The "river chief system" is the institutional setting of the territorial management of rivers, in which local party and government leaders at all levels serve as river chiefs, who transcend the limitations of professional management with their functions and powers, and bring rivers involving the interests of multiple parties into integrated and law-based management. Tracing back to the roots, the river chief system can be described as having a long history and lush branches. Its source can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period when the Yellow River embankment was built, and its distribution includes weir length, ditch length, canal length, bucket gate length, and river embankment to set up, covering river flood control and flood control, as well as canal, irrigation, city and other water conservancy project management. In the management of ancient water conservancy projects, the river chief system played an important role in ensuring the tranquility of rivers, water resources management, and water rights maintenance.
By excavating the institutional design, management regulations and value orientation of the "river chief system" in the Tang Dynasty, Northern Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, the internal continuity of the system can be explained and the thick background of water civilization can be reflected.
Tang Dynasty's "Ditch Bucket Long System"
The development of water conservancy in the Tang Dynasty reached an unprecedented height, and the structure and implementation of its water conservancy regulations supported the operation of farmland water conservancy projects and the Grand Canal, which were inherited by subsequent dynasties.
Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, had the greatest political and economic impact on its irrigation projects to divert Jing and Wei, as well as the Guanzhong Cao Canal, Bianhe River, Huaiyang Canal, etc. The Tang Dynasty's "canal bucket long system" is found in the "Water Ministry Style". The Ministry of Water is the first national water conservancy regulation promulgated by the central government, and is an important initiative in the management system of water conservancy projects. "Water Ministry Style" records the responsibilities of the head of the canal: "The old canal of the Hebi Palace, the depth of the bucket door is placed to save water, so that the level is full, and the people are allowed to take it." The length of the canal and the length of the bucket gate are still measured. If the irrigation is all over the place, the water shall not be discarded. It is stipulated that the "canal chief" and "doumen chief" of the irrigation project shall be responsible for the operation and management of the project to ensure the order of irrigation and the fair distribution of water volume. The "Ministry of Water Style" also takes the management of irrigation districts as the basis for the evaluation and promotion of officials. The Tang Dynasty incorporated the "Canal Bucket Chief System" of the "Water Ministry Style" into the national code. Volume 23 of the "Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty" recorded: "Where in Gyeonggi, the bad decision of the canal weir and the pond is repaired after the cause." Each canal and the bucket gate are set by one person, and when the fields are irrigated, it is ordered to save the amount of water they use, and they will be irrigated. Every year, one of the officials of the prefecture and county will be supervised, and at the end of the year, his merits will be recorded as an examination", and the accountability system will be implemented in the water management of the prefecture and county. Through the establishment of the "canal chief", the management authority of the canal chief and the bucket gate chief was clarified, the irrigation area was strictly managed with water resources, and the needs of large-scale agricultural irrigation were met through effective distribution and economical use, so as to strengthen the agricultural foundation of the Tang Dynasty and promote the prosperity and strength of the Tang Dynasty.
In the Tang Dynasty, the system of canal chief and bucket chief was generally set up in later irrigation projects and passed down from generation to generation.
The Northern Song Dynasty's "River Embankment System"
The Northern Song Dynasty followed the water conservancy system of the Tang Dynasty, and the Xining Reform led by Wang Anshi and the Farmland Interest Treaty promoted the construction and management of farmland water conservancy.
Since the 11th century, the Yellow River has entered the eve of a major diversion, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan), the Yellow River and Bianhe floods directly endangered the capital, so the Northern Song Dynasty attached great importance to the governance of the Yellow River and poured huge manpower and material resources into the control of the river. The main task of the Northern Song Dynasty was to prevent and resist flood disasters in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and the most important measures were to build embankments, plug the mouths, divert the river, and reduce the river. At the same time, great importance was also attached to the management of embankments, and the "river embankment system" came into being, and at the national level, the "river embankment system" with flood control as the main responsibility was established on the Yellow River and the Bianhe River.
