The Quest for Local Self-Government

Abstract

This chapter examines a form of localism—more pervasive than provincialism and supra-provincial regionalism—that was pursued through a local self-government reform. While Qing rulers originally envisioned this reform as a tool to strengthen state control over local society, reformist elites educated in Japan saw in it an opportunity to pursue a dual agenda. In drafting local self-government laws modeled on the Japanese system, they aimed not only to strengthen the state but also to institutionalize and expand the influence of local extra-bureaucratic elites. The chapter begins by analyzing Japanese laws and discourses on local government, many of which were inspired by the Prussian model. It then traces how reformist Qing elites appropriated Japanese legal knowledge and practices to promote a local self-government reform and draft corresponding laws. Finally, it explores how the reform unfolded on the ground in cities, towns, and villages across China proper.