View source for Yamen

{{Short description|Residences of bureaucrats in imperial China}}
{{distinguish|Yemen|Ramen}}
{{for|place in Guangdong|Yamen, Guangdong}}
{{Italic title}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2008}}
{{infobox Chinese
| pic = Kowloon Walled City Park 02.JPG
| picsize = 250px
| piccap = The former ''yamen'' in [[Kowloon Walled City Park]], [[Hong Kong]].
| t = {{linktext|衙門}} / 牙門 / 官衙
| s = {{linktext|衙门}} / 牙门 / 官衙
| p = yámén / guānyá
| w = 
| j = nga4 mun4
| poj = Gê-mn̂g / koaⁿ-gê
| mnc = ᠶᠠᠮᡠᠨ
| mnc_v = yamun
| qn = Quan nha / Nha môn
| chuhan = 官衙 / 衙門 / 牙門
| hangul = 관아
| hanja = 官衙
| rr = gwana
| mr = kwana
}}
[[Image:Yamen-Shaoxingfu.jpg|thumb|right|[[Drawing]] [[Floor plan]] of the ''yamen'' at [[Shaoxing]] Fu, [[Zhejiang]] Province, 1803.]] 
[[File:Porte d'entrée au Yamen du Tuần-Phủ Blockhaus crenelé à étage et logements des lính-cơ - Trung tâm Lưu trữ quốc gia I.jpg|thumb|right|The entry gate of the ''yamen'' of the [[Nguyễn dynasty]] period [[Tuần phủ]] of the [[Tuyên Quang province]] and the blockhaus of the ''[[Military of the Nguyễn dynasty#Provincial army (lính cơ)|lính cơ]]'' in [[Tuyên Quang]], [[Tonkin (French protectorate)|Tonkin]], [[French Indochina]].]]

A '''''yamen''''' (''ya-men''; {{zh|first=t|t={{linktext|衙門}}|s={{linktext|衙门}}|w=ya<sup>2</sup>-men<sup>2</sup>|p=yámén}}; [[Manchu language|Manchu]]: {{ManchuSibeUnicode|lang=mnc|ᠶᠠᠮᡠᠨ}}''yamun'') was the administrative office or residence of a local [[bureaucrat]] or [[mandarin (bureaucrat)|mandarin]] in [[Imperial era of Chinese history|imperial China]], [[Korea]],<ref>안길정, 관아를 통해서 본 조선시대 생활사, 2000년, 사계절. (in [[Korean language|Korean]]).</ref> and [[Vietnam]].<ref name="Đô-thị-Tuyên-Quang-thời-Pháp">{{cite web|url= https://archives.org.vn/gioi-thieu-tai-lieu-nghiep-vu/them-thong-tin-va-hinh-anh-luu-tru-ve-trung-tam-do-thi-tuyen-quang-thoi-phap.htm|title= Thêm thông tin và hình ảnh lưu trữ về Trung tâm đô thị Tuyên Quang thời Pháp.|date=6 June 2023|accessdate=10 June 2023|author= Đỗ Hoàng Anh|publisher= Trung tâm Lưu trữ quốc gia I (National Archives Nr. 1, Hanoi) - Cục Văn thư và Lưu trữ nhà nước (State Records And Archives Management Department Of Việt Nam)|language=vi}}</ref><ref>“Hán Việt tân từ điển” (Hán-Việt New Dictionary) - Nguyễn Quốc Hùng. Entry: 衙門 nha môn Quote: Từ điển trích dẫn 1. Sở quan. § Ta gọi là “quan nha” 官衙 hay là “nha môn” 衙門 . Ngày xưa trước quân trướng đều cắm lá cờ có tua như cái răng lớn, nên gọi là “nha môn” 衙門, nguyên viết là 牙門.</ref>  In some places, such as [[Kowloon Walled City]], [[Hong Kong]], it was named as ''[[almshouse]]''. A ''yamen'' can also be any governmental office or body headed by a mandarin, at any level of government: the offices of one of the [[Three Departments and Six Ministries|Six Ministries]] is a ''yamen'', but so is a prefectural magistracy. The term has been widely used in China for centuries, but appeared in English during the [[Qing dynasty]]{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}.

== Overview ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2020}}
Within a local ''yamen'', the bureaucrat administered the government business of the town or region. Typical responsibilities of the bureaucrat includes local finance, capital works, judging of civil and criminal cases, and issuing [[decree]]s and policies.