According to the "History of the Song Dynasty and the Book of River Canals", it is recorded that in the first month of the fifth year of Zhao Kuangyin Qiande (967 AD), "the emperor repeatedly decided on the river embankment, dispatched envoys to see, and sent Jidian Dingfu to rule." Since the year is normal, it is the first thing in the first month, and the spring season is over. In the same month, the governor of Kaifeng, the Daimyo Mansion, Yun Shu, Meng Pu, Qi Zi, Cangdi, Bindebo, Huaiwei, Zheng and other governors, and concurrently served as the envoy of the river embankment in Benzhou. Under the situation that the Yellow River repeatedly breached and the Gyeonggi area suffered frequent major floods, Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, issued an edict ordering the governors of Kaifeng, Daming, Yun, Lan, Hua, Meng and other prefectures along the Yellow River to concurrently serve as the "river embankment envoys" of the rivers and Bians within the jurisdiction of the state, and were responsible for the repair and defense of the embankments. The river embankment and flood control management system was later implemented in the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Yongding River and other rivers to protect the flood control safety of the capital and important facilities, and has been used for thousands of years.
In the fifth year of Kaibao (972 AD), Zhao Kuangyin also issued an edict to set up officials in charge of river affairs, "from now on, Kaifeng and other 17 prefecture capitals, each of the 17 prefectures will have a judge of the river embankment, and the judge of the state will be charged; The general judgment was directly appointed by the emperor to assist the state government, and could be regarded as the deputy position of governor, but it had the power to report directly to the emperor, thus strengthening the administration of river defense.
In the second year of Chunhua (991 AD), Emperor Taizong Zhao Jiong issued an edict: "The chief officials below and the envoys who patrol the river should look at the river embankment in longitude, and do not cause damage, and those who violate it should be placed in the law." "It is stipulated that the envoys who patrol the river must inspect the river works as required, discover problems and repair them in a timely manner, and if the damage to the river embankment is not discovered, it should be dealt with according to law. The river patrol system clarifies the subject of responsibility and the punishment mechanism.
In the third year of Xianping (1000 AD), Emperor Zhenzong Zhao Heng decreed: "The officials of the Yuanhe River, although the rank is full, must be replaced by the water." Zhizhou and Tongju patrol the embankment every two months, the county order and Zuo Die's patrol of the embankment, and the transfer envoy should not be entrusted with other duties. "It is stipulated that officials along the river who have been transferred to other posts after their term of office have expired must wait until the flood damage is repaired. The edict also required the governors and general judgments along the Yellow River and Bianhe rivers to inspect the embankments every two months, and the county commanders should assist the governors and the general judgments and take turns to patrol the embankments.
The Northern Song Dynasty's "river embankment system" was promulgated and implemented through the emperor's edict, which had the highest authority and institutional influence, not only covering the setting of official positions, division of responsibilities, and task requirements, but also clarifying the resignation requirements and punishment mechanisms, which met the needs of the Yellow River governance and had a profound impact on the river management in later generations.
The "River Chief System" of the Jin Dynasty
After the "Jingkang Change" in 1127 AD, the Song dynasty moved south. The Song-Jin confrontation was roughly bounded by the Huai River, with Jin consolidating his rule in the north, and the Yellow River valley was basically managed by Jin, who inherited the river management of the Gyeonggi region.
In terms of water administration, Jin Cheng Tang and Song Dynasty systems, set up the capital water supervision department to be in charge of river defense matters. In the setting up of officials in the Yellow River, a system of river patrol officers was established, stipulating that one member of the Yellow River should be set up in each of the Yellow River's provinces, and six river patrol officers should be set up in the capital, who would be in charge of the 25 river patrol officers in charge of the whole river. The Jin Dynasty also used military service to participate in flood control and river repair, and a total of 12,000 soldiers were stationed in the whole river. In the twenty-sixth year of Dading (1186 AD), the Yellow River burst its embankment in Weizhou, Jin Shizong (Wan Yan Yong) in view of the frequent river disasters and the insufficient number of soldiers that have been set up, so he issued an edict to increase the number of personnel, "the governors of the four prefectures and sixteen prefectures along the river are all in charge of the river defense, and the forty-four counties are in charge of the defense of the Gou River", that is, the administrative officials of the prefectures, prefectures and counties along the Yellow River should assume the management responsibilities of the Yellow River, and clarify the four prefectures of Nanjing, Guide, Henan, and the river and the sixteen prefectures to which they belong, including: Huai, Tong, Wei, Xu, Meng, Zheng, Jun, The county commanders of Cao, Hua, Sui, Teng, Shan, Jie, Kai, Ji, and Shaanzhou, and the 44 counties under the 16 prefectures should also assist in river defense.
