What is National Day? What were the people-friendly policies for National Day in the Qing Dynasty?

What is National Day? What were the people-friendly policies for National Day in the Qing Dynasty?
The beginning of October marks the birthday of our motherland, and every family celebrates together. It is accompanied by a short holiday, and there are crowds of people everywhere. I heard that there was also a "National Day" in the Qing Dynasty. What is National Day? What were the people-friendly policies for National Day in the Qing Dynasty? The ninth month of the lunar calendar brings you not only the fragrance of golden osmanthus, but also a pleasant short holiday. In the ninth month of the lunar calendar, learn about the beauty of late autumn with Shuimoxiansheng.com.

What is National Day?

National Day is a legal holiday established by a country to commemorate the country itself. They are usually the country's independence, the signing of the constitution, the head of state's birthday or other significant anniversaries; some are also the saint's day of the country's patron saint.
Although most countries have similar commemorative days, due to complex political relations, this holiday in some countries cannot be called National Day. For example, the United States only has Independence Day and no National Day, but the two have the same meaning.

China's National Day - In ancient China, the emperor's accession to the throne and birthday were called "National Day".
Today, China's National Day specifically refers to October 1, the anniversary of the formal founding of the People's Republic of China .

Since the founding of New China, there have been 14 military parades during the National Day celebrations. There were 11 times between 1949 and 1959 and three times, namely, the 35th anniversary of National Day in 1984, the 50th anniversary of National Day in 1999, and the 60th anniversary of National Day in 2009.

What were the people-friendly policies for “National Day” in the Qing Dynasty?

After Tang Xuanzong created the "Kaiyuan Prosperity", he designated his birthday as a national holiday, named it "Qianqiu Festival", which means thousands of years, and ordered the whole country to take a three-day holiday to celebrate for himself .

People-friendly policy one : Survey and repair of temple roads . Before Kangxi's 60th birthday, he issued an imperial decree ordering local officials to repair damaged temples and tombs of emperors in their areas. When Qianlong celebrated his 80th birthday, in addition to ordering the repair of temples, he also required a census and repair of roads and bridges in various provinces. This was both a reward and a preparation for the celebration.

The second people-friendly policy: rewarding the elderly . An elder is an elderly person with noble virtues and respected by others. Since the "Wanshou Festival" is a celebration for birthdays, it is natural to reward those who live long lives. A banquet for a thousand elders was held on the occasion of Emperor Kangxi's 60th birthday, inviting thousands of elderly people over the age of 65 from all over the country to attend, regardless of their status, and drink together. The recorded number of participants at that time was nearly 7,000, making it the largest banquet in terms of scale and average age in Chinese history. In addition to centralized banquets, local governments also built memorial arches and awarded plaques to centenarians, and rewarded people over 65 with silver, gifts, and exemption from miscellaneous duties.

The third people-friendly policy: general amnesty . During the Wanshou Festival in the Qing Dynasty, it was stipulated that "no criminal cases will be heard within one month." In addition to routine handling of routine cases, the trial of major cases was postponed for one month. At the same time, criminals would be given reduced sentences or pardons based on the specific circumstances of the case. During the Qianlong period, all exiled prisoners who had served more than ten years in prison and were law-abiding were released, and others were given commuted sentences, benefiting more than 2,600 people.

People-benefiting policy four: increase the number of preferential treatment . For the vast number of scholars who wanted to enter officialdom through the imperial examination, the additional imperial examination during the Wanshou Festival undoubtedly gave them another opportunity to be promoted in officialdom. Since the first Wanshou Enke was held on Emperor Kangxi's 60th birthday, it gradually became a custom in later generations - the civil and military provincial examinations were held once every ten years, with the chief examiners in each province being dispatched by the emperor himself. The metropolitan examination after the provincial examination would determine the number of Jinshi based on the size of the province and its population. The special examination held during Cixi's birthday also increased the number of candidates for the imperial examination, giving more scholars the opportunity to enter the official career.

The fifth people-friendly policy: tax exemption . Both Kangxi and Qianlong issued exemption policies during their longevity celebrations: each province would first exempt one-third of its territory, and the exemption would be completed within three years. Qianlong also implemented a tax exemption policy for disaster-stricken areas. Not only that, he was a thoughtful person and took into account that tenants employed by rich households would find it difficult to enjoy tax exemption policies, so he ordered local officials to encourage rich households to reduce tenant rents as appropriate to alleviate the burden on poor farmers.

National Day meaning

It is a national symbol - National Day is a characteristic of the modern nation-state. It appeared with the emergence of the modern nation-state and has become particularly important. It has become a symbol of an independent country, reflecting the country's state system and political system.

It is a functional embodiment - once the special commemoration method of National Day becomes a new, nationwide festival form, it carries the function of reflecting the cohesion of this country and nation. At the same time, the large-scale celebrations on National Day are also a concrete manifestation of the government's mobilization and appeal.

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