1, ostentation and extravagance, waste and waste.

2. Large-scale construction and illegal construction

3. Festivals are rampant and events are disastrous.

4, illegal car allocation, multi-head occupation

5, ostentatiously, wasting public funds

Luxury refers to the extravagance and waste in life. From Ding Ling's "Hu Wei" for the third time: "He beckons people to visit, which is like a decadent and luxurious gold selling hole."

The relationship between luxury and employment;

Scholars in Ming and Qing dynasties linked extravagance with employment, which was related to the existence of a large number of homeless people who lost their land at that time. The increase of vagrants is caused by many factors such as land annexation and population increase. Land annexation is one of the main reasons for the increase of refugees in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, especially in the Qing Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, Zhu Ze said in the article "Raising the People": "In ancient times, there were one-tenth idle people, but now there are six-tenths idle people. There are three-tenths of idlers in Datong, six-tenths in poor counties, idlers with and without fields, idlers with and without jobs. " These vagrants can only engage in handicrafts and other service industries. Under the control of the traditional policies and concepts of emphasizing agriculture and restraining commerce, emphasizing the capital and restraining the end, industries or industries unrelated to agricultural production are often condemned and even called luxury undertakings. The government's luxury ban has the greatest impact on these people. It is from this social reality that scholars in Ming and Qing dynasties examine the luxury phenomenon.

Ming Dynasty Ming Road (1515-1552) made a detailed discussion on the positive role of extravagance, which was most valued by contemporary historians. At that time, Minglu lived in today's Shanghai area. Taking Jiangnan, especially Suzhou and Hangzhou, as an example, he explained the role of extravagance in solving the employment problem: "As far as Suzhou and Hangzhou are concerned, it can be said that people living in Suzhou and Hangzhou will travel on time, draw boats, shoulder clothes and sing and dance. This is extravagance. I don't know my husband, I don't know the boat, I don't know the geisha, I don't know the maiko, I don't know the people waiting for the lake and the mountains. " Gu Gongxie criticized Suzhou's luxury prohibition in the thirty-second year of Qianlong. He said: "There are ten million people's luxuries, that is, there are ten million people's physiology. If you want to change the luxury of thousands of people and return to spring, it will make the physiology of thousands of people almost extinct. " During Jiaqing Road in Qing Dynasty, it was recorded that luxury was forbidden in Wu and Su areas at that time: "In the past, Chen Wengong (referring to Chen Hongmou) caressed Wu, and women were not allowed to burn incense in the house. In the third spring, there were few trips, and husbands, boatmen and shoulders could not make a living, so things were talked about because the ban was relaxed. Hu Gongbo is a Su Fan. It is forbidden to open a theater. There are many complaints. Gold and silver merchants gather, banquets are held all the time, and there are dozens of theaters and pubs, which support tens of thousands of people every day. This is not illegal, so what are the benefits of prohibition? " Judging from the "complaints" after the ban on luxury at that time, opposing the ban on luxury is not only the knowledge of scholars, but also the voice of the people.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, officials worried that extravagance and waste would affect people's hearts, customs and social stability. They have always advocated the traditional concept of advocating thrift and opposing extravagance and waste, and formulated relevant laws and policies to combat extravagance and waste. But officials finally realized that extravagance can help solve the problem of employment and stabilize the society. Taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, in order to maintain the long-term stability of the feudal dynasty, from the mid-Kangxi period, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty issued the imperial edict of "abandoning extravagance and simplifying" many times, but all this had little effect. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Tang Bin, the governor of Jiangsu Province, banned playing cards, singing prostitutes, worshipping Buddha and businessmen in Suzhou, so there was a phenomenon that "there was no female trace in the temple, no orchestral music under the river, a meeting was held to welcome the gods, and erotic music was never compiled". This administrative ban, which violates the requirements of economic development, can only have a temporary effect, and will eventually lead to an increase in unemployment and social unrest. Yongzheng also had to admit that "wine boats, actors and craftsmen in Suzhou and other places can also support many people. There are idle people in this generation, and there are people who have no real estate and no job. If the ban is urgent, I'm afraid I can't find another physiology. Those who return to agriculture have no land to plant and cannot work. If I can't stay healthy, I will do the opposite. " During the Qianlong period, ministers constantly suggested that extravagance should be prohibited by law, but Qianlong finally did not adopt it. Gan Long believes that it is not appropriate to trap social life in a fixed framework, let alone bring those who break the law to justice. Emperor Qianlong wrote such a poem when he visited Yangzhou in the south of 1765 (thirty years of Qianlong). There is a cloud in the poem: "March fireworks are about the past, but Yangzhou orchestral has been controversial from the past." I still have to announce the ban and worry about turning over the food group. " At the end of the poem, there is a note saying, "As the saying goes, in dajia, rich businessmen are more than enough, but they have benefited a lot from their skills and ways of making a living. It is also easy to ban its prosperous singing and dancing. But the rich know how to increase their wealth. How can they support the poor with it? And not suitable for the king. It's easier said than done, and the rate is the same. " The craftsman who "flows for food" mentioned by Qianlong is aimed at a large number of vagrants in society. It can be seen that both Yongzheng and Qianlong clearly realized that extravagance plays an important role in the employment of the labor force and the stability of the whole society.