In the second year of Jin Zhangzong Taihe (1202 AD), the "River Defense Order" was issued, stipulating the river defense responsibilities of the central government, prefectures and counties, such as the annual pre-flood household department, the Ministry of Industry, and the capital water supervision department sent river defense inspection officers, scattered river patrol officers, and metropolitan river patrol officers to inspect the river defense along the river, and to assess the annual repair of the river work, and to check the repair and preparation materials in the spring of the following year, and only after the Yellow River flows smoothly in autumn and winter can they return to Beijing to return to work. The "River Defense Order" shows that the Jin Dynasty set up the "river chief system" with a strong sense of laws and regulations, which not only strengthened the management responsibilities of the principal officials of the administrative regions along the Yellow River for the management of the Yellow River's river defense affairs, but also embodied the characteristics of coordinated management of the Yellow River.
The "river chief system" of the Jin Dynasty embodied the characteristics of authoritarian flood control and flood control management of the Yellow River in terms of institutional design, and it was a mechanism for the Ming and Qing dynasties to inspect the river workers of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Households, and the river governor who obeyed the emperor's orders.
The internal continuity of the "river chief system".
From the "canal bucket chief system" in the Tang Dynasty, the "river embankment system" in the Northern Song Dynasty, to the "river chief system" in the Jin Dynasty, what has changed is the change of history and the change of dynasties, and what has not changed is the continuation, inheritance and accumulation of the "river chief system".
Continuity of top-level design. The Tang Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty all reflected the will of the state, and the central government set up the "river chief" to manage the river, irrigation area and canal, reflecting the strengthening of the state's administrative management of the river and channel.
Continuity of institutional provisions. The "river chief system" of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty was also basically the same in terms of institutional connotation, and on the basis of setting up a special administrative agency for the Yellow River, the chief executive of the administrative divisions along the Yellow River was given the responsibility of flood control and control of the Yellow River. Song Taizu ordered that the governors of the 17 prefectures along the Yellow River should concurrently serve as the "river embankment envoys" of the Yellow River within the jurisdiction of their own prefectures, and Jin Shizong issued an edict requiring the governors and deputy governors of the 16 prefectures along the Yellow River to be responsible for river defense. On the basis of the responsibilities entrusted to Zhizhou by the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty also made it clear that the county orders of the counties under each prefecture should also assist Zhizhou in the governance of the Yellow River, forming a structure of coordination and shared responsibilities between the upper and lower levels.
Continuity of value orientation. The "river chief system" of the Tang Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Jin Dynasty had a common value orientation in terms of accountability, reward and punishment measures, and so on; the Tang Dynasty's "canal bucket chief system" stipulated that at the end of each year, the government and county capitals should send officials to supervise and evaluate the chiefs of various channels and gates, and those who did well should "record their merits"; during the Song Dynasty, Taizong stipulated that if the "river embankment envoys" and water conservancy officials were not serious in patrolling the river, and problems arose in the Yellow River, "violators should be put in accordance with the law," that is, they should be punished according to law; the Jin Dynasty's "River Defense Order" It is clear that the imperial court sends river prevention inspection officials and the "river chiefs" of the prefectures and counties along the Yellow River to inspect the river, implement flood control measures, and inspect flood control materials before the flood every year. This kind of management mechanism with clear rewards and punishments effectively guarantees the implementation of the "river chief system", and the consistency of its value orientation makes the "river chief system" more historical continuity and influence.
Source: Study Times, page 7, October 13, 2023
Review: Huang Zhijun
Editor: Wu Yuting