Another enrichment to the teaching of Confucius that Mencius had made is his exposition on the essentials of humane governance

and the political economy. Apart from elucidating the humane principles of government already laid down by Confucius, he also ventured to suggest that the only way to guarantee a decent livelihood for the people is to adopt the wellfield agricultural-tax system as practiced during the Zhou Dynasty. Doing so would encourage productivity and social harmony, development of arts and crafts, free flow of goods and people, leading eventually to a prosperous and strong state. Furthermore, he also had something to say about foreign policy.
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Mencius on

Humane Governance and the Political Economy

An excerpt from The Six Patriarchs of Chinese Humanism Author: Peter M.K. Chan All rights reserved
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Let us begin with what Mencius said to king Shuan of the State of Chi -- one of the states during the Warring State Period: The way you regulate the livelihood of the people has not allowed enough for them to take care of their parents, wife and children. They suffer even in good years, and cannot escape death during bad ones. All they can do is try to avoid death and fear for their lives. There is no time for them to cultivate propriety and righteousness. (
Ibid.)

It is important to keep in mind that without a steady livelihood, people would not feel secure in their mind. If they are not secure in their mind, there is nothing they would not do by way of depraved and evil acts. To follow up and punish them after they committed their crimes is a kind of entrapment. No humane ruler would entrap people in this way. (

 Ibid. Chapter 1) This is the reason why an

enlightened ruler had to regulate the livelihood of his people so that they will have enough to support their parents as well as their wife and children. After he ensures that they can eat to the full in good years and not having to starve in bad ones, he would guide the people toward what is good, so that they will find instructions easy to follow. (
Ibid.)

Hence, if your Majesty really wants to bring this about, you must revert back to basics. If you allow mulberry trees to be planted in plots of five mou (about one acre), people over fifty would be able to wear silk. If all were allowed to have livestock and breed them at the proper time, people over seventy would be able to eat meat. If the fields are cultivated in the proper seasons, a family of eight that lives off one hundred mou will not go hungry. (
Ibid.)

Further, pay careful attention to education. If you teach them about the righteousness of filial piety and fraternity, folks with gray hair will no longer have to carry heavy loads on the streets. When the elderly have silk to wear and meat to eat, and peasants are neither hungry nor cold, be rest assured that he who is king will always be king. (
Ibid.)

In short, take care of the people, and no one will be able to oppose you. Say and do what is on your mind and take the interest of others into consideration. That is also to say, extend compassion for the benefit of all within the four seas. If compassion is not extended, you would have nothing to protect your own wife and children. The reason why the ancients (sage-kings) were able to surpass their competitors was none other than this: they

promoted goodness with what they did, and nothing more. (

Ibid. Chapter 1)

Part of what that entails is to recruit the virtuous and employ the capable. When the virtuous and capable are put into official positions, there will be plenty of time and opportunity to improve administrative procedures and penal codes, thus putting even the larger states in awe. (
Ibid. Chapter 1)

Another thing to note is that if a ruler regards his ministers as his hands and feet, his ministers will regard him as their body and mind. If a ruler regards his ministers as dogs and horses, his ministers will regard him as any other man. If a ruler regards his ministers as dirt and grass, his ministers will regard him as a ruthless bandit. (
Ibid. Chapter 8)

And there is one more thing. Listen to public opinion. When all your ministers say that a man is worthy, it is not sufficient. When all your officers say so, it is still not sufficient. But when all your people say so, look into the case. And if you find him to be worthy, employ him. Similarly, when all your ministers say that a man is no good, do not just listen to them. When all your officers also say so, do not just listen to them. But when all your people say so, look into the case; and if you find him to be no good, dismiss him. Likewise, when all your ministers say that a man should be executed, do not just listen to them. When all your great officers also say so, do not just listen to them. But when all the people say so, look into the case. And if you find that the person should indeed be executed, execute him. Only in this way can a ruler become the father and mother of the people. (

 Ibid. Chapter 2)

To sum up, said Mencius, if your majesty governs by extending humaneness, all the intellectuals in the world will want to serve in your court; and all the farmers will want to cultivate your land. Beyond that, all the merchants will want to store their goods in your marketplaces; all the travelers will want to go by your roads, and all the people who hate their rulers will want to come to you. No one can stop people for what they want to do. (
Ibid. Chapter 1)