Although many literati in Ming and Qing dynasties saw the positive value of extravagance in solving employment, they did not vigorously advocate and advocate extravagance. Lu Ji said: "it is extravagant to pour money into the ravine." I don't know the so-called luxury, but it's nothing more than wealthy businessmen and rich children squandering food and clothing in their palaces. " It can be seen that the extravagance he said mainly refers to the consumption of the wealthy class in society, rather than advocating the extravagance of the whole society. The editor of Ganlong's "Wu County Records and Customs" said: "Among the four people, today's refugees have no jobs to enter, and they are afraid of flowing into bandits. Fortunately, they are driven by luxury houses. Spending money is the expense of entertainment, and all skills can be used to make money. Even a tramp has to touch the rest to live as a beggar. Although this is not a fundamental picture, it is also a remedy. " It is not difficult to see that in the eyes of scholars at that time, extravagance was only a last resort to solve the employment problem, and it was not a long-term solution at all.

The relationship between luxury and wealth distribution;

Confucianism has always regarded distribution as one of the core issues of politics. Confucius said, "Don't be widowed and suffer from inequality, and don't suffer from poverty and worry." "University" said: "Wealth will scatter the people, and wealth will scatter the people." All these are to show that the distribution of social wealth tends to be balanced and decentralized, which is conducive to stabilizing society and conforming to distribution justice. In addition, the traditional concept of distribution is closely related to the value concept of "heaven and earth make money, only this number". Interestingly, it is also the concept of "heaven and earth make money, only this number". Before the Ming Dynasty, scholars regarded it as the premise of advocating thrift, that is, emphasizing that the natural resources provided by nature and the social wealth created by human beings as a whole are limited and cannot be squandered; Scholars after the Ming Dynasty also set out from this concept to explain the positive role of extravagance in regulating the allocation of limited resources. That is to say, since the total amount of wealth is certain, luxury can make wealth flow from the rich to the poor, thus making the distribution of social wealth tend to be even.

Scholars in Ming and Qing Dynasties compared and analyzed the influence of luxury and frugality on the whole society from the perspective of balanced distribution of social wealth. Lv Zhi said: "Doctors want to ban extravagance, thinking that people can become rich by saving money. Hey! There is a saying:' heaven and earth make money, that's all.' There are gains and losses. In this world, I haven't met anyone who is extravagant enough to be poor. From a person's point of view, a person can be saved from poverty by frugality; From a family's point of view, frugal families may be free from poverty, but as for the world trend, it is not. He keenly observed that extravagance and waste have different effects on individuals and society, and extravagance and waste may be harmful to individuals and families; But for the whole society, it is conducive to the redistribution of wealth. What he said is "one person loses, one person gains". Wei Shixiao (1655-? It is exactly the same as his point of view: "luxury is also rich and harmful; Miser's wealth is also harmful to wealth. People who are physically hurt do not hurt the wealth of the world; If you hurt money, you will be exhausted and the people will be miserable. ..... Therefore, a small person is influenced by hundreds of poor people, and a large person is influenced by thousands of poor people. " Paradoxically, driven by the traditional concept of distributive justice, Lu Ji and Wei Shixiao made a very utilitarian choice between extravagance and frugality-if everyone is not spared, it is better to let a few people suffer, not the majority. Tan Sitong also expressed similar views when he opposed the prohibition of luxury in the late Qing Dynasty. He said, "Don't you know that luxury is harmful, but staying at home is beneficial to one hundred?" Whether Tan Sitong was influenced by his predecessors is unknown. In the history of thought, the phenomenon of "behind closed doors" is not uncommon. This may be an example.

