74

THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE

titles  and  boundaries  on  every  transfer  of  land  ;  and  the
fees  and  gratuities  from  this,  and  the  power  over  his  fellowvillagers
  given  by  the  other  duties  of  the  post,  endow  the
Tipao  with  so  much  local  importance,  that  the  old  communal ­
  theory  is  lost  to  a  great  extent,  and  the  appointment
is  often  in  practice  a  matter  of  purchase.
The  town  is  considered  a  collection  of  villages,  being
divided  into  chia,  “  wards,”  each  with  its  Tipao,  whose
duties  are  the  same  as  those  of  his  country  colleague.  The
town  has,  however,  its  commercial  questions,  but  these
are  almost,  if  not  quite,  invariably  settled  by  the  Guild
concerned,  in  accordance  with  guild  rules,  and  are  seldom
brought  to  the  cognisance  of  the  officials.
Of  the  relations  between  town  and  country  it  may  D®
said  that  the  interests  of  the  countryman,  peaceful  and
law-abiding,  are  sacrificed  to  those  of  the  town  dweller 5
rowdy  and  competitive.  The  direct  taxes,  land  tax  and
tribute,  are  assessed  on  rental  value  for  farming  land,  and
town  property  is  subjected  to  no  great  increase  from  thi 5
rating.  The  movement  of  food  supplies,  too,  is  prohibited
or  sanctioned,  not  according  to  the  interests  of  the  producing
farmer,  but  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  consuming  townsman

The  Army

The  military  organisation  of  the  Chinese  Empire  15
divided  into  two  branches,  the  Manchu  and  the  Chinese.

MANCHU  MILITARY  ORGANISATION

Dating  from  the  time  of  the  Manchu  conquest  during
the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Mand^
"  nation  in  arms  ”  has  been  divided  into  eight  “  Banners»
three  superior  and  five  inferior.  The  three  Superior  Banne fS
are  :  (i)  The  Bordered  Y  ellow  (yellow  being  the  color  0
the  Imperial  family)  ;  (ii)  The  Plain  Yellow  ;  and  (iii)  T^ e
Plain  White.  The  five  Inferior  Banners  are  :  (iv)  T^j
Bordered  White  ;  (v)  The  Plain  Red  ;  (vi)  The  Bordeé