" reform the native land and return it to local people" means to abolish the chieftain system in various ethnic minority areas in the southwest, and replace it with direct rule by exiled officials appointed by the central government, and implement the same local administrative system as in the mainland. The appointment, dismissal, promotion and transfer of exiled officials are all decided by the central government and cannot be hereditary. The Ming Dynasty had already partially implemented the "reforming soil and returning to local rule" in the southwestern region, but it was only during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty that "reforming the soil and returning to local rule" was implemented in the southwestern region on a large scale.
Southwest my country has always been an area inhabited by ethnic minorities. The Miao, Yi, Yao, Zhuang and Bai ethnic groups are distributed in Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan and Hunan. Because it is located on the border, with inconvenient transportation and relatively backward economy and culture, the central dynasty implemented a special local administrative system in this area during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, namely the chieftain system, in which the central government designated tribal leaders of local ethnic minorities to serve as minority Officials at all levels in ethnic inhabited areas were called chieftains and local officials in history.
Chieftains have official titles such as Xuanweisi, Xuanfusi, and appeasement department. Although they are bestowed by the emperor, they are actually highly separatist, and official positions are hereditary. Tuguan established prefectures, prefectures, and counties according to the local administrative system of the Han people, and appointed leaders of ethnic minorities to serve as local magistrates, prefectures, and counties. Although the native officials were appointed by the imperial court, like the chieftains, they were also divided into one party and inherited from generation to generation. Chieftains and native officials were initially established to rule ethnic minorities, which played a role in maintaining the central dynasty's rule in these areas to a certain extent. However, with the development of the chieftain system, the chieftains became more and more powerful, and eventually became the leader. The upper-level leaders of these ethnic minorities either disobeyed the central government's orders, or disobeyed the central government, or launched rebellions against the imperial court. They tried their best to maintain the backward old system. , named the imperial magistrate, was actually the emperor of a separate country. The chieftain who was located in the corner of the country "kept close to home when there was no trouble, and traveled to foreign countries when there was trouble." They rely on their vast hereditary territory and a large number of proud and capable soldiers. They are not willing to be restrained by the court at all. They represent a separatist force and hinder the social, political, economic and cultural development of ethnic minority areas. They are increasingly becoming a unified multi-ethnic country. obstacles. In the early Qing Dynasty, chieftain rebellions occurred frequently.
In the fourth year of Yongzheng reign (1726), Ertai, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, petitioned for the return of native lands to locals. Yinzhen appointed Ortai as the governor of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces to handle the affairs of the return of natives to the southwestern region. Since then, the Qing government has vigorously promoted the reform of local chieftains in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and other places, abolished chieftains, and appointed non-hereditary Liu officials to rule according to the administrative system of prefectures, states, and counties in the mainland. Militarily, the native soldiers of the chieftain were relieved, and the Qing court sent additional troops to garrison in the original jurisdiction of the chieftain. Economically, the central government uniformly measures land and then formulates unified tax standards.
The reform of the Qing Dynasty began in the Kangxi Dynasty, flourished in the Yongzheng Dynasty, and ended in the Qianlong Dynasty.
The fourth year of Yongzheng's reign to the thirteenth year of Yongzheng's reign (1726-1735) was a concentrated period when the Qing government implemented large-scale land reforms in the southwest. The purpose of the Qing government's implementation of the reform was to strengthen its rule in the southwest minority areas. After the land reform, the Qing government implemented the Baojia system in the southwestern region. Whenever something happened, it would "clean up village by village and inspect house by house", which strengthened the dictatorship of the feudal landlord class. In the process of implementing the reform of native land and returning to rural areas, the use of force was used to suppress the people, which caused great war disasters to the people in minority areas. Many innocent people were killed by the Qing army, and production was severely damaged. In addition, since the Qing court was entirely motivated by the purpose of ruling, the change was not complete. The Qing government in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan cut off the title of "Tuguan" from chieftains and abolished their power. At the same time, they continued to grant titles such as "Tushe" and "Tuben" as tools for feudal grassroots rule and for those appointed by the central government. Assistant to the official. In some areas, new chieftains were even established. In Sichuan, 11 new chieftains were established and 1 new chieftain was established. This allowed the remnants of the chieftain system to be preserved for a long time. In addition, the official administration in the Qing Dynasty was corrupt and many officials were greedy. After taking office, they exploited the ethnic minority people in southwest China.Therefore, after the diversion, the dilapidated and backward situation in many places has not changed much.
However, as a reform of the political system in the southwest region, the historical role of the reform of the local government should still be affirmed. First of all, the reform of native land and return to local rule is conducive to the unification of a multi-ethnic country and is conducive to economic and cultural exchanges within a multi-ethnic country, thereby partially eliminating the long-standing separatist state of chieftain power and stabilizing the political situation in the southwest region. Secondly, the return of native land to rural areas has adjusted the production relations to a certain extent and promoted the social and economic development of the southwest ethnic minority areas. In the past, slash-and-burn cultivation and isolation were the result of the spread of advanced production technology, farming techniques, and excellent crop varieties from Han areas to the Southwest, which promoted the agricultural development of the isolated and backward Southwest. Thirdly, after the reform, the unity of the political system was conducive to the penetration and integration of fraternal ethnic groups, which played a positive role in the consolidation and development of the Chinese nation family.
