On The Controversy Of Scholars In The Wei And Jin Dynasties

The academic atmosphere means the spirit as well as behavior of the intellectual. The formation of competition atmosphere during the Wei-Jin period is the result of multiple factors. The majority of competition consists of people who intended to enter into official career and people who were already scholars. The former is dominated by people from middle- lower class, while the latter mainly came from the upper class.The competition atmosphere during Wei-Jin period originated from the end of Eastern Han Dynasty. With backwardness of society and political corruption, the frequent failure made by the scholar in conflicts against the eunuch forced them to break the Confucian norms and take’special measures’ to pay back. As appearance of the counselor is the prelude of competition atmosphere, the transformation of political environment, ideology as well as culture were the main causes of this atmosphere. Co- existed with the open-minded atmosphere in the end of Han Dynasty and blundering atmosphere during the Wei-Jin period, they interpenetrated each other instead of existing apart. The scholar gang up for personal interests politically, which led to regime instability. They also bypassed the Confucian ethical norms, overset the traditional value ideologically. The competition atmosphere had a significant impact on the later generations, especially the Liu Song Dynasty, the Southern Qi Dynasty and Liang Dynasty, during which the transformation of scholars’ competition methods, prevailing of blundering as well as expanding social circle atmosphere were the results under the influence of competition atmosphere.Generally speaking, the atmosphere of Wei-Jin period served as a link between past and future, had a significant influence at that time, even on later generations. It also made a dual function for intellectuals in shaping their spirit.