The Living Space And Regional Social Structure Of The Gentry In The Late Qing Dynasty

Based on the Zhang Gang`s Diary of 1888-1911,this artical uses Zhang Gang's activities as an entry point to explore the social norms and order involved in presonal daily life of gentry in the late Qing Dynasty,and then to think about the social structure of the region.Regarding the structure and order of regional societies,the academic circles usually start their research from the perspectives of communities such as water conservancy,clan,market,and faith: G.William Skinner proposed the theory of China's market system and macro-region theory;Research on clan and folk beliefs were made in depth by historical anthropologists;French scholar Christian Lamouroux and others investigated the water conservancy in the Shan-Shan area and put forward the concept of "Water conservancy society" and so on.On the basis of previous studies,this article chooses to study the activity space and structure of the gentry in the late Qing Dynasty from a more micro-personal point of view,and observes the order bonds existing in the regional society except for entities such as clan,faith,and market.This paper uses Zhang Gang`s Diary as the main material,combined with local historical data such as local chronicles,anthologies,inscriptions,genealogy,and field survey data in Ruian area.Based on the above historical data,we retrieved Zhang Gang's daily activities and places of contact,and formed more than 24,000 statistical data to establish an interpersonal communication database and an activity place database.According to the two databases,Zhang Gang's interpersonal relationship network and the scope of activities are outlined,and the regional and social scope of the individual is determined from a micro perspective.This article focuses on investigating the gathering and dispersal of people within the village,between villages,and the methods of establishing and maintaining social order.Through the study of Zhang Gang,we have seen multiple aspects of regional society.The size of a regional society is not limited by administrative divisions,but by the influence of interpersonal networks and personal living space.Due to the drastic changes in the social situation in the late Qing Dynasty,the living spaces and interpersonal networks of rural people were constantly changing,and the activity space of rural people was relatively large with highly mobility,which was not limited to only one hamlet.There is a process of gradual dilution from the middle to the outside.In this case,villages are not isolated from each other,and maintain their order and norms relying on factors such as blood and geography,and traditional customs.The self-produced order in the regional society is simple but practical,and it cooperates with the national system and norms to adjust the disputes of different interests among the villagers and maintain social stability.These rules are effective when external conditions are stable,and become slack when the external conditions especially the historical context have changed.However,at any time,the regional society cannot be defined by a certain community,but relates to several communities such as villages,clans,and markets at the same time.These factors work together to maintain the social order in the space.