In the luxury theory of Ming and Qing scholars, the average consciousness is very obvious. In the middle of Qing Dynasty, Fa (1753-1813) quoted Tupengyu as saying: "Today's medical practitioners want to ban extravagance and worship frugality, which is a skill to enrich the people. I don't know that heaven and earth make money, only this number; If you lose, you win. If you win, you lose. Dajia, a wealthy businessman and a rich family, has no worries about food and clothing in his palace, so that cannibals can share their interests and even their grievances. ..... you will know that you will advocate thrift for a long time. This is a unique plan. Those who are not long-term people are also governed by customs. " The author of Tuoba Yu and Lu Ji both take "heaven and earth make money, only this number" as their theoretical starting point. It is worth noting that this quotation clearly puts forward that luxury can make cannibals share their interests and even their grievances, which shows that the author holds a positive attitude towards luxury from the perspective of balancing social wealth. Wei Yuan also opposes the luxury ban from the perspective of balancing social wealth. He said: "The running of horses and chariots, the dragging of clothes, the joy of drinking, and the joy of drinking are all easy to be poor and benefit the three families. ..... If it is prohibited as above, the rich will benefit the rich and the poor will benefit the poor. " But Wei Yuan made a clear definition of extravagant social groups. He said: "Thrift is also a virtue; It is also beautiful to ban extravagance and thrift. However, it can be encouraged but not ruled; You can train the poor, but not the rich. " He believes that for the upper rulers and lower workers, we should emphasize thrift and oppose luxury, while for the "rich with land" (referring to medium landlords) and "rich without land" (referring to medium businessmen), we should not ask them to be frugal, but should encourage them to be extravagant. Wei Yuan's view of encouraging the rich to spend lavishly is consistent with Lu Ji's. From the luxury prevailing from top to bottom in the middle of Qing Dynasty, he realized that the extravagant behavior of the ruling class could only lead to corruption and harm the people. The extravagant behavior of ordinary people can only lead to the corruption and degeneration of folk customs, which is more comprehensive and profound than Wei Shixiao's point of view.

The relationship between luxury and capital circulation;

There are many reasons for luxury. When analyzing the root of luxury in Ming Dynasty, Gui Youguang said that luxury "generally started in the city and the suburbs, and started in the well-dressed houses and the market." In other words, the wind of extravagance spread from "well-dressed families", that is, the upper class of society, to cities and then to the whole society. In fact, Gui Youguang is mainly attributed to the extravagance and corruption of the bureaucratic class. But this is only one aspect of the problem. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the social structure of China changed greatly, and the industry and commerce developed rapidly, which had an important influence on the formation of extravagant style, which was an important feature that distinguished the extravagant style in the Ming and Qing Dynasties from the previous generation.

Scholars in Qing Dynasty have already pointed out the internal relationship between extravagance and commercial development. Xu Chengyao said: "A few decades ago, although women were rich and powerful, few people wore clothes and furs. Today, everywhere, pearls and jadeite decorations are quite luxurious, which is probably due to business and promotion in the Soviet Union. " Suzhou and Yangzhou were the most economically developed areas in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and their extravagance was also famous throughout the country. In fact, it is from the perspective of economic development that Lu Ji shows his position of affirming luxury: "Give everyone a glimpse of the world, their land is luxurious, and their people will easily make a living;" If the land is frugal, people will not be able to make a living. who is it? This is inevitable. ..... cover up vulgar luxury and pursue it to the end. "The' potential' mentioned by Lu Ji is actually the general trend of economic development. He believes that the reason why people live easily in places where luxury is prevalent is because "vulgar and extravagant people are in hot pursuit." The so-called "end" refers to handicraft industry and service industry, which is the tertiary industry mentioned today.

