豪彊是阻礙漢帝國集權政治的社會力量。就其性質言，豪彊有濃厚的地域色彩和 違法的意味。本文試從打擊地方勢力的角度來探討西漢中期 (140-49 B. C.) 的豪疆問題。 筆者不同意漢帝國以豪彊為地方領袖之說，相反，中央政府一方面打擊豪彊，以達消弭地方 勢力的目的，另方面培植縣鄉三老、有秩嗇夫、游徼為地方領袖，利用他們作為上情下達的 中介人物，使帝國的控馭力滲透到縣以下的基層社會。

　　　　　Hao-ch'iang, usually translated as local magnates, were powerful persons in both prefectures and communities. The Han documents indicated that hao-ch'iang always engaged in illegal activities and encroached upon the central authority. Therefore it is hard to conclude that the Han Empire would treat them as community leaders, or as middle-men between the ruling machine and the common people. First, this research explains hao-ch'iang as a kind of local leaders that the Han government wanted to eliminate from the society. Second, the Han government tried to expand its influence to the roots of the society by appointing san-lao, who were elders and semi-officials in the prefecture and district communities, to transmit government edicts and to make known to the higher authorities the public opinions and situation at the lower echelons of the society. Third, this research attempts to explore the social influence of hao-ch'iang in local societies and measures being taken by the Han government against the illegal activities of these hao-ch'iang.