Military Bigwigs And Gentry Level Of Henan Province In Ming Dynasty

According to folk history documents such as local chronicle, anthology, epitaph and genealogy etc, this article investigates prominent families of Gui-de Prefecture of Henan Province in Ming Dynasty, and discusses regional control system of military bigwigs and gentry level, in order to reveal basic contradiction and evolution trend of Henan local society between Ming and Qing Dynasty. This thesis is divided into eight chapters, about 16 million words.Locating in the central plain, Gui-de Prefecture of Henan Province was used to be dragon arising of Song Dynasty and political-cultural center of China in Northern Song Dynasty, but it was seriously destroyed in Jin and Yuan periods. In order to strengthen rule of central plains region, Zhu Yuanzhang took a series of measures, such as reclaiming wasteland to immigrate, seting up Wei-so, which made Gui-de become a mixed migration society of military household and county people. However, because of Yellow River flood and ineqality of taxes and corvee, a large number of households in lijia went bankrupt, land centralization was increasingly serious, and military bigwigs who have hereditary privileges dominated in local society.Because of reform of taxes and corvee and clearance of wasteland in Mid-Ming Dynasty, political privileges of military bigwigs were restricted. Meanwhile, a multitude descendants of military households gradually became prominent families centered around gentry level via imperial examination, and established regional control system of gentry level, which led to many negative effects in Late Ming Dynasty. In order to alleviate social contradictions, enlightened gentry represented by ShenLi LuKun and YangDongMing, advocated pragmatic thought of practical principle, and devoted to local practice for reconstructing social order, but the social problems led by prominent families abusing privileges had not been really resolved.Vicious expansion of official family's force made social contradictions of Gui-de very sharp in Late Ming Dynasty. In Peasants' Uprising of Late Ming Dynasty, people at all levels fighted against official families. Meanwhile, ruling class produced internal identity crisis, and local elites and bandits tangled each other, which finally led to thorough shock of prominent families and disintegration of control system of gentry level.In process of social reconstruction in Early Qing Dynasty, prominent families of Gui-de Prefecture attempted to comeback and maintain regional control system of gentry level. However, reform of taxes and corvee and limitation of gentry power in YongZheng Reign made privileges of prominent families and gentry level gradually deprived. After Mid-Qing Dynasty, control system of gentry level in Gui-de Prefecture was disintegrated completely, and folk society didn't form effective self-management system, so it was difficult to maintain stable social order. All these provided deep social base for Nian Army, bandit and the Red Spears of Modern Times.Prominent families of Gui-de Prefecture in Ming Dynasty were social power group which had been formed in ecological environment of Yellow River Flood and effective intervention of state power. Prominent families centered around military bigwigs and gentry level were different from folk clan organizations of South China, which showed a special development formation of Henan local society.