A Study On The Political Circumstances And Political Personality Of The Group: Scholar-Officials From Shu In The Southern Song Dynasty

During the Southern Song Dynasty, the government went on taking all special measures in Sichuan, in view of its great important strategic status. In addition,the government took pains to rope scholars from Shu—elite in this aera, to remain loyal. Based on the development during the previous dynasty, the group of scholars from Shu in the Southern Song Dynasty continued to grow up. Their political circumstances, in which these advantages such as special accommodation from the government, and these disadvantages such as oppression from influential officials, exclusions from Southeast Scholars, existed side by side. Their distinct regional characteristics of political personality were formed by the particular political circumstances. Revealed by political behaviors, the political personality reacted on the political circumstances. With many excellent characteristics, which paid a positive role in improving political circumstances for scholars from Shu, such as advocating the loyalism spirit, the daring of offending influential officials, being upright, keeping anxious about the destiny of the dynasty, the group of scholars from Shu won much honour and sympathy. Meanwhile, those characteristics that intense group consciousness, honesty, quality of unyielding, also worsened their political circumstances sometimes. This paper attempts to discuss some distinct regional characteristics on the political personality of the group of scholars from Shu, based on formulating their political circumstances, then reveals the relationship between the two. This thesis is composed of five parts.Part One is the introduction. Starting from reasons and meanings of the topic, it generally reviews relevant researches, then clarifies the research theories, methods and trains of thought.Part Two introduces the survey of scholars from Shu, with a brief analysis on three aspects: the constitute of resident population (aborigines and immigrants), the residential distribution on regions (live in Sichuan or outside areas), and internal relations in the group, in order to draw its outline.Starting from a thorough research based on absorbing correlate research results, part Three lists the characteristics of political circumstances for scholars from Shu, mainly from these aspects: political outlet, the personnel assignment situation in administrative departments, political relation, and so on.Applying with the Political personality structural theory, Part Four makes a historical study on the characteristics of political personality for Scholars from Shu, based on rich historical facts. It focuses on two aspects: consciousness aspect and unconsciousness aspect.Part Five is the conclusion. It summarizes the whole article and points out the internal relations between political circumstances and political personality of the scholars from Shu, that the former is a decisive factor about the form of the latter, and the latter reacts on the former by the intermediate agent-political behaviors. Meanwhile, it emphasizes that the political personality of scholars from Shu in the Southern Song Dynasty didn't break away from the influence of Chinese Traditional Culture, in which the Confucian Culture as the main body.