A Study on the History of Local Administrative System in Qin Dynasty from the Archaeological Discovery of Maojiaping Site

The new important archaeological discovery of Maojiaping site, Gangu County, Gansu Province, especially the excavation of "Ziche" dagger-axe, shows that the early Qin Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn period had taken "initial counties" as the local administrative agencies controlling border areas. The "initial counties" in Qin Dynasty were not the same as later counties, but they had important political and military functions. The archaeological findings of Maojiaping site provide new data for the study of the history of the local administrative system in Qin Dynasty, and are of great value to the study of the origin of the ancient county system in China which has been a long-standing dispute.