Chen Jiru: A Case Study Of The Common Practices Of The Late Ming Schollar

Chen Jiru,born in Huating of Songjiang,was among the most famous scholarly gentryin the late Ming Dynasty. After his first failure of provincial examination,combined withthe malpractice of Late Ming's imperial examination system,the influence of WangYangming's doctrine,the regional tradition of Songjiang,and his familily and personalreasons,Chen Jiru was determined to quit the imperial examination,living a leisurely andrecluse life and writing proses. At the same time,in order to make a living,he remained tobe a tutor in the literati and officialdom's families,traveling throughout the country. He hadintimate association with many of the literati and officialdom and was related to variousliterary schools,which made him famous and highly regarded by people of his era. Hebecame almost the leader in the literary circle. However,after Chen Jiru's death,thecomments made on him varied. From Qianlong onwards,people in the Qing Dynastycriticized Chen Jiru a lot,which was represented by Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao andLinchuan Dreams. Chen Jiru began to be regarded as a representative of "Shanren"insteadof the previous famous leader in the literary field,which showed the characteristic of theQing Dynasty and reflected that the academic thinking of Qing was shifting towardsseriousness. Although Chen Jiru quitted the imperial examination,he was deeply concernedwith the practical administration of the earthly world,including the relief offamines,innovations of tax and requisitioned service and the strengthening of coastaldefense for the sake of Songjiang's security. All those things he did established him as oneof the regional elite and a social leader. Through correspondence,he kept aware of thecurrent politics and did much in improving the society,which made him almost a grandcouncilor out of the court. On the base of past study on Chen Jiru in the academic field.This thesis put emphasis on the historic epoch in which Chen lived. By comparing ChenJiru with the Donglin members,this thesis illustrates what the "Juanzhe" and the gentry outof the court did in the late Ming Dynasty. Chen Jiru's complex status shows not only thetension between the education improvement and the government system,but also a trend ofthe gentry's estrangement from the state in ancient China.