순치(順治) 연간의 한인(漢人) 이신(貳臣)과 ‘만한일가(滿漢一家)’의 실상 = The Role of the Erchen in the Qing Ideology of “Manchus and Hans are one family” during the Shunzhi Period

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The Erchen, Han Chinese officials who collaborated with the Qing Dynasty, were viewed as disloyal traitors from the middle period of the Qing Dynasty, even though they actually enabled the Qing to control China. In particular, their activities supported the pro-Han policies of the Qing, carried out under the slogan “Manhan yijia(Manchus and Hans are one family).” They also had a significant impact on the Manchu-Han relationship. This thesis aims to examine the reality of this relationship and the slogan underpinning it, focusing on the Erchen during the early Qing Dynasty, especially during the Shunzhi period, which came about directly after the collapse of the Ming Dynasty.
Even before taking over the reins of China, the Qing Dynasty effectively worked to win Ming officials over to its side. Han Chinese officials who submitted to the Qing were able to expand the scope of their activities in the royal court through the organization of the national system. And when Qing’s rule began, the Qing set out to foster the loyalty of former Ming officials. The Erchen capitulated to the Qing and engaged in political activities in various fields to consolidate national power and to stabilize Chinese society. Although the Erchen’s diverse backgrounds brought about internal divisions and rivalries among them, conflicts between the conqueror, the Manchus, and the conquered, the Hans, were even more intense during this period, and the Erchen were caught up in them.
The Qing Dynasty advocated the idea that the Manchus and the Hans were part of one family, a tenet which emphasized the equal treatment of both, and they sought to employ this philosophy in order to rule China. The Erchen supported this thinking and tried to make it even more convincing. The activities of the Erchen which were supportive of Qing’s pro-Han policies showed the possibility of unifying China. However, in reality, the Manchus and the Erchen distrusted each other. The Manchus tried to hold the Erchen in check and control them, and this led to continuous conflicts between the two over the course of Shunzhi's rule. Tensions arose mainly in regard to the interests of the Manchus, and as the ruler of the Qing Dynasty continued to control the Erchen, he took the Manchus’s side.
This study examines the Manchu-Han relationship in the early Qing Dynasty, focusing on the role of the Erchen. It finds that there were conflicts between the Manchus and the Hans at that time, which suggests that the goal of the Manchus and the Hans being one family was not realized in reality. It cannot be said that the Erchen’s wide range of activities during the Shunzhi period reflected this unifying message. The strict constraints on and control over the Erchen imposed by the Qing demonstrate that its political slogan “Manchus and Hans are one family” was actually used to defend the Manchus’ interests. In other words, it actually contributed to strengthening the Manchu's dominance. Therefore, this strand of thought functioned as a dual logic in relation to the Erchen, simultaneously a useful ideology to promote and a mere rhetorical strategy that was not at all reflective of reality.