Guan Zhong

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This article is about the chancellor of the State of Qi. For the geographic region, see Guanzhong. For Republic of China politician, see John Kuan.
Guan Zhong
Chinese 管仲

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Guan Zhong (Chinese: 管仲; Wade–Giles: Kuan Chung) (c. 720-645 BC) was a chancellor and reformer of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history.[1] His given name was Yíwú (夷吾). Zhong was his courtesy name. Recommended by Bao Shuya, he was appointed Prime Minister by Duke Huan of Qi in 685 BC. Through Guan Zhong's reforms and skilful diplomacy Qi became the most powerful of the feudal states and Duke Huan lord protector over the feudal lords. Though knowledge of his reforms is limited, in particular he instituted a famous fiscal policy known as "balancing the light and the heavy", associated with salt and iron monopolies.[2] Though otherwise a diverse work, the Guanzi compilation making use of his name makes similar such recommendations.[3]

Translator Allyn Rickett considers that, "judging what was said of him in the Zuo zhuan, he could qualify, at least in most respects, as an ideal Confucian minister... Guan Zhong is reported to have advised Duke Huan: 'Summon the wavering with courtesy and cherish the remote with virtuous conduct. So long as your virtuous conduct and courtesy never falter, there will be no one who does not cherish you.'" When Duke Huan was approached to dethrone the ruling clans of his state, Guan Zhong advised him that that he had won their adherence through politeness(li) and trustworthiness(xin).

During the time of Confucius, when his students criticized Guan Zhong as lacking propriety Confucius said of him that "Through having Guan Zhong as his minister Duke Huan became protector over the feudal lords. He brought unity and order to the entire realm so that even today people people enjoy his gifts to them" and that "It was due to Guan Zhong that Duke Huan was able to assemble the feudal lords on numerous occasions without resorting to the use of his war chariots. Such was his goodness!"[4]

Because some of his reforms might be considered purely administrative (as opposed to Confucianism, which "aspired to produce orderly rule solely through the charismatic excellence of the aristocratic leaders of the state")[5] translator Allyn Ricket writes that later Confucian historians disparagingly identified Guan Zhong with the Legalist school, even though actually legalistic (that is, "Fa" or method-based)[6] philosophy did not develop until hundreds of years later.

Achievements

Guan Zhong started multiple reforms in the State of Qi. Politically, he centralized power and divided the state into different villages, each carrying out a specific trade. Instead of relying on the traditional aristocracy for manpower, he applied levies to the village units directly. He also developed a better method for choosing talent to be governors. Under Guan Zhong, Qi shifted administrative responsibility from hereditary aristocrats to professional bureaucrats. He is also credited for creating the first official government sponsored brothel known as "女市" which funded the government treasury.

During his term of office, the State of Qi became much stronger. The Zuo Zhuan records that in 660 BC, Guan Zhong urged Duke Huan of Qi to attack the small neighboring State of Xing which was under attack from Quan Rong nomads, a non-Chinese Rong tribes[7]. Later, in 652 BC he advised the duke not to ally with a vassal ruler's son who wished to depose his father. Duke Huan often listened to Guan Zhong's sound advice such that his status amongst other Zhou vassal states rose. As a result, the duke came to be recognized as the first Hegemon or leader of the vassal alliance.[1]

In recognition of Guan Zhong's service, Duke Huan gave him the honorary title of "Godfather" (仲父). Same title was later given to Lü Buwei by Prince Zheng, the future Qin Shi Huang.

State Monopoly on Salt and Iron

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Main article: Discourses on Salt and Iron

Under Guan's guidance several important economic reforms were introduced. He created a uniform tax code and also used state power to encourage the production of salt and iron.

He believed that monopolizing the nature resources was helpful on improving the government income, with fewer complaints from the public than raising taxes. The strategy was described by himself to the Duke of Huan as “managing the mountain and the sea（官山海）”, which mainly refers to iron mine from the mountain and salt from the sea. Under his policy, private business who produce salt by boiling seawater and iron by mining must sell all outputs to the government, and the government resell refined salt and iron products, with huge price gap, to all household in State of Qi.

Historians usually credit Guan Zhong for introducing state monopolies controlling salt and iron.

Qi-Hengshan War

In the record of Guanzi Chapter 84, Duke of Huan wanted to restrain the threat from State of Hengshan（衡山国）and asked Guan for solution. State of Hengshan was famous for its weapon production. Guan then ordered officials to buy arms from State of Hengshan in large quantities. After ten months, worrying that the price will continuously grow up, State of Yan, State of Dai and later State of Qin followed up the buying. The price then jumped sharply and, as a result, almost all household in State of Hengshan switched to make weapons instead of farming. One year later, Guan ordered officials to buy rice from State of Zhao, at a price more than three times higher than normal. By seeing the potential huge profit, State of Hengshan sold its rice inventory to officials from State of Qi. Afterwards, Guan suddenly ordered State of Qi's army to invade State of Hengshan. With selling out of weapon and rice, State of Hengshan soon surrendered.

Some historians marked Qi-Hengshan War the early form of Economic Warfare[8].

Publications

He is listed as the author of the Guanzi encyclopedia, actually a much later (of the late Warring States period) compilation of works from the scholars of the Jixia Academy.

In popular culture

Guan Zhong is one of 32 historical personages featured in the Koei game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI, where he is referred to as Guan Yiwu.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Ricket, Guanzi (1985) p.9
  3. ↑ Ricket, Guanzi (1985) p.3
  4. ↑ Ricket, Guanzi (1985) p.11
  5. ↑ http://www.indiana.edu/~p374/Legalism.pdf LEGALISM AND HUANG-LAOTHOUGHT Indiana University, Early Chinese Thought [B/E/P374] – Fall 2010 (R.Eno)
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Ebrey, Patricia, Anne Walthall, and James Palais. Pre-Modern East Asia To 1800. A Cultural, Social and Political History, Second Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009.
  8. ↑ Chu L.Guan Zhong's Economics War, Military Economics Research (China), 1991.

External links

  • Works by Zhong Guan at Project Gutenberg
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