Typically, the bureaucrat and his immediate family would live in a residence attached to the ''yamen''. This was especially so during the Qing dynasty, when imperial law forbade a person from taking government office in his native province.

''Yamen''s varied greatly in size depending on the level of government they administered, and the seniority of the [[bureaucrat]]'s office. However, a ''yamen'' at a local level typically had similar features: a front gate, a courtyard and a hall (typically serving as a court of law); offices, prison cells and store rooms; and residences for the bureaucrat, his family and his staff.
[[File:Cell in Pingyao Yamen.jpg|thumb|A prison cell in the former [[Pingyao]] yamen]]
At the provincial level and above, specialisation among officials occurred to a greater extent. For example, the three chief officials of a province ({{zh|s=三大宪|t=三大憲|p=Sàn Dà Xiàn|l=the Three Great Laws}}) controlled the legislative and executive, the judicial, and the military affairs of the province or region. Their ''yamen'' would therefore be specialised according to the functions of the office. The great ''yamen''s of the central government, located in the capital, are more exclusively office complexes.

== The Yamen Runner in the Ming Dynasty ==
[[File:Yamen Runner (衙役) Ming Dynasty Activities of Minister of War Wang Qiong.png|thumb|170px|left|A Ming dynasty yamen runner.]]
=== General ===
''Yamen'' runner ({{Zh|c=衙役|labels=no}}) is an occupation which served for ''yamen'' ({{Zh|c=衙门|labels=no}}), the law enforcement department in ancient China. They worked as the lowest class in the government department which made them a bridge between the common people and the government.<ref name="Li 2014"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Reed, Bradly W.|title=Talons and teeth : county clerks and runners in the Qing dynasty|date=2000|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=0-8047-3758-4|oclc=1063409031}}</ref>

=== Classification ===
There were three kinds of ''yamen'' runner, ''zao'' ({{Zh|c=皂|labels=no}}), ''zhuang'' ({{Zh|c=壮|labels=no}}), ''kuai'' ({{Zh|c=快|labels=no}}). But in fact, there were more different kinds in specific.{{Clarify|date=September 2020}} ''Zao'' usually served around the court, ''zhuang'' provided physical labor and ''kuai'' were in charge of inspection, investigation, and arrest.

==== ''Zao'' ====
''Zao'' acted as the officials' bodyguards. They usually followed behind the officials. During the trial, they would stand on both sides of the court to maintain order. They also performed the duties of escorting the prisoner, questioning the suspect and applying minor punishment. They had their own black uniform.<ref name="Li 2014"/>

==== ''Zhuang'' ====
''Zhuang'' were comparable to modern security guards. Their main job was to guard the critical areas such as castle gates, the court, prison, and warehouse. They also patrolled on the streets. Most of them were picked from among strong civilians.<ref name="Li 2014"/>

==== ''Kuai'' ====
''Kuai''s' duties included summoning defendants and witnesses to the court. They were usually asked to do the trips for the court,{{explain|date=September 2020}} traveling long distances if necessary. During the tax season, they would be sent to remote areas to collect for the government. Therefore, Kuai had more contact with civilians than ''zao'' and ''zhuang''. They didn't have their own uniform, but were required to hang a card on the waist belt to identify themselves.<ref name="Li 2014"/>

=== Social status ===
In the Ming Dynasty, due to their duties, ''yamen'' runners were considered as a debased class (''jianmin'', {{Zh|c=贱民|labels=no}}), which is even lower than good commoners (''liangmin'', {{Zh|c=良民|labels=no}}) such as farmers. It is the lowest stratum in society.<ref>Moll-Murata, Christine. “Work Ethics and Work Valuations in a Period of Commercialization: Ming China, 1500–1644.” ''International Review of Social History'', vol. 56, no. S19, 2011, pp. 165–195., {{doi|10.1017/s0020859011000514}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hansson, Anders|title=Chinese outcasts : discrimination and emancipation in late imperial China|date=1996|publisher=Brill|isbn=90-04-10596-4|oclc=1014973746}}</ref>

=== Income ===
The salary provided by the court for the ''yamen'' runner was low compared to other jobs. The average daily salary was enough for only one meal.<ref name="Li 2014"/>

