The Idea And Practice Of Banning The Luxurious Custom In South Of The Yangtze River During Ming-Qing Dynasty

After the middle period of Ming Dynasty, the luxurious custom prevailed in South of the Yangtze River. It disobeyed the Confucian etiquette. So the feudal officials and intellectuals were greatly concerned for the custom and engaged in eliminating the disadvantages of it. The paper bases on the reform from the feudal officials and intellectuals to explain that they attempted to push the Confucian etiquette to the folk by banning the luxurious custom and building up an ideal Confucian society. In the reform from the feudal officials, they mainly issued "JIALI"(《家礼》) to every district and issued bans by means of notice in order to keep the society stable and maintain the rank system. In the reform from the intellectuals, which was different from the feudal officials, they paid more attention to the practice of the Confucian etiquette, so that the reform could face the ordinary people more directly. So the process of the reform was from themselves, family and clan to village. The reform from the feudal officials and intellectuals was an interactional course. The compulsive restriction by government power and the moralization of intellectuals often worked together. The publicized process of Confucian etiquette inevitably conflicted with folk custom, which reflects that the Confucian society rebounded upon the luxury custom. The counterwork between the Confucian etiquette and the luxurious custom was the most evident character in the idea and practice of banning the luxurious custom.