Men of letters within the passes: Guanzhong literati from the tenth to eighteenth centuries (China)

This dissertation traces chronologically the changes in the historical experiences of the Guanzhong literati from the tenth to the eighteenth centuries. In particular, the discussion is centered on how the literati's perception of the relationships between national and local identities, "official" and "unofficial" realms, and central and regional government changed over time.; The long time-span is further divided into three periods, namely, the Five Dynasties--Northern Song, the Jin-Yuan--early Ming, and the mid Ming--high Qing. In the first period, Guanzhong literati experienced "a new beginning" when admission to this privileged class was now determined not by pedigree as it was before but by ones learning and education. Also, what many historians would call "local elite" had assumed central role on the historical stage by this time. This phenomenon would remain so until the eighteenth century.; Yet, the literati's view on the abovementioned relationships changed from period to period. In the first period, there were signs showing that some form of local consciousness was beginning to take shape. Also, Guanzhong literati called for a recognition of an extra-bureaucratic space where "unofficial" elite could assume the leadership role in the local community. They generally assumed that the local society could be most effectively governed under the collaboration of the state and the "unofficial" elite. Moreover, while Guanzhong literati generally thought that the regional government should be given enough liberty to carry out their regular duties without the direct command from the central government, they still saw the court as the ultimate political authority.; In the second period, Guanzhong literati became nationally and "officially" orientated as well as court-centered. Guanzhong as a locale was irrelevant to their self-definition and many saw being incorporated into the bureaucracy as the ultimate goal. Also, they believed that the state should remain an undifferentiated whole and the court was where the transformation of the world should begin.; In the third period, both local consciousness and public-spiritedness became strong, and the state, and even the court, was seen as fragmented. As such, many perceived the local officials not only as agents of the state, but also as advocates of local interest.