Chapter 64 Section 3 Mobile propagandists of the Hongwu Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang's idea of ​​"turning people into customs" is very forward-looking and modern. Not long after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang introduced the "Shenming Pavilion Learning System". In the fifth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered all townships and lis in the country to build two pavilions at the head and street of the village, one called "Shenming Pavilion" and the other "Jingshan Pavilion".The former is a place where everyone is called to study the emperor's decree in depth; the latter is similar to today's honor roll, which is to praise the good people and good deeds emerging from each village and township, and expose the evil people and evil deeds that have emerged in various places. "Where there are filial sons, obedient grandchildren, righteous husbands, and chaste women among the people, they are all written and practiced." The purpose is to promote noble behavior, criticize wrong ideas, help people distinguish right from wrong, and resist fake, evil and ugliness.

In order to play the role of the two pavilions, Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that every one hundred households (that is, each li) elect a senior and virtuous person to take charge of their affairs, called the old man.On the first and fifteenth day of each month, the old man would call all the people in the village to Shenming Pavilion to participate in the study, mainly to read and explain the "Dagao", "Daming Law", and "Jiaomin Bang", and put the emperor's imperial decree and The cases that happened around us were combined and publicized in depth, so that everyone in the village knew the law and feared the law, and did not dare to break the law.

In addition, an important task of the elderly is to preach the "Xuanyu".Zhu Yuanzhang would personally write a "Xuanyu" every month to remind the people what they should do every month, and it would be issued by Shuntian Prefecture to reach every county and township in the world.For example, in June, when the common people were due to pay the summer tax, the "Xuanyu" reminded everyone to "keep their duties and pay food as their errands."This system became the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty and was inherited by future emperors. Today, when major regulations and policies are promulgated, we can still see mobile publicity vehicles with loudspeakers on the streets of some cities, and read them aloud.As everyone knows, the patent right of this practice also belongs to Zhu Yuanzhang.In the 30th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang requested that each village and mile should select an old man with a loud voice, shaking a copper bell with a wooden tongue in his hand, once every five days, walking on the streets of the village at five o'clock, loudly Recite the "Six Edicts", that is, the six sentences that Zhu Yuanzhang painstakingly thought out: "Be filial to your parents, respect your elders, live in harmony with the village, teach your children and grandchildren, keep everyone safe, and do nothing wrong." The role of this mobile propagandist is to let farmers Receive inspiration and education in a subtle way to improve ideological and moral standards.

As one local chronicle says: In the early years of Hongwu, the emperor promulgated the "Six Edicts" by himself, and asked the old man to hold a wooden duo and read aloud on the thoroughfare on the first day of each month and at the dawn of the fifth watch every day, so that the common people would suddenly hear this Words, be calm and vigilant, cleanse your past mistakes, and stick to your good deeds. The heart of the sage king to love others is endless. It means that every day at five o'clock before dawn, it is the time when the weather is clear and the people are sober. When ordinary people suddenly hear these teachings when they wake up from their dreams, they will naturally wake up like a blow to the head. Be determined to be good. The content of the "Six Encyclicals" is very similar to the family virtues set up in the form of placards in every community today: "respect the old and love the young, equality between men and women, harmony between husband and wife, hardworking and thrifty housekeeping, and unity among neighbors". It was made into a lying stele and stood at the entrance of every village and residential area.

Zhu Yuanzhang's work of turning people into customs, whether looking at Chinese history vertically or comparing world history horizontally, is a major breakthrough in the development of publicity and education technology.Compared with the weak education methods of the previous emperors, his work of turning people into customs is more ideological, and further highlights regularization and institutionalization.This movement has been widely carried out in urban and rural areas, and has gradually penetrated into the people's study, work and family life and other aspects.It has been carried out extensively, deeply, and solidly, and has created a precedent in human history in terms of scale, influence, and effectiveness.

According to the reports of officials from various places after the educational activities were carried out, Emperor Zhu's ideological education activities were very effective.Uncivilized phenomena such as alcoholism, quarrels, and theft occurred frequently in the past years, but after education, they have been greatly reduced.On the contrary, it has become common practice in the village to discuss how to develop production, how to build roads and bridges, and do good deeds. Profound and remarkable changes have taken place in the urban and rural environment and people's spiritual outlook, effectively improving the civilized and moral level of the whole society.

The authenticity of these reports cannot be verified.