COMMUNITY COMPACT SYSTEM 719
cius, he argued that moral principles could not bc successfully inculcated if the
people were destitute.^27
Cho H(Jn and the Ming Model, I574After his return from an embassy to Ming China in 1574, Cho Han, who had
been a student of T'oegyc and San Hun, submitted a report extolling the com-
munity compacts in China. Hc reported that he had seen them in every village
west of Shan-hai-kuan, and that in the Fu-ling area of Manchuria the three lead-
ing officials of the community compact were given an audience with the dis-
trict magistrate twice a month where they each "prostrated themselves once,
knocked their heads on the ground three times," and listened to the magistrate
read the Ming Emperor T'ai-tsu 's Six Edicts issued in 1397. Then they returned
to their village and repeated the lecture to the compact memhers.The Instructions were all about filial piety and obedience to parents. respect for
elders, harmony and friendship for neighbors in the village. moral instruction
for sons and grandsons. diligent effort in agriculture and sericulture. and avoid-
ing unrighteous acts - instructions that Emperor rai-tsu of the Ming had deter-
mined [at the beginning of the Ming dynasty]. Even though the details did not
include the Lii-Family Community Contract. the outline was simple and easy for
the common people to understand. so that all of them believed it and many in the
villages would write moral slogans on the walls or recite them to one another for
practice. That is why even though there were many disputes and fights among
fathers and sons, elder and younger brothers, they could not hear to divide their
families over thern.,gCho noted that hecause ofthe community compact's role in moral instruction
women avoided promiscuity, and on New Year's day, the winter solstice, and
[Imperial'?J birthdays even the poorest villagers living in small huts honored their
family heads by prostrating themselves four times before them. Even slaves
bowed to one another when meeting on the road. During weddings the princi-
ples all greeted their relatives personally, and both men and women of all ages
wore white at funerals and remained in that garb for a month. Even four-year
old children knew how to kowtow and knock their heads on the ground, and not
even the runners dared to let their hair grow long in unkempt fashion. When
standing they all stood erect with their hands clasped and feet lined up neatly.
This kind of behavior was typical of all southern Manchuria, demonstrating that
despite the legacy of barbarian customs that had prevailed there for over a thou-
sand years, the region had become enlightened under the Great Ming court.
Even though Korea was known as "the land of rites and righteousness," in
recent years moral standards had declined, fathers neglected instructing their
sons, sons had lost respect for their fathers or elder brothers. husbands could
not control their wives, wives showed no obedience to their husbands, and vil-