Study For Diao Clan In Bo-hai During The Northern Dynasty

This thesis tries to make objective presentation for rising, development and fading of Diao clan in Bo-hai during the Northern Dynasty with using records in official history and unearthed epitaph, then we can get development formation of Diao clan in the Northern Dynasty. The article presents the mutual relationship between Diao clan and political situation of the Northern Dynasty through the political movement of this clan, and fully shows the great efforts which Diao clan did for their own development through the study of the official career and marriage, family tradition and family learning. During the period of the Western Jin Dynasty, Diao clan had become very powerful, whose family members had been assigned for the Zhongzheng in Bo-hai county. Then the peaceful development situation was broken during Yong Jia Dynasty, many family members went far away from their home, some migrated to the southern part, some stayed in various regions in the northern part, they start their hard lives. Those who moved to the southern part of the country built powerful economic foundation and acted actively politically, finally they were devastated in the reform of Jin and Song Dynasty and survivers went farther north. Those who stayed in the northern part of the country became unknown to public during the Sixteen States Period and they seem disappeared in the history of China. Then the northern part of China was ruled by the Northern Wei Dynasty Regime, all the sublines of Bo-hai Diao clan submitted to the regime under the mighty rule power. In the Northern Dynasty, the most glorious subline of Diao clan should be Diaoyong subline, which had development tendency of central culture in the early period of Northern Wei Dynasty, the social status of Bo-hai Diao clan and local foundation in the Bo-hai county were re-established through positive activities of Diaoyong and their descendants. During the Northern Dynasty, the rise, decline, honor and disgrace of Diao clan were closely linked with political situation, then Diao clan was devasted in the chaos of late stage of Wei Dynasty. The Wei Dynasty was divided into eastern and western dynasty, many members of Diao clan entered into Gao Qi regime, then after the Gao Qi Dynasty, Diao clan disppeared in the historical records. Most members of all sublines in Diao clan were assigned for military position, who achieved rising in their career through their own military talents. In the temporal society, the started official level, official position and political career mismatched the condition of first-class clan society, more members of Bo-hai Diao clan were much accounted by ruler as local strength. Few people could rise up to high official central authorities in that dynasty, on the contray, these members developed very good in localites, all these could show glorious status of Bo-hai Diao clan. In marriage, Diaoyong subline, the most glorious subline in Diao clan build affinity with imperial clan of the Beiwei, but the main stream of the whole family marriage focus on the family of clan which had the same status. The bachelor must not get married with common people, which could be seen in the affinity of Diao clan family. This thesis obtains the result that Diao clan is inferior-class in the Northern Dynasty through the study of career and marriage in Diao clan. In the family tradition and family learning, the descendents of Bo-hai Diaoyong clan passed on and learned confucianism, they could always be officials in various dynasty and become rich and glorious because of their cultural cultivation. The Bo-hai Diao clan families abided by the moral idea of confucianism and their family learning focus on confucianism. They made a great achievement in culture, self-cultivation and officials.