Gong Shi
| Gong Shi | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 宮市 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 宫市 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | the Emperor's purchasing | ||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Gōng Shì |
| Bopomofo | ㄍㄨㄥ ㄕˋ |
Gong Shi (Chinese: 宮市; pinyin: Gōng Shì) was a policy in ancient China during the period of Emperor Dezong (Chinese: 唐德宗) and Emperor Shunzong (Chinese: 唐順宗) of the Tang dynasty in which the emperor would send eunuchs to civilian markets to purchase goods by force at very low prices. This system was abolished by Reformists led by Wang Shuwen (Chinese: 王叔文) under the rule of Emperor Shunzong.
Researches published by City University of Hong Kong and Fudan University show that the earliest record of Gong Shi can be traced back to 707, according to two biographic sketches of Emperor Zhongzong (Chinese: 唐中宗). At first, the Gong Shi was merely certain kind of imperial entertainment, until the period of the Emperor Xuanzong (Chinese: 唐玄宗), when the entertainment tended to become a commercial practice adopted to serve the need of the palace.
Before the Zhenyuan (Chinese: 貞元) period of the reign of Emperor Dezong, if the palace required supplies, then the officials responsible for procurement would settle the bill immediately after a purchase. Originally these officials were called The Envoy of Imperial purchasing (Chinese: 內中市買使; pinyin: nèizhōng shìmǎi shǐ), but later they were renamed the Envoy of Emperor's purchasing (Chinese: 宮市使; pinyin: gōngshì shǐ).
At that time, the purchase and management of charcoal, which was the main fuel for the imperial household, was part of the daily operations of the whole palace in the Tang dynasty. Various officials were appointed to act as The Envoy of Charcoal Purchasing (Chinese: 木炭使; pinyin: mùtàn shǐ). At first, the eunuchs were simply The Envoys of Emperor's purchasing, whose responsibility did not include buying charcoal, but this changed as the eunuchs' power increased during a period which saw power struggles among the officials of court, and the role of The Envoy of Charcoal Purchasing slowly merged with their existing duties. Charcoal was only one commodity among many that were plundered by the government using the Gong Shi practice.
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Wikipedia