The Study Of The Stratum Of The Gentry In Hubei In Preparatory Constitution (1906—1911)

The social stratum of the gentry is the unique social group in the Chinese feudal society, characterized by the political, economic and social privileges, which is the local authority worthy of the name with the active energy, and constitutive of the feudal rule. Between the government and the people, undoubtedly, social stratum of the gentry in the rural community plays a very pivotal role, on the one hand, extending the imperial authority, the power of the gentry consolidates the foundation of the feudal rule; representative of the local interests, on the other hand, the gentry acts as protector of the local. It goes without saying that the development, fluidity and differentiation of the stratum affect the feudalism as an important part of feudal social class structure. What's more, as a product of the feudal system, its destiny is the miniature of that of feudal society .Therefore, the study of the social stratum of the gentry and its evolution is of great significance to analyze Chinese feudal society and the evolution of the ultimate historical destiny, to grasp the historical process of developing evolution of Chinese modern social, to explore the laws of the development and evolution of modern Chinese social history and to generalize lessons and experience in the process of modern Chinese society. Thus, the study of the gentry catches the attentions of the scholars at home and abroad all the time.The research of the Chinese gentry has already yielded a rich harvest, nevertheless, extremely lacks of the regional research of the stratum of the gentry, scarcely unifying the region research with the short time interval event then. As far Hubei, the region where the gentry develops rapidly and has greater influence, of which the research is weaker, quite dispersible, as well as fragmentary, and there is not the monograph to be published about the comprehensively systematic studies of the gentry in the modern times of Hubei, so far. Fully absorbing the predecessor's research results, this paper, constructed with the historical materialism, takes the Hubei gentleman social stratum as the research object. To provide with the historical reference for the reading and interpretation of the interactive relationship between the gentry and social change, the paper initially describes the evolution and differentiation of the gentry, the role it plays and the influence it makes in a short interval of the late Qing "preparatory constitution", then, move on to further develop the study of the gentry and developing evolution of Chinese modern times. This paper is divided into four main parts. The first part has analyzed the basic situation of the stratum of the gentry in Hubei in the time of preparatory constitution. From the late Qing Dynasty period, the Hubei gentry has experienced very sweeping change, from the big exaggeration of the power of the gentry in Taiping Tian Guo, to the loss of the access to the upper class and the pursuit of the new outlet after the repeal of Imperial examination. In the situation of the Qing government's preparatory constitution, the gentry diversely flows, to change themselves to accommodate the changing situation.The second part mainly introduced that the gentry in Hubei positively participates in the local self-government movement taking advantage of their own superiorities. All levels of autonomous bodies couldn't be established without the gentry, from which, the gentry is constitutive primarily of the elites. In the process of local self-government movement development, with the legitimate authority endowed by the Qing government, they positively launch the autonomous movement to control the new deal. Such organization as the chamber of commerce, educational associations, and local self-government office have a quite big say in the business, politics, economy, finance, culture and education, social order, and so on. Due to which, they has formed the formidable local power which gang of any person all cannot neglect.The third part has mainly analyzed Advisory bureau's establishment. What occupies the leadership status in Advisory bureau mainly is composed of those that receive the new style education. They strengthen the political participation through legitimate Advisory bureau, to struggle for the political authority against the Qing government. Promoting the status in the very great degree, they enlarge the influence and status in society, and finally have the significant influence to the Hubei political situation.The fourth part has discussed the tendency of diversification of the occupation results in the great change of the function along with it, accompanying the multiple flows of the stratum of the gentry in the preparatory constitution time. Apart from the essential role in the development of industry and commerce and the new style education, they also effectively impelled the modern evolution of the society in Hubei in the participation of the constitutionalism movement, "protecting railway" movement and establishment of the modern associations...