Qin And Han Dynasties Family Research

On the base of the historical context of the period between Qin and Han dynasty, the family could be classified into three types:old family which is built according to the patriarchal clan system, in other words, this type of family comes from the descendants of nobles living in the period of Warring States period, so sometimes it would be named old noble of Six State; the other is new family sprung up in the period between Qin and Han dynasty. The latter type consists of the new noble family whose authorities based on their contributions to the built of Han dynasty, the bureaucratic family whose authority based on the power of government, the agriculture family whose authority is based on the Land-grant policy, the commercial family whose authority based on the commerce and the citizen family consisting of ordinary people covered by the census of registration.Combing the sources of texts and archeological material, this thesis focuses on the development of family in this period. We will find after the middle Han dynasty all the sorts of family begins to integrate into elevated family. If we could say Shi Feng land owner dominates in the Qin and early period of Han dynasty, it should conclude that elevated family becomes to be the main part of land owner class and play the leading role in politics after Han Wu emperor. In this way, all kinds of family integrate into one. At the same time, during the Qin and Han dynasty, regarding to the agricultural technology and family-limiting policy declared by government, the ordinary famer holding the belief "one man feeds five family members and labor one hundred Mu land" becomes into the main part of citizen family.Every period has its special concept of family, the concept of family during the period between Qin and Han dynasty is evidently influenced by legalism. However, there are many difficulties in the legalist family concept. Along with the declination of legalism and offspring of Confucianism, many changes have taken places in the conception of family. Confucian family begins to prevail in society. The phenomenon of substation begins to be condemned. The change of family conception contributes to the upsurge of great clan family.