With the development of economy, the importance of commercial capital circulation has become increasingly prominent, which has attracted people's attention. Fifty-six comments about money in Jin Ping Mei Hua Ci said: "That thing is restless. Is it willing to be buried in one place? " It is also born for people. When one person piles up, one person is missing. Therefore, Jubao is extremely guilty. "Active but restless" is a vivid description of capital mobility, but it becomes an excuse for luxury consumption in Jin Ping Mei, which vividly reflects people's understanding of capital mobility in Ming Dynasty. The popularity of this concept among the people is inseparable from the social and economic development at that time. Some businessmen reflect on the traditional concept of advocating thrift and luxury from this perspective. Shu Zun, a businessman from Daoguang Yixian County, just said after being taught: "Money is a spring, like a flowing spring, with a source. Nowadays, people who live by cunning are all suicidal. Today, those who are stingy and refuse to spend money, and those who spend too much money with their husbands, all run out by themselves. People know nothing about the origin of luxury goods, but they don't know how to be stingy. " Although he does not advocate extravagance and waste, he pointedly points out that thrift and extravagance and waste will also affect the circulation of commercial capital, thus hindering economic development.

Thinkers in the late Qing Dynasty also discussed the relationship between capital circulation and extravagance and thrift. Tan sitong said: "If you have money, you can run a machine factory. The poor depend on it, the products depend on it, the coins depend on it, and the already rich people rely on it to expand and thicken. Not only useless, but also useless; First of all, heaven and earth have their own advantages, so if I can do anything to cover them, I can fill them all up and collect the merits of giving alms to the masses. " Tan Sitong believes that as long as capital is fully utilized and enterprises are established, employment opportunities will be created and capital circulation will be promoted, so there is no need to advocate the concept of thrift. In view of the viewpoint that "Qian Qian wants to walk like running water" in Biography of Historical Records of Huo Zhi, Liang Qichao added the following remarks: "But what about the rich who are arrogant and extravagant? Yue: No injuries. ..... Although it's a great loss to him, it's a trip to the running water for the sake of the overall situation, but it's just as well. What did you hurt? The worst people are slaves who are obsessed with money, slaves who keep money, and soldiers who think they are fat ... It is also famous for being a thrifty city, harmonious with the wealth of the whole country, and the city is lifeless. This is really a thief in the world and a sinner in the world. " Liang Qichao also realized that thrift hindered the circulation of capital and had a negative impact on economic development. He consciously found a weapon to criticize and advocate frugality and extravagance from traditional ideological resources, with the same purpose as Tan Sitong, hoping that China would become rich and strong quickly.

The relationship between luxury and social progress;

Gongyangxue flourished in the late Qing Dynasty, and the social progress view highlighted by its three theories and the social progress view introduced from western society had a far-reaching impact on China's ideological circle. The strong contrast between China society and western industrial society strengthens this concept, and the concept of progress has become a popular way of thinking. It can be seen that the theory of luxury in this period has a strong ideological color.

