Abstract

With a long time of history, Chu, which remained powerful state, was the southern center of politics, economy, and culture in Spring-Autumn and Warring periods. Except its own specific culture, Chu produced complete official institutions, which had densely local characteristics. Study on official systems is of significance in history research.

First, owing to the perfections, Chu country governing research plays a very important role on awareness of political regulations and its state in former Qin and affection to the following systems. Meanwhile it was an indispensable part on studying history of political rules in Chu and before Qin dynasty.

Second, Chu instituted“Lingyin”system in its central official regulations. As the King's prime minister,“Lingyin”not only took the power of politics, military, laws and diplomacy, but also was monitored and controlled seriously by King. Its specific official rules distinctly showed the characters of authoritarian politics. Compared to the political centralization in Qin-Han periods, Chu's regulations were kind of embryonic form, but reclaimed for the political centralization setting and consoling of the following feudal society.

Third, Chu set counties in local regime, and it was the first country to set that institution. Although county rules were not perfect, they provided mode for the following dynasties' Jun-Xian. Just as Gu Jiegang said: “Chu county broke the governing rules for feudal society. ”（from Counties in Spring-Autumn Period）What's more, counties in Chu nation were used to control local authority. The Chu king could transfer the county magistrates, who were treated as officers. Therefore, county regulations made bases for autocratic monarchy and political centralization.

Fourth, from the source of county systems, Chu's governments had already built bureaucracy. In ancient time, China carried out distribution rules, which means that the king assigned lands and people to different subjects. The subjects of a feudal ruler put the hereditary system into practice. But duties of a county ruler were settled down clearly. During Spring-Autumn period, Chu didn't carry out distribution rules, but settled counties, transferring county rulers to run them. And the pay of them was rice, so we can see, Chu at least had the original bureaucracy. In a word，the starting of county regulations symbolized the primitive bureaucrat government.

Fifth, all the officers from high rank to low one came from the royal family. This officer-choosing method made Chu form noble political system, which brought along conservation and backward, in the end leading to Chu's extinction.

I have seen so far, domestic and foreign historians have not used the Marxism-Leninism's national theory to take the instruction, carried on the system with a systematic, detailed, scientific research and collation to the Spring and Autumn Period Warring States time Chu country government system. Moreover, along with the archaeology unearthed writing material unceasing appearance, unceasingly thorough along with the research content, many viewpoints of formerly studies of the Spring and Autumn Period Warring States time Chu country government system have to be recognized and reinspected. Given this, I decided to make this issue a more comprehensive, systematic and in-depth study.

Ⅰ Settlement of central government

During Spring-Autumn and Warring periods, Chu had initially formed relatively complete governing setup. Among so many government officials, “Lingyin”, assisting Chu king, was most respected and celebrated, who kept the powerful control. Like Shuo Yuan·Zhi Gong said:“（Lingyin）maintained the power of a country. ”

He was in charge of government affairs, military, judicature and diplomacy. However, Lingyin's authority and his own appointments and removals were controlled by the king, also the choice of Lingyin. The king monitored all-roundly Lingyin's working. If Lingyin did something wrong, he would be punished seriously. This specific governing system clearly presented Chu's characters of autocratic monarchy and political centralization.

Except Lingyin, there were Sima, Zuosima, Yousima, Zuoyin, Youyin, Zhuguo and so on in the central government. In the troops, Chu king, as the highest rank ruler, anyone else no matter Lingyin, Sima, Zhuguo or Xianyin（a county ruler）could not go beyond his authority, had the power of shifting the soldiers. So we can see, military concentration also showed Chu's characteristics of autocratic monarchy and political centralization.

Besides, Chu's central officials include justice officials Sibai, Zuoyin and Tingli, handicraft workers officials Gongyin, Lanyin, Lianyin, Lingyin, Yuyin, history official left historiographer, officials of education Shi, Bao, Fu and so on. In addition to musical officials, divination and other officials. These central officials were controlled under the Chu king, they have made an absolute monarchy, the centralization Chu country central ruling clique together with the Chu king.

Ⅱ Settlement of local government

The Spring and Autumn Period Warring States time, Chu country in the local organs of state power, establishes the county system most early. After the settlement of counties, Chu king dispatched Xianyin to run each county. And the rank of county rulers was not hereditary, presenting Chu's county system being political centralization. Till Warring period, “Jun”appeared in Chu, but Jun only had military duty, not a local administrative organization.

Chu settled local primary organizations, such as Li, She, Zhou, Xiang. Li-She-Zhou-Xiang, as the extending of national power, assumed Chu's political grown-up. Their rulers shouldered the duty of administering people directly. During Warring period, Chu carried out particular measures in order to strengthen political concentration, so that the power of the king got stronger. But there still existed feudal separation, but they could not interfere with strengthening political centralization.

Ⅲ Appointment and removal of officers

From central organs to local ones, the officers were mostly from imperial kinsmen, which means Chu's authority was controlled by royal family and nobles. According to the counting from Song Gongwen, there were 46 Xianyins, including 42 nobles, 4 from abroad. And among 42 Chu persons, 39, who were known where to come from, all were chose from nobles. Its officer-choosing regulations were kind of development comparing with before.

During Spring-Autumn and Warring periods, Chu king controlled the right of testing all the officials. The king made a decision about appointments or removals and choice according to the testing grades. In fact, Chu king was in charge of personal administration.

As for praising and punishing, it was also in base of testing, good officers would get promotion and bad ones removals.

Ⅳ Characteristics and effects

Experiencing from Spring-Autumn period to Warring period, the official systems remained steady in Chu. It only settled one premier called Lingyin and never changed. Meanwhile other central-plains countries settled more than one premier. Also chu's officers choosing was different from that of other countries. Official systems of Chu made great effects to Zeng, Zhao, Han and other countries, even affected the official settlement of peasant insurrectionary army at the end of Qin. Chu's official regulations of Spring-Autumn and Warring periods, were systematic and complete, no matter central governing, local governing or officers choosing and praising-punishing ways, which fully presented clear characteristics of autocratic monarchy and political centralization.