Ming Dynasty Recursory Analysis

The Manchus conquered the Ming Dynasty on June 6th, 1644 and commenced the Qing Dynasty. This new dynasty implemented many reforms. For instance, taxation underwent extensive changes during this dynastic transition. As Ye Mengzhu, a former bureaucrat, stated in Taxes and Labor Service “Beginning with this dynasty(the Qing) things changed. In the fifth month of 1645, an imperial decree was issued to reduce the taxes of the southeast delta area by fifty percent.”(Ebrey, 283). A cursory analysis of this decree would indicate this benefited the southeast delta cities because their taxes rates were lowered. However, one crucial aspect set the Qing tax system apart from the its Ming predecessor. The Qing tax system required a 100% collection rate.
Spence “were reinstituted.”(Spence, 40) These new exams were meant to ensure the loyalty of new officials in the Qing bureaucracy. Firstly, the new senior examiners increased the prospect that the nominees selected from the exams were loyal to the Manchu cause. The senior examiners were comprised of 4 men: two Chinese bannerman loyal to the Qing Dynasty, a scholarly Manchu, and lastly a classical Chinese scholar. These men would and could not choose scholars they thought to be antithetical to the Qing Cause. Secondly, a majority of the degrees were given to nominees from the Peking area. This may seem like a trivial fact. However, each of the eight banners utilized to conquer China were placed in territory around Peking (Spence, 39). Considering this, the likelihood of selecting an individual faithful to the Manchu cause increased even more. Albeit, the possibility existed that examinees could conceal their loyalties to the Ming Dynasty. Then receive a bureaucratic position and undermine the Qing. This simply is not a feasible argument. A scholar who became an official for the Qing would have violated the sacrosanct Confucian values held dear by all Chinese scholars(Spence, 57). Confucian ideology places a high value on loyalty. Confucius espoused that “worthy men should not serve unworthy rulers and must be ready to sacrifice their lives, if necessary in the defense of principle.”
Chinese dynasties have a long history of utilizing corvee labor to supplement regular taxes(Needham, Science and Civilisation, 181.) However, Chinese men who had passed the examinations were exempt from corvee labor dues(Spence, 46). Thus, the aforementioned scholars who lost their degrees were now subject to corvee labor. This meant a larger pool of laborer available for government work. Incidentally, Ye Mengzhu also described the labor service that many members of his community underwent. In particular Mengzhu bemoaned the increasing number of individuals required for “‘the transportation of cloth’ and the ‘northern transportation of rice.’(Ebrey, 285) These individuals were subjected to harsh treatment from officials. This abuse could drive the transporters to bankruptcy. In this sense the Qing government was adding insult to injury. Not only were former degree holders forced into corvee labor, but they were forced into