The Warp and Weft of Grassroots Governance: Analyzing the Roles of Assistant Magistrate and Registrar in 'Bamin Tongzhi'
The Warp and Weft of Grassroots Governance: Analyzing the Roles of Assistant Magistrate and Registrar in Bamin Tongzhi Background: Grassroots Political Ecology in Local Chronicles The Bamin Tongzhi, the first comprehensive provincial chronicle of Fujian surviving from the Ming Dynasty, was compiled by Huang Zhongzhao during the Chenghua and Hongzhi periods. Within the “Official Ranks” (Zhiguan) and “Succession of Officials” (Liguan) chapters, it meticulously records the bureaucratic structure from the provincial Provincial Administration Commission down to the lowliest county yamens. Local administration in the Ming followed the principle of “General Leadership by the Magistrate, Shared Responsibility by Assistants”. As “Secondary Officials” (Zuoe Guan) to the Magistrate, the Assistant Magistrate (Xian Cheng) and the Registrar (Zhu Bu) were the specific executors at the very tips of the Ming Empire’s administrative reach. By analyzing the Bamin Tongzhi, we find that the division of labor between these two roles in taxation, household registration, and infrastructure projects formed a rigorous and complementary administrative network. ...