Local Self-Government in Zhejiang, 1909-1927

Abstract

During the late Qing and early Republican periods, local self-govemment (difang zizhi) became an omnipresent political catchword. It was a phrase used by liberal constitutionalists and centralizing authoritarians alike. For all its use and misuse, however, the term still represents one of the most highly significant political developments in early twentieth-century China. This essay surveys the course of local self-govemment in the province of Zhejiang from its late Qing inception to its destruction with the coming of Guomindang [Kuomintang] control.' In addition, it looks at larger questions such as the nature of local institutional change from the imperial era to the Nanjing [Nanking] period and the nature of elite composition and activity during a period of rapid political change.