According to the contrast between the backward social production situation in China and the western industrial society, Tan Sitong realized that social wealth increases with the progress of social form. He thinks that the more advanced the society, the more extravagant the wind will be. He said, "Leveling will continue and prices will continue. People who fail their country are unwilling to pay, short and brown. Although there are fine things, you can't bear them, and the ignorant corrupt scholars say that heaven and earth can make money, so that the people of the world can be restrained and make them arrogant and extravagant. " ? The viewpoint of social evolution is obviously incompatible with the static social concept of "heaven and earth make money, only this number". It is from the perspective of evolution that he sharply criticized the traditional concept of "heaven and earth make money, only this number". Tan Sitong also said: "Since the name of thrift has been established, the power of the monarch will be increasingly respected and the goods will be abandoned on the ground, which is also related to the situation at that time. Once the title is gone, civil rights will flourish, and we can discuss it calmly, and each has its own life and benefits. The shaft is full of clothes, and the work is full of sighs. ..... So selfish people in the world are frugal, and their wealth tends to stagnate, leading to chaos; People in the world are still extravagant, and their wealth flows and levels. " This sentence shows that Tan Sitong's evaluation of the value of thrift is related to different social systems. He believes that the system of "private world" is consistent with the value concept of "respecting frugality"; The social system of "ruling the world" is consistent with the value concept of "respecting luxury". Tan Sitong's view is undoubtedly biased today, but at that time, he made such an appeal only under the stimulation of the prosperity of western industrial society. Liang Qichao combined his own understanding of western society to evaluate extravagance from the perspective of progressive concept. He said in the Biography of Historical Records of Huo Zhi: "Liu Yun said:' If the goods are evil, they should be abandoned on the ground and there is no need to hide in them.' ..... The more extravagant westerners are, the richer the country will be, and fewer people will throw their goods on the ground. Therefore, people say that luxury and frugality are virtues, which is just the opposite of what Confucius said in Liu Yun. "Tan Sitong and Liang Qichao advocated thrift and luxury as an important reason for China's backwardness. We can't take it as an academic judgment, but should understand it from their political opinions calling for political reform, that is, they all advocate taking the road of industrialized power.

Not only a reformist thinker, but also a revolutionary Zhang Taiyan views luxury from the perspective of social progress. He believes that with the unremitting pursuit of meeting the needs of material life and the continuous improvement of consumption level, it will inevitably lead to the development of nature, thus promoting the progress of science and technology. So he came to such a conclusion: "If you take the overall situation into consideration and immerse yourself in civilization for a long time, then you must immerse yourself in civilization for a long time." Zhang Taiyan also said: "extravagance will lead to daily loss, loss will lead to daily competition, and competition will lead to daily results. This is the reason for the restoration of weapons and the way to save yourself." This is to look at extravagance and waste from the perspective of competition and take it as a way to solve social problems. Zhang Taiyan even regarded luxury as the reason of handicraft industry: "It is luxury that makes everything possible." Zhang Taiyan's statement is not without discussion, but he does illustrate the internal relationship between extravagance and handicraft development.

Yan Fu also explicitly criticized the concept of advocating thrift. China and Turkey used to say that thrift should be respected and education should stop. Therefore, although the people's diet is extremely poor, they are willing, but they never think it is not enough ... The more people eat, the hungrier their country is. Although the cover is rich, the industry is useless. " However, Yan Fu only criticized the negative aspects of advocating frugality, and did not completely deny frugality, not to mention going to the other extreme, taking luxury as the driving force for development. Yan Fu clearly criticized the views of Tan Sitong and Liang Qichao. He pointed out: "Taoism regards thrift as a treasure, otherwise! He is a contemporary, and he hates and scoffs at his words. I don't know why he is based on them. Smith said frugality is the parent of a group. Although thrift is not enough. Those who are more expensive than frugality, thrifty to raise, thrifty to be born. If he doesn't raise or have children, he is just a thief of wealth. Wu can has the effect of enriching the country and strengthening the people! Or the cloud, extravagant and self-destructive, benefiting the people. This purpose is also discussed. What extravagant welfare benefits only a few families. As far as a group is concerned, it will be tired and tired. " Yan Fu emphasized that there is nothing wrong with the concept of thrift, which protects the existence of social groups. But if thrift is only used to hide wealth, not to create it, it will not play the role of enriching the country and strengthening the people, but will be harmful to society. Extravagance and waste are only beneficial to a few people in society, but not to the whole society, because it consumes the material basis for maintaining social existence. Yan Fu's luxury theory covers the positive factors of luxury theory since the Ming Dynasty, and draws lessons from the thought of the western thinker Smith, thus making a scientific evaluation, which can be said to be a summary of the traditional luxury theory.

To sum up, the luxury theory in Ming and Qing dynasties is closely related to the development of Ming and Qing society and the transformation of traditional values. Although their thoughts are scattered, unsystematic and even naive from today's perspective, they are the voices of historical "parties". Their serious thinking on extravagance, their deep concern for the present society and their bold questioning of traditional concepts are always worthy of admiration.