The Research Of The Gentry Liu Jie In The Ming Dynasty

Among the100years of the Ming dynasty from Chenghua to Jiajing period (about from the middle of the fifteenth Century to the middle of the sixteenth Century), Chinese traditional society was gradually moving towards social revolution, which. Liu completely experienced. Liu was born during Chenghua period, passed the imperial examination in Hongzhi period, and became a public servant from Zhengde period to Jiajing period. So he is considered as a microcosm of the gentry in Ming dynasty.Liu was diligent since childhood, and stepping into the career with his own effort. During the three decades of his official, he worked hard and cared for people, which ensured him do have certain achievements. Liu actively involved in local public affairs not only in official duties but also in his retirement. However, the current complex unstable political situation accounted for the contradictions presenting in Liu’s heart and behavior. On one hand, he was influenced by "the cabinet literature" and "the literature retro" which was more or less indeed reflected in his article, on the other hand, he was struggled to get rid of the influence from them. On one hand, he was greatly affected by "the Neo-Confucianism" which hold the view that "To get the truth through the study of things", on the other hand, he was intend to agreeing with the idea of "To get the truth through heart" from Wang Yangming. On one hand, he wrote articles for genealogy and ancestral hall, on the other hand, he refused his own family to be involved in them. On one hand, he had great dream in his career, on the other hand, he ended up with early farewell to the officialdom.This paper takes the case of Liu for example, by studying his gentry life, political achievements, poetry and articles creation, and joined in the chorus case of making friends, and interact with the local community relations in an attempt to explore his reaction to the change of society and how he adapted during the process. And try to restore the true state of mind and the survival status of the gentry class, to enrich our understanding of the mid-Ming society.