Lets take a few moments to solidify Menciuss main points. (a) As Confucius before him, Mencius was very much aware that the foundation of political power is peoples livelihood. As he put it upon another occasion to king Huei of the State of Leung: The way according to which the people conduct their lives is this. Those who have a secure livelihood will have a secure mind. If the livelihood of the people is not secured, it is not possible to secure their mind. And if they do not feel secure in their minds, there is nothing they would not do by way of immorality.
( Ibid. Chapter 5) To prevent that from happening, if you stop

interfering with the timing of farmers, there will be more grain than people can eat. If fine-mesh nets are kept out of ponds and lakes, there will also be more fish than people can consume. If logging is regulated on a seasonal basis, there will be more wood than people can use. Now, if there is more grain and fish than people can eat, and more wood than people can use, they would have the means to nourish their lives and mourn their dead without remorse. Allowing the people to nourish their lives and mourn their dead without remorse is the beginning of true kingship. (

 Ibid. Chapter 1)

(b) No government can afford to neglect education. As he put it: Without education, even when people are well fed, warmly clothed, and comfortably lodged; they are still not very different from animals. ( Ibid.) The sage (of old) worried about this, and appointed Chieh to be minister of education so as to teach people about human relations: that father and son should be affectionate; that ruler and minister should be righteousness; that husband and wife should have separate functions; that old and young should have their proper roles, and that there should be faithfulness between friends. (
Ibid.) This is why institutions and schools were

established to teach and enlighten the people about human relations. (

Ibid.)

(c) To govern humanely is to govern in the interest of the people. This is also the only way toward making the state strong. As he further said to king Huei of the State of Leung: Should your majesty wish to govern the people with humaneness, simplify your penal code, tax lightly, and allow the people to plow their fields deep and hoe them well. In this way, the strong and healthy would be able to find time to cultivate filial piety, sibling affection, loyalty, and sincerity. If they do this, they will be able to serve their fathers and elder brothers when they come home, as well as serving their superiors when they go out. That would enable your state to hold its own against the hard armor and sharp weapons of both Chin and Chor (the two top contending states of the Warring State Period). (
Ibid.)

(d) Public administration is an urgent and hand-on business. As he put it: The business of (attending to) the people is not to be

delayed. ( Ibid. Chapter 5) Respect the worthy and employ the capable. By putting talented people in key positions, all intellectuals in the realm will be pleased, and will want to become members of your court. ( Ibid. Chapter 3) However, do not become light in the ears to the opinion of courtiers, but listen to public opinion. Now, for what Mencius had also come to see, a virtuous king that respects his people should take from the people according to regulations. ( Ibid Chapter 5) But the biggest problem with the governments of his day was that they all took too much from the people. There is tax on hemp and silk; there is tax on grain; and there is tax on manpower. A ruler should only use one of these and let go of the other two. Even if only two of these taxes were imposed, there would still be starvation among the people. To impose all three will surely tear families apart. ( ; Ibid. Chapter 14) As one of his associates also pointed out, the amount of tax levied was usually calculated by taking the average of several years. This is not a problem during prosperous years when grains lie about in abundance, and such a tax is not oppressive because the percentage taken is small. But in bad years, when proceeds are not enough even to fertilize the fields, the amount taxed would leave everyone without a surplus. (
Ibid.)

It was for this very reason that Mencius had to suggest to the Duke of the State of Teng that the agricultural-tax system known during the Zhou Dynasty as the well-field system should be reintroduced. As to how such an agricultural system is to be set up, this is what Mencius said: Divide a square piece of land of nine hundred mou (about one hundred and forty acres) into nine equal squares, and designate the central square as public field to be cultivated jointly by eight

families. Each of these families will get to own one of the other eight squares of one hundred mou (about fifteen acres). The families involved would be required to work on the public field first before they can attend to their own. This is the basic idea of the system. (
Ibid.)

Further, for a humane government to implement this system properly, it must begin by defining the boundary of land. If the boundaries are not correctly defined and the divisions of land in this well-field system are not equal, the produce obtained there from (by each of the farming families) would become inequitable. ( Ibid.) It is by defining the boundaries of land correctly that entitlements can be rendered automatic. (
Ibid.)