While the salary was not enough to live or raise a family on, working for the law enforcement department gave ''yamen'' runners some power that could be taken advantage of. The runners would charge a small fee from the litigants to cover the spendings. The prefects and magistrates acquiesced such a charging system as long as the amount is in a reasonable range. The Kuai, however, couldn't contact the litigants in the lawsuit cases. They would ask for money from the other debased classes like butchers and prostitutes. Such unwritten rule is called dirty regulation.({{Zh|c=陋规|labels=no}}){{Explain|reason=|date=September 2020}} Therefore, the actual income of the Kuai depended on their place of work; Kuai in large cities could easily collect a lot of money and Kuai in rural areas could be as poor as the homeless.<ref name="Li 2014" />

Such corruption and extortion were rampant during the reign of [[Xuande Emperor]]. The prefects and magistrates just turn a deaf ear on their clerks blackmailing the lower classes. Xuande Emperor described them "licentious, greedy, and insatiably exploitative, [or] degenerate and worthless."<ref>Nimick, Thomas G. “The Selection of Local Officials through Recommendations in Fifteenth-Century China.” T'oung Pao, vol. 91, no. 1/3, 2005, pp. 125–182. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4528998.</ref>

=== Path into the occupation ===
Since the social status of ''yamen'' runners was low and the income was unstable (usually low), ''yamen'' runners were mostly formed by vagrants, especially among Kuai. They were often strong but uneducated{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}.

== Paper Yamen Runner ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2020}}
A '''paper yamen runner''' ({{Zh|c=纸皂|labels=no}}) is a piece of paper on which a yamen runner was drawn, and upon which is recorded an accusation or tax liability, as well as a demand for the recipient to appear in court or pay the tax. The prefects and magistrates issued this to the litigants or tax defaulters in the hope that they would voluntarily appear in court or pay tax in arrears. It's unclear when the paper yamen runner was created, but literature about it can be found during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
[[File:Paper Yamen Runner demanding tax defaulters to pay tax.jpg|thumb|Paper yamen runner demanding tax defaulters to pay tax]]
Because it was tempting for yamen runners to take unlawful advantage of their position, magistrates would occasionally allow plaintiffs to take litigants to the court first. If a plaintiff failed to do so, the magistrate would issue a paper yamen runner.  Only if both methods failed would an actual yamen runner be sent to arrest the litigant. In this way, fewer yamen runners were required.  Such practices were typically employed only for mild crimes, however. For serious crimes such as murder, theft, gambling, and fights, the magistrate would still send yamen runners directly for the arrest.

==After 1911==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2020}}
The institution of the ''yamen'' fell victim to the [[Wuchang Uprising]] and the [[Xinhai Revolution]], after which [[Warlord era|warlords]] often became the ultimate authorities, in spite of [[Sun Yat-sen]]'s best efforts to establish a [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] covering all of China. Sun Yat-sen tried to establish a form of self-government, or [[home rule]], on a regional (or local) basis, but he found that he needed [[bureaucracy]] to run a country as big as China. Hence, new bureaucratic offices arose, thus replicating the functions of the Imperial ''yamen''s in many ways.

The term ''yamen'' is still used in colloquial Chinese today, however, to denote government offices. It sometimes carries negative connotations of an arrogant or inefficient [[bureaucracy]].

==Notable ''yamen''s==
* The [[Zongli Yamen]] acted as an office of foreign affairs in the late [[Qing dynasty]] .
* The ''yamen'' at [[Kowloon Walled City]], [[Hong Kong]] is an important historical site.
* The [[Presidential Palace (Nanjing)|Presidential Palace in Nanjing]] was modified from the "yamen" of the [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]].
* The ''yamen'' of [[Neixiang County]], in [[Henan]], is the best preserved county-level ''yamen'' in mainland China today.
* The ''yamen''s of the six imperial Ministries of the Qing dynasty, in [[Beijing]], were located within what is now [[Tiananmen Square]], and were demolished in stages in the early to mid 20th century.
* The [[Qing Dynasty Taiwan Provincial Administration Hall]] in [[Taipei]] is the sole surviving Qing Dynasty government building in [[Taiwan]].

==References==
<references>
<ref name="Li 2014">Li, Zongya 李宗亚. ''Three kinds of Yamen Runner in Yamen.'' 衙门中的三班衙役, Chinese & Foreign Entrepreneurs, 中外企业家,  Editorial E-mail, 2014(29)</ref>
</references>

{{Chinese Imperial Government}}

[[Category:Government of Imperial China]]