if the funeral is forbidden to travel at night. However, when Zheng Xuan annotated the Zhou Li, he said, "Those who walk in the morning and at night are the only sinners and the bereavement of their parents." If the Son of Heaven sacrifices to heaven, he will travel through the night", which means that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the prisoners were released quietly in the middle of the night, and the mourners no longer stopped at night, and could rush day and night. Moreover, when the state holds ceremonies such as celestial sacrifices, it is necessary to prepare all night the day before, and the curfew can be temporarily lifted or opened.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was an attempt to open a curfew. During the Wu Zetian period, in order to celebrate the Shangyuan Festival, there was no curfew on the fifteenth and sixteenth days of the first month, and the people were allowed to display lights and colors. In the "Poem on the Fifteenth Day of the First Month", Su Wei described the scene of the Lantern Festival and the celebration of the whole world: "The fire tree and the silver blossoms are combined, and the iron lock of the star bridge is opened; the dark dust goes with the horse, and the bright moon comes one by one." The rangers are all plums, and the songs are all plums; Kingo can't help but be at night, and the jade leaks are not urged. "The capital is full of songs and dances, crowds of people, and it is very lively, which has formed the tradition of "Lantern Festival" in China. Cui Rong once wrote "Elegy poem of empress Zetian", saying that the yuan kai curfew was Wu Zetian's pioneering act: "The night of the night is forbidden, the sunset is in the air and the mountain yin; the sun and the moon are dusk, and the heavens and the earth are miserable." "It is believed that Wu Zetian's curfew to meet the entertainment needs of the people is a manifestation of his kindness and heart. During the reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he was able to extend the curfew of the Shangyuan Festival and enjoy the people's music. In the fourteenth year of the new century (726), Tang Xuanzong granted amnesty to the world, "one of the people lit lamps and provided for them." The officials looked at the lamp and were very happy. There is also an edict: the people of Fang City, one lamp, do not order the night", (3) allow the people to hold the lamp at night, no longer prohibit the people's entertainment activities in the home, the neighborhood, so that the people release a large number of night entertainment needs, spawned a rich song and dance, feast life, but also for the formation of folk literature to provide a good opportunity. ④

In the first month of the second year of the Northern Song Dynasty (991), Emperor Taizong of Song announced a further curfew: "On the night of the First Yuan Dynasty, the temples and the cities of Fang are lit with shadows, and Kingo does not need to be forbidden at night." Song Min asked for the "Record of the Retreat of the Chunming Dynasty" to say that the three festivals of the Yuan, the Middle Yuan, and the Lower Yuan, the city can be illuminated and the people can enjoy it. During the Song Dynasty, Bieliang opened up the layout of Lifang, and shops could be set up along the streets in the city, giving birth to a rich night market economy and civic culture. Every year after the winter solstice, the city of Bieliang began to display lights, from the urban area north of Donghuamen, and could not help but night, the citizens paved the road to live, drinking in groups, until after the Lantern Festival, forming a custom of celebrating the New Year. In the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), on the first lunar month of Ding Wei, Emperor Shenzong of Song allowed the Yuan Festival to set up Zhang Le in the Jingling Palace, wanshou temple, and god palace in Miyagi Castle, open the doors of the temples of the palaces for five days, let the people light lamps for fun, and open the Xuande Gate, the main gate of Miyagi Castle, to enjoy with the people, during which there was no curfew. Han Wei, who was the prefect of Xuzhou at the time, wrote "Reply to the Greeting of the Middle Road Lantern Evening Seeing the Curse", which said the lively scene in the city: "The former official's family could not help but burn the Ming Cylinder at night. The colorful mountain is filled with joy, and tourists are rubbing their shoulders and bumping into the hub. "People all over the country are full of voices, singing and dancing, celebrating the New Year.

After Ming Yongle, he continued to implement the tradition of opening a curfew on the Yuan Festival. In the seventh year of Yongle (1409), the state issued an order: "Starting from the eleventh day of the first month, it has given the Lantern Festival ten days off, and the hundred officials will not play the work, listen to the soldiers and civilians drinking with lights for fun, relax the night ban, and write orders." "Hundreds of officials are on holiday, and the people have ten days to make a lantern together, and the curfew is forbidden to have fun with the people." Shen Defu said in the "Wan LiYe Supplementary Supplement to Qifu" that since the seventh year of Yongle, the 199th year has been implementing the shangyuan curfew, the official government holidays, the people scaled up, called for their lives, and sang all night, becoming the most lively holiday of the year.

The Tang Dynasty allowed the people to play at night, and the Song Dynasty broke the layout of Lifang, and the demand for people to eat at night and enjoy the tour was continuously released, becoming a social demand to promote the opening of the curfew. However, due to the needs of public security and security, ancient China still enforced strict curfew management in the passes and cities. The city of Beijing did not cancel the patrol until September 1924, and after 1935, the curfew on the jewelry market and the Dashilar regularly closed the fence was relaxed. However, in order to prevent theft, the curfew tradition of closing the doors of cities and villages at night continues. After liberation, the society was stable, and the night curfew system that lasted for thousands of years was completely abolished.

[Note: This article is the research result of the major research project of philosophy and social science research of the Ministry of Education" on the academic construction, value recognition and educational strategy of Chinese excellent traditional culture (project number: 17JZD044)]

【Notes】

(1) (2) [Qing] Dong Yu et al., eds., Quan Tang Wen, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1983, pp. 3292, p. 7888.

(3) Wang Chongmin et al., eds., Collected Works of Dunhuang Variations, Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House, 1957, p. 223.

(4) Cao Shenggao, "On the Relaxation of the Curfew System in the Late Tang Dynasty and Its Cultural Influence", Academic Research, No. 7, 2007, pp. 110-115.

Source: People's Forum