As Mencius was also eager to point out, one advantage of implementing this nine-and-one tax system in the countryside is that it is roughly equivalent to levying one-tenth of proceeds in the central districts. ( Ibid.) Another is that for not having to pay additional tax (other than their contribution to the public field), all the farmers in the world will be pleased, and would want to till your land. ( Ibid. Chapter 3) And that is before saying that people in the countryside will become attached to their well-fields as much as they do to their village. That being the case, people belonging to the same nine squares are bound to become friendly to each other in their coming in and going out. They will also help one another to keep watch, and sustain each other in sickness. In this way, human relations would become affectionate and harmonious. (
Ibid. Chapter 5)

Another big plus, said Mencius, is that when things are up and running, those who are not needed in the fields could become different kinds of artisans. ( Ibid.)

Because of these various artisans, the needs of everyone will also be met. It should be observed that if everyone must make everything for his own use, it would cause the whole world to run about on roads. ( Ibid.) This is why it is said that while some must labor with their minds, others must labor with their bodies. Whereas those who labor with their minds will govern others, those who are governed by others must support those who govern, i.e., those who govern must be supported by those whom they govern. This is a principle well accepted in the world. (
Ibid.)

Furthermore, as he also told the Duke, it should also be observed that when no rent is charged nor levies imposed on those who work in the market places, all merchants in the world want to stock and trade in your markets. At the borders, if only inspections are made without tariffs, all the travelers in the world will also want to travel on your roads. And if no levy is imposed on all strangers in your market places, everyone in the world will be glad to become your subject. (
. Ibid. Chapter 3)

Comment: As readers can see, what is before our eyes is nothing lese than an economic blueprint that few would disagree even today. There is emphasis on the importance of having property rights clearly defined. There is recommendation for a low tax regime. There is suggestion for a free trade system. Coming from as long ago as more than two thousand years ago, it is indeed impressive. It is here that I would like to point out that had Mencius been listened to in the middle decades of the 20th century, China would not have to import the idea of agricultural communes from the Soviet Union with all the disastrous consequences that came with it. Nor would it need to have the courage of Teng Shia Ping and his associates to intervene and put things right. Let me also say that in view of Chinas current pursuit for a harmonious socialist market economy, involving

extensive agricultural reforms, lowering import tax to meet WTO targets, repealing tax on agricultural land, offering educational subsidies for the poor in rural areas, and targeting for a nine-year free schooling system for all is actually rather close to what Mencius had in mind. And of course, the attempt to listen more attentively to the people and weed out corruption within government itself is what Mencius would also like to see.

Now, nostalgia aside, lets return to the first meeting between Mencius and king Shuan of the State of Chi with which this Section began. The last topic that Mencius expounded upon was on matters concerning foreign policy. This is what he said. The world may fear your power, but if you keep trying to expand your boundary and do not practice humane government, it would motivate all the armies in the world to rise up against you. (
Ibid. Chapter 2)

What this means is that the state of Yen (a neighboring and contending state) is to be occupied only if its people like it. This was the way of King Wu (of the Zhou Dynasty). But if its people are against you, do not occupy it. This was the way of King Wen (also of the Zhou Dynasty). (
Ibid.)

Note should also be taken that when a major state of ten thousand chariots attacks another and its armies are greeted by the people with gifts of food and drink, it is only due to the fact that they want to get out of their awful circumstances. But if what the people see is hotter fire and deeper water, they will surely resist.
( Ibid.) Under such circumstances,

immediate orders should be given to release all captives and stop using violence. Confer with the people (of Yen), appoint a ruler for them, and leave. That is to say, just do what is possible and then stop. (
Ibid.)

It goes without saying that the above foreign policy statement is something that major powers of the world today should also lean forward and take note.
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Peter M.K. Chan is the author of The Mystery of Mind (published 2003), and Soul, God, and Morality (published 2004). Recently, he has also competed any work titled The Six Patriarchs of Chinese Humanism (copyrighted and available in ebooks, but not yet in print). For details regarding the above, please visit http://sites.google.com/site/pmkchan/home http://sites.google.com/site/patriarchsofchinesephilosophy/home http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4267121
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