Travellers And Sojourners:the Study For Jiang-xi’s Clerisy Sojourning In Jiang-nan During Yuan-Ming Transition

Liuyu, meaning leaving one’s homeland and residing in another place, which is a kind of common phenomenon in human society. According to historical documents, it usually refered to scholars and officials with this kind of migration experience. Current academic research on Liuyu focuses on those who were degraded and sent to remote regions by the government as a measure of punishment, which was a passive act. This paper looks into a group of literary figures, who originally lived in Jiangxi province and migrated to Jiangnan area intentionally in late Yuan dynasty and early Ming dynasty. It elaborates on their activities in Jiangnan area.This group of literary figures cover a wide range of professions, including officials, Confusianists, scholars and monks. Sometimes we found that documents about some of these literary figures were contradictory, since their life experience were too complicated and obscure. To understand their life experience, especially their migration experience, help to explain the existing contradiction in the documents, and will finally help us to have a better knowledge of the documents.In the early period when these literary figures came to Jiangnan area, the society was at peace. Some of them came for their family members, some for official job, while others for further study. Compared with the remote regions where those degraded people are sent to, Jiangnan area was an aspired destination in the eyes of the majority when riots and chaos cropped up in late Yuan dynasty, Jiangnan area fell into the hands of Zhang Shicheng very soon. As Zhang favored literary figures, and had closed connection to the Yuan dynasty, these literary figures living in Jiangnan area were able to keep their inherent characteristics. However, affected by their special feelings towards homeland, they couldn’t help missing their family members still in their homeland. In order to live a good life, families around were more important and the family bond was quite close. In the meantime, marriage of the family members formed an essential part of their life, as it helped to build interpersonal relations locally. Their inborn homeland outlook and the house registration system brought about the countrymen concept, this type of countrymen acceptance concept was quite common in people’s daily communication, had multilayer of meaning and was highly valued by people. People offered help to their countrymen, which helped to relieve social pressure and was also an embodiment of the sense of social responsibility of the officials.These literary figures, apart from running their own family, had a deep true feeling to Jiangnan area. They portrayed the natural environment around. Some of the figures were admired due to their contributions to local culture. South China accepted and breeded these figures, their exchanges and mutual acceptance createed a splendid South China culture that is still glorious today.