Communication and Cooperation in Early Imperial China: Publicizing the Qin Dynasty (SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Challenges traditional views of the Qin dynasty as an oppressive regime by revealing cooperative aspects of its governance. This revealing book challenges longstanding notions of the Qin dynasty, China’s first imperial dynasty (221–206 BCE). The received history of the Qin dynasty and its founder is one of cruel tyranny with rule through fear and coercion. Using a wealth of new information afforded by the expansion of Chinese archaeology in recent decades as well as traditional historical sources, Charles Sanft concentrates on cooperative aspects of early imperial government, especially on the communication necessary for government. Sanft suggests that the Qin authorities sought cooperation from the populace with a publicity campaign in a wide variety of media—from bronze and stone inscriptions to roads to the bureaucracy. The book integrates theory from anthropology and economics with early Chinese philosophy and argues that modern social science and ancient thought agree that cooperation is necessary for all human societies. “...Charles Sanft proposes a sophisticated reinterpretation of Qin imperial history and political symbolism by looking beyond the immediate pragmatic effects of political measures in order to probe their wider communicative purposes ... He doubtless succeeds admirably in his declared aim to undermine the traditional picture of senseless Qin barbarity by offering a way of viewing Qin activities that makes them intelligible instead ... Sanft succeeds in an exemplary fashion at utilizing both new evidence and novel approaches. He deserves to be congratulated on both accounts.” — Chinet Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 1. Introduction 12 Legacy Approaches 13 The Power of the Common Population 18 Cooperation 19 Clarifications 21 Preview of Chapters 22 Chapter 2. Communication and Cooperation: A Framework 22 Chapter 3. Communication and Cooperation in Early Chinese Thought 23 Chapter 4. Mass Communication and Standardization 24 Chapter 5. Progress and Publicity: Qin Shihuang, Ritual, and Common Knowledge 24 Chapter 6. Roads to Rule: Construction as Communication 25 Chapter 7. Law, Administration, and Communication 25 2. Communication and Cooperation: A Framework 28 Cooperation 28 Culture and Coordination 29 Focal Points 31 Coordination Problems and Common Knowledge 33 Reliable Communication 35 Signaling Theory 37 Foucault and Power 40 3. Communication and Cooperation in Early Chinese Thought 44 Cooperation in Early Chinese Thought 45 Governance and the Common People 47 Group Formation and Existence 49 The Role of Information in Unification 52 Common Knowledge and Sovereign Power 53 Projecting the Ruler’s Political Self 54 Projecting Authority 55 Ritual Communication 57 Change and Constancy 59 Different Levels of Understanding in Different Social Groups 62 Consulting with the People 64 Conclusion 66 4. Mass Communication and Standardization 68 The Standardizations 69 Artifacts with Inscriptions Concerning the Standardization 71 Connections to Other Qin Inscriptions 74 Precedents 76 Textual Accounts 77 Covenant Texts 78 Reproduced Texts, Limited Audiences, and Communication at a Distance 78 Inscribed Tablets 79 Texts on Bronze 80 Limited Audience 81 Communication at a Distance 82 Mass Communication 82 Previous Explanations 83 Common Knowledge through Change and Communication 85 Constancy, Change, and Communication 87 5. Progress and Publicity: Qin Shihuang, Ritual, and Common Knowledge 88 The Progress before the Qin Dynasty 88 Outline of the Progresses 90 220 BCE: First Progress 90 219 BCE: Second Progress 90 218 BCE: Third Progress 92 215 BCE: Fourth Progress 92 211–210 BCE: Fifth Progress 94 209 BCE: The Second Emperor’s Progress 95 Explanations 95 Religion and Communication 97 Interpretation 98 Additional Acts 100 Steles 101 Punishing a Mountain 103 Broadcasting Leviathan 104 Manhunt as Medium 105 Additional Communication 106 Early Evidence for the Progress as Public Communication 107 Conclusion 109 6. Roads to Rule: Construction as Communication 112 Walled Roads and Raised Ways in the Capital 113 The Qin Highways 116 The Direct Road 118 The Meaning of the Name 119 Construction of the Direct Road 120 Previous Explanations for the Direct Road and Its Route 121 The Route and Endpoints of the Direct Road 124 Ganquan in Yunyang 125 Jiuyuan 126 The Yinshan Region 127 Ganquan, Jiuyuan, and the Direct Road 130 7. Law, Administration, and Communication 134 Household and Individual Registration 135 Precursors of Household Registration 135 The Emergence of Household Registration 138 Third Century BCE 139 Western Han 141 The Function of Household Registration 143 Communication through Changes to the Legal System 145 Penal Processes and Communication 149 The Common People and Legal Processes 151 Publicly Posted Documents 154 8. Conclusion 158 Reconsiderations 165 Broader Implications 167 Notes 170 Bibliography 216 Index 248 __Challenges traditional views of the Qin dynasty as an oppressive regime by revealing cooperative aspects of its governance.__ This revealing book challenges longstanding notions of the Qin dynasty, China’s first imperial dynasty (221–206 BCE). The received history of the Qin dynasty and its founder is one of cruel tyranny with rule through fear and coercion. Using a wealth of new information afforded by the expansion of Chinese archaeology in recent decades as well as traditional historical sources, Charles Sanft concentrates on cooperative aspects of early imperial government, especially on the communication necessary for government. Sanft suggests that the Qin authorities sought cooperation from the populace with a publicity campaign in a wide variety of media—from bronze and stone inscriptions to roads to the bureaucracy. The book integrates theory from anthropology and economics with early Chinese philosophy and argues that modern social science and ancient thought agree that cooperation is necessary for all human societies. “...Charles Sanft proposes a sophisticated reinterpretation of Qin imperial history and political symbolism by looking beyond the immediate pragmatic effects of political measures in order to probe their wider communicative purposes ... He doubtless succeeds admirably in his declared aim to undermine the traditional picture of senseless Qin barbarity by offering a way of viewing Qin activities that makes them intelligible instead ... Sanft succeeds in an exemplary fashion at utilizing both new evidence and novel approaches. He deserves to be congratulated on both accounts.” — __Chinet__ This revealing book challenges longstanding notions of the Qin dynasty, China’s first imperial dynasty (221–206 BCE). The received history of the Qin dynasty and its founder is one of cruel tyranny with rule through fear and coercion. Using a wealth of new information afforded by the expansion of Chinese archaeology in recent decades as well as traditional historical sources, Charles Sanft concentrates on cooperative aspects of early imperial government, especially on the communication necessary for government. Sanft suggests that the Qin authorities sought cooperation from the populace with a publicity campaign in a wide variety of media - from bronze and stone inscriptions to roads to the bureaucracy. The book integrates theory from anthropology and economics with early Chinese philosophy and argues that modern social science and ancient thought agree that cooperation is necessary for all human societies