Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2018

 

Shuren(庶人) in the Qin and the Early Han Status Hierarchy (Abstract)

 

Wang Yanhui

 

In the status hierarchy set up by the Qin, males without titles were called gongzu(公卒), shiwu(士伍soldiers), sikou(司寇), yinguan(隐官) and shuren(庶人), with the latter being a general title for people who were freed from criminal or slave status. Conceptually, unlike shumin(庶民commoners) and bianhumin(编户民registered households), shuren were looked down on. Giving pardoned prisoners shuren status was a longstanding Qin policy. It was not the case that throughout his reign, Zheng the King of Qin “let a long time elapse between pardons.” Criminals who had not yet been sentenced could obtain remission of their entire penalty, and those who had been sentenced (tuli徒隶) generally had their penalties reduced. There were different classes of criminals; harsher punishments(xingzui刑罪)included hard labor of different kinds for men and women; lesser punishments included official slavery. Tuli, the overall term for remitted criminals, had their names entered in a record book. When they were too old and ill to work, the state allowed them to be redeemed by relatives or friends. Shouren (收人prisoners)could also be sold as commodities. Apart from being pardoned, tuli could become shuren either through their own actions or those of other people. Private slaves could be freed either by their owners or by the state. Tuli and private slaves who had become shuren were obliged to take on the corresponding tax, corvée, and other obligations, implemented by local governments. Their descendants were registered as shiwu in the same way as the descendants of shiwu, sikou and yinguan. Although shuren received the same treatment as shiwu in terms of land grants, this did not wipe out the stigma of their origins. Their names were recorded in the Shuren Mingji (register book of Shuren), and not only were they discriminated against, but their descendants also faced many restrictions if they aspired to an official career.