Nearly all villages in Weihaiwei have certain police regulations which are made and promulgated by the local elders. They possess, of course, no legal sanction, though they are frequently brought to the British magistrates for approval and to be stamped with an official seal. They consist of lists of punishable offences, and the penalties attached to them: the money fines being imposed by the village or clan elders, and applied by them to local uses. There is a good deal of variety among these village regulations or ts'un kuei in respect of penalties, though the punishable offences are everywhere much the same. They always repay inspection, for they throw an interesting light on the local morality and the views held by the leaders of public opinion as to the relative seriousness of different classes of misdemeanours. A written copy of the ts'un kuei is usually kept in the family Ancestral Temple or in the headman's house. The following is a translation of one of these documents:

"1. Trampling on or desecrating graves or
allowing domestic animals to desecrate graves
in the ancestral burial-ground10 tiao.[100]
2. Usurping portions of the common pasture
land (mu niu ch'ang) or ploughing up
portions thereof5 tiao.
3. Removing fuel from private land without
permission, and cutting willows and uprooting
shrubs and trees3 tiao.
4. Allowing mules, ponies, pigs, sheep, or
other animals to feed on private ground
without the owner's permission3 tiao.
5. Stealing crops5 tiao.
6. Stealing manure from private gardens3 tiao.
7. Moving boundary-stones5 tiao.
8. Obstructing or blocking the right of way
to the common pasture land5 tiao.

If any of the above offences are committed at night-time, the punishment is Expulsion from the Village.

If any person having committed any of these offences declares that he will die rather than pay his fine, let him be conveyed to the magistrate.

The following are exempted from punishment as being irresponsible for their actions and deserving of compassion: children under twelve, dumb people, and imbeciles."

"1. Trampling on or desecrating graves or
allowing domestic animals to desecrate graves
in the ancestral burial-ground10 tiao.[100]
2. Usurping portions of the common pasture
land (mu niu ch'ang) or ploughing up
portions thereof5 tiao.
3. Removing fuel from private land without
permission, and cutting willows and uprooting
shrubs and trees3 tiao.
4. Allowing mules, ponies, pigs, sheep, or
other animals to feed on private ground
without the owner's permission3 tiao.
5. Stealing crops5 tiao.
6. Stealing manure from private gardens3 tiao.
7. Moving boundary-stones5 tiao.
8. Obstructing or blocking the right of way
to the common pasture land5 tiao.

Very serious offences, such as housebreaking, violent assault, homicide, and offences against morality are not mentioned in the ts'un kuei, as neither Chinese nor British law would recognise the power of the villagers to take upon themselves the punishment of such crimes. The very prevalent vice of gambling is sometimes but not always punishable under the kuei. It occupies a conspicuous place in the kuei published by the East and West villages of Ch'ü-chia-chuang, of which the following is a translation:

"1. Gambling:
(a) The owner of the house where
gambling takes place to be fined30 tiao.
(b) Each gambler to be fined5 tiao.
(c) Persons of the village who gamble
outside the village, but within
the limits of the village lands, to
be fined2 tiao.
(d) Gamblers under fifteen years of
age to be fined2 tiao.
2. Any person who unlawfully digs up his
neighbor's grass and shrubs, to be fined500 cash.[101]
3. Any person who steals manure from
private gardens, if the offence is committed
in daytime, to be fined500 cash.
4. The perpetrator of the same offence, if
it is committed at night, to be fined2 tiao.
5. Any person who steals crops from the
fields or vegetables or fruit from private
gardens, if he is adult, to be fined3 tiao.
6. Any child who commits the same offence,
to be fined200 cash.

The above Rules have been made by the whole Village in council, and must be obeyed by every one, irrespective of age and sex. If any offender refuses to pay his fine the headman and elders will report him to the magistrate, who will be asked to inflict punishment."

"1. Gambling:
(a) The owner of the house where
gambling takes place to be fined30 tiao.
(b) Each gambler to be fined5 tiao.
(c) Persons of the village who gamble
outside the village, but within
the limits of the village lands, to
be fined2 tiao.
(d) Gamblers under fifteen years of
age to be fined2 tiao.
2. Any person who unlawfully digs up his
neighbor's grass and shrubs, to be fined500 cash.[101]
3. Any person who steals manure from
private gardens, if the offence is committed
in daytime, to be fined500 cash.
4. The perpetrator of the same offence, if
it is committed at night, to be fined2 tiao.
5. Any person who steals crops from the
fields or vegetables or fruit from private
gardens, if he is adult, to be fined3 tiao.
6. Any child who commits the same offence,
to be fined200 cash.

The following is a translation of a similar document in which the penalties imposed are somewhat light; but in this case the kuei are of ancient date and the tiao was worth a great deal more than at present.

"1. GamblingFine levied according
to circumstances.
2. Cutting trees and shrubs1 tiao.
3. Stealing crops1 tiao.
4. Gleaning in the harvest-fields without
permission1 tiao.
5. Feeding cattle in a neighbour's field
after harvest1 tiao.
6. Uprooting grass and shrubs500 cash.
7. Climbing over private walls and
stealing manure or removing soil500 cash.
8. Stealing fuel at night5 tiao.
9. Stealing silk-worms or cocoonsFine levied according
to circumstances.
10. Knocking down chestnuts with sticks500 cash.
11. Allowing dogs to go on the ts'an ch'ang
(silk-worm feeding-ground) and eat the
silk-worms[102]500 cash.

Headmen and elders who are found guilty of any of the above offences will incur double the specified penalty.

If doubtful[103] characters enter the village and create a disturbance, the heads of all the families will hold a meeting to decide what is to be done with them."

"1. GamblingFine levied according
to circumstances.
2. Cutting trees and shrubs1 tiao.
3. Stealing crops1 tiao.
4. Gleaning in the harvest-fields without
permission1 tiao.
5. Feeding cattle in a neighbour's field
after harvest1 tiao.
6. Uprooting grass and shrubs500 cash.
7. Climbing over private walls and
stealing manure or removing soil500 cash.
8. Stealing fuel at night5 tiao.
9. Stealing silk-worms or cocoonsFine levied according
to circumstances.
10. Knocking down chestnuts with sticks500 cash.
11. Allowing dogs to go on the ts'an ch'ang
(silk-worm feeding-ground) and eat the
silk-worms[102]500 cash.