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Guan Zhong (; c. 720–645 BC) was a Chinese philosopher and politician. He served as chancellor and was a reformer of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. (2025). 9780547005348, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547005348 His given name was Yiwu (). Zhong was his courtesy name. He is mainly remembered for his reforms as chancellor under Duke Huan of Qi, as well as his friendship with his colleague Bao Shuya, though his reputation remained controversial among the Confucius, as detailed in the appraisal section.
Through Guan Zhong's reforms and skilful diplomacy Qi became the most powerful of the feudal states and Duke Huan became the first of the Five Hegemons. Though knowledge of his reforms is limited, in particular he instituted a famous fiscal policy known as "balancing the light and the heavy", associated with salt and iron monopolies.Ricket, Guanzi (1985) p.9 Otherwise a diverse work, the Guanzi compilation making use of his name makes similar such recommendations.Ricket, Guanzi (1985) p.3
In 686 BC, Duke Xiang was murdered in a palace coup by two of his ministers, who then installed Gongsun Wuzhi, a scion of the ducal house, as the new Duke. Recognising that they were in mortal danger, both Prince Jiu and Prince Xiaobai fled with their respective tutors. Prince Jiu fled to the State of Lu, while Prince Xiaobai went to the State of Ju.
Eventually, Xiaobai won the race back to Qi, and was installed as Duke. The State of Lu attempted to enforce Prince Jiu's claim, but was defeated in battle, after which Qi forced Lu to execute Prince Jiu and send Guan Zhong back as a prisoner. Xiaobai originally wanted to execute Guan Zhong as well, but Bao Shuya strongly recommended sparing him and elevating him to chancellor, even though that meant he would outrank Bao himself. Xiaobai was eventually convinced.
Administratively, the capital was divided into 21 districts: six of merchants, which provided the Qi state's trade revenue, and fifteen of attendants, which provided the core of the Qi army. Similarly, the population outside the capital was organised: 30 households were formed into one village, 10 villages as one troop, 10 troops as one district, 3 districts as one county, and counties grouped into five regions. Administrators were appointed at every level, with the regional administrators reporting on their jurisdictions to the Duke every year.
Economically, Guan Zhong disbanded the well-field system instituted since the Zhou dynasty; instead, all land was to be taxed according to its productivity. At the same time, Qi's coastal position was exploited through the expansion of fisheries and salt production, while trade was encouraged through certain privileges. For instance, people bearing goods to market on foot, and carriages arriving empty at markets to make purchases, were not subject to tolls; this encouraged the use of the state-managed markets.
Guan Zhong wrote that because taxation would reduce the people's wealth and make them dislike the government, it was better to obtain revenue by monopolizing the sale of salt, iron, forest products, and ore. Thus, these "goods of the mountains and seas" (namely iron and salt) should be state managed. Similarly, a price-regulation scheme existed for food, with granaries buying grain in bounty years to be released into the market in lean years. Finally, coinage was also unified to encourage trade within Qi.
He is said to have indulged in a luxurious lifestyle, and did not equate a ruler's moral purity with his ability to govern. Duke Huan, who loved hunting and women, asked Guan if these indulgences would harm his hegemony, to which Guan replied that the ruler's love for luxury would not harm his hegemony. It would only be harmed through inappropriate staffing and misuse of talent. One passage "recounts" Confucius as considering him "mediocre" for his lack of frugality and knowledge of ritual.
Despite all this, he might be considered, "at least in most respects" an "ideal Confucian minister".Ricket, Guanzi (1985) p.10 Guan Zhong is reported to have advised Duke Huan: 'Summon the wavering with courtesy and cherish the remote with virtuous conduct. So long as your virtuous conduct and courtesy never falter, there will be no one who does not cherish you.'" When Duke Huan was approached to dethrone the ruling clans of his state, Guan Zhong advised him that he had won their adherence through politeness ( li) and trustworthiness ( xin).
When Confucius's students criticized Guan Zhong as lacking propriety, crediting his ambition and achievement Confucius said of him that "It was due to Guan Zhong that Duke Huan was able to assemble the feudal lords on numerous occasions without resorting to the use of his war chariots. Such was his goodness! ... Through having Guan Zhong as his minister Duke Huan became protector over the feudal lords. He brought unity and order to the entire realm so that even today people enjoy his gifts to them ... I am afraid that without Guan Zhong we would be folding our lapels right-over-left (Hanfu customarily is folded left-over-right)."
The students of Confucius also posted a question whether Guan Zhong followed Ren (Confucian humaneness) or not. However, in pre-Qin period, "Ren" has a distinctive utilitarian definition. Hence, from this standpoint, Guan Zhong followed "Ren".
During his term of office, the State of Qi became much stronger. The Zuo Zhuan records that in 660 BC, Guan Zhong urged Duke Huan of Qi to attack the small neighboring State of Xing which was under attack from Quanrong nomads, a non-Chinese Rong tribes.Ebrey, Patricia, Anne Walthall, and James Palais. Pre-Modern East Asia To 1800. A Cultural, Social and Political History, Second Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Later, in 652 BC he advised the duke not to ally with a vassal ruler's son who wished to depose his father. Duke Huan often listened to Guan Zhong's sound advice such that his status amongst other Zhou vassal states rose. As a result, the duke came to be recognized as the first Five Hegemons or leader of the vassal alliance.
In recognition of Guan Zhong's service, Duke Huan gave him the honorary title of "Godfather" (仲父). The same title was later given to Lü Buwei by Prince Zheng, the future Qin Shi Huang.
He believed that monopolizing the nature resources was helpful on improving the government income, with fewer complaints from the public than raising taxes. The strategy was described by himself to the Duke of Huan as "managing the mountain and the sea（官山海)", which mainly refers to iron mine from the mountain and salt from the sea. Under his policy, private business who produce salt by boiling seawater and iron by mining must sell all outputs to the government, and the government resell refined salt and iron products, with huge price gap, to all household in State of Qi.
Historians usually credit Guan Zhong for introducing state monopolies controlling salt and iron.
Some historians marked Qi-Hengshan War the early form of Economic Warfare.Chu L. Guan Zhong's Economics War, Military Economics Research (China), 1991.
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