March 29, 2024

Early China Seminar Lecture Series

Title: “Local Administrative Centers and their Transitions during the Warring States and Qin-Han Period”
Speaker: Tao Guo, Columbia University / Central China Normal University (China)
Time: March 29, 2024 (4:30-6:30 PM EST)
Venue: Faculty House
*Please check the announcement board in the first floor lobby for room information.

The Warring States and Qin-Han period marked the establishment of the county and commandery system, during which the local administrative centers gradually shifted from counties to commanderies, moving from decentralization to centralization. This talk will examine the changes in the relationship between the central and local authorities and within the regional administration during different stages from the Warring States to the early Han dynasty. It will reveal the time points and political mechanisms behind the formation of phenomena such as the dominance of commanderies, the concentration of power to the county court, the division of county magistrates and prefects, and the allocating of specific duties to officials during the Han dynasty.