쿠빌라이시기 강남지역 色目人의 任官과 활약 - 江浙行省 지방관부 色目人 관원의 사례를 중심으로 -

Abstract

From the beginning of the Mongol Empire, Mongol ruler assigned non-Mongol personnel to official according to their ability. The open policy in the selection of persons for higher official position succeeded to Khubilai Khan. When he came to the throne, he designed the multi-ethnic administrative government consisted of Mongols, Khitan, Jurchen, Han Chinese, Uyghur, Muslim officials. As he reinforced the direct rule in China, the military forces who had supported Khubilai confronted Mongol Ruler. As the result, the Khubilai's distrust on the Han Chinese officials deepened, and the Han officials were disgraced from the high position. Meanwhile, Semuren took an important post and seized power in the central government of the Yuan. At that time, Khubilai Khan encountered the financial difficulties for the war with the rebellious forces, and it was necessary to build an economic system which enabled the stable supply of the goods from China for the Mongol ruling group. For this reason, Semu officials began to take the key positions under the shelter of the Great Khan, and they played an important role in the Mongol's rule of China. The rise of the Semuren as the prestige group in the Yuan was begun with the Mongol's conquest of the Southern Song. As the Mongol established a ruling system in Southern China, a large number of Semuren were appointed as officials from Xingsheng(行省) to the lowest level of the local government instead of the Mongols. Some Uyghur and Tangut generals and their descendent were assigned to Xinsheng officials for generations in the Southern China after they made a contributions at the war with the Southern Song. Their absolute fidelity on the Mongol proven by their military contributions and the communication ability based on the cultural understanding of the China enabled them to become a ruling group in the southern China. At the local revel of government in the southern China, a large percentage of Semu officials occupied the positions. Especially, in the case of local government under Jiangzhe-Xingsheng(江浙行省), most of the Darughachi were Semuren. Among them, Uyghur and Huihui(回回) occupied the highest percentages. They not only managed the local administrative task, but they also interacted with the Southern Chinese elite group. In particular, they focused on the economic issues of the local society for the stable levy of taxes by their excellence in the economic management. Through this process, the Semu group could gain the upper position over the Hanren and were perceived as the privileged group in the Yuan.