方志作為一種文本，時常被簡單的當成過去留下來的地區性史料來使用；而方志作為一種文類，在方志學的討論中，也往往圍繞在方志起源的問題，以及如何評價其體例的完備與優劣等議題。本文則從方志的知識形式入手，一方面探討方志的知識策略，一方面分析它的政治文化效果。本文主張方志，特別是官府制式的方志，基本上是一種根據某些特定文化分類的官僚系統所支撐的知識形式，它透過一些客觀化的策略，將明清帝國的秩序觀與正統觀，隱藏在分類的事實記載之後。而這種整體性與結構性的呈現方式具有一種系統性的調節作用，可以讓一種外在的架構加諸於社會文化現象，並透過分類與命名達到模擬現實與塑造現實的效果。從十九世紀邊疆台灣的《噶瑪蘭廳志》，我們可以看到這本方志如何一方面無視新領地的文化差距，製造出可全面性掌握的知識分類；另一方面則開闢出新的門目來處理比較大的差異，並啟動文字考證來馴化新事物的意義。從這個角度來看，方志可以被視為一種製造並合理化中央與地方的不平等關係的一種統治技藝。

As a form of historical text, the Chinese local gazetteer, or fangzhi, has been widely used as a primary source containing various kinds of data waiting to be analyzed. As a literary genre, fangzhi is viewed by many historians as a "progressive" form of history, emerging from the simple accounts of the imperial court to become a comprehensive form of local history. Comparing various forms of content organization in order to establish certain criteria to evaluate gazetteers has become a major concern of many Chinese scholars. Contrary to previous approaches, this article proposes to treat fangzi first of all as a form of knowledge. The fangzhi was the product of certain strategies of knowledge, and it produced certain political-cultural effects. The form of fangzi, especially the standard form sanctioned by the imperial court, reflected a particular scheme of classification derived from the bureaucratic organization of Chinese government, which in turn was based on a cultural anatomy originating in the ancient classics. Through its various strategies of objectification, the fangzhi was able to convey the orthodox ideology ad impose an imperial