Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2012, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (4): 24-49.

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Imperial Family and Royal Relatives: Family Ethics in the Western Han Politics

HANG Suhong   

  1. Department of Sociology, Peking University
  • Online:2012-07-20 Published:2012-07-20
  • Contact: HANG Suhong，Department of Sociology, Peking University E-mail:mooduoo@pku.edu.cn
  • About author:HANG Suhong，Department of Sociology, Peking University

PDF

767

Abstract:

Abstract： With the decline of the feudal patriarchal system in the preQin Dynasty, Qin and Han Empires established the emperor system. This was accompanied with the great development of royal relatives in the Western Han Dynasty. From this phenomenon, this article attempts to get a new way to understand “the relations of home and country” in traditional Chinese politics. Based on the statistical analyses of the number of royal relatives who were awarded with official positions and the awarding channels in the “Tables of Enze Hou” and “Tables of One Hundred of Officials,” and the relevant historical documents, the author has concluded that royal relatives in the Western Han Dynasty obtained extensive upper positions in the social hierarchy by the method of “Being Marquis as Relatives”(以亲受爵). They were the major constituent in the sectors of “three councillors and nine ministers” (三公九卿) and “generals/commandersinchief” (大司马将军), having affected the entire political development of the Western Han Dynasty. This phenomenon was related to the weak “situation” as a result of subinfeudating vassals with the same surname. The second reason was rooted in the family ethics that had “kinship” and “righteousness” as its foundation , which was the pillar for the marriagebased familial connected support, and, laid down the groundwork for the formation of the Western Han imperial family and its relatives. In this sense, we can glimpse into the isomorphism of “home” and “state” in the Western Han politics.

Key words: being Marquis as relatives, family ethics, isomorphism of “home” and “state”