A Research On The Xin’an Lv Clan Which Is The Most Famous Clan In Henan Province In Ming And Qing Dynasties

Lv clan moved from Hongdong County in Shanxi Province to Xin’an County in Henan Province at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty. Generation by generation, they farmed and studied. They became famous during the period ruled by Wanli emperor and continued to be famous until the period ruled by Qianlong emperor. Lv clan is a famous clan in Henan Province in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Today, in Xin’an County in Henan province, there is a mountain named after the clan called "the Lv Mountain".From Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, Lv clan got high reputation because of the great effort of their founders and successors, and the support from the government at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Lv clan grew up at the end of Ming Dynasty when the situation is unstable and the government is corrupt. Therefore, in this period, the reputation of Lv clan mainly depended on themselves. The founder of their clan, Lv Weiqi, is a Jinshi who served as Nanjing Military director in the periods ruled by Wanli, Tianqi and Chongzhen emperor and had a good achievement and reputation. His achievements drew wide attention in such a traditional society in which the imperial examination is very important.The Hennan Province is a famous area for Neo-Confucianism. Lv Weiqi studied the Classic of Filial Piety and became famous for the Classic of Filial Piety in Henan Province. He had a deep provincialism and always cared about the local people. Therefore, he had a good reputation. Besides, during his work and study, Lv Weiqi developed a good relationship with Wang Duo, Zhang Dingyan, Fan Jingwen, Wu Weiye and so on, which helped spread the reputation of the Lv clan.However, the tides at the end of Ming Dynasty made this newly-appeared clan suffered a lot. But the reputation of Xin’an Lv clan never vanished with Ming Dynasty. After the fond of Qing Dynasty, a great man from Lv clan, Lv Weiqi, who has true knowledge and real integrity but lost in unrest by peasants rather than killed in the battle against Qing Army, was particularly chosen by Qing Dynasty as the model of Han Chinese to conduct propaganda. Although the Xin’an Lv clan was in straitened circumstances, their reputation survived. And the posterities of Lv clan could actively manage to join the rule class of Qing Dynasty and revive the former glory of Xin’an Lv clan.And finally, thanks to the bless of ancestors, appreciation from the emperor and endeavors of the members of Lv clan, the Clan embraced its prosperity that lasted hundreds of years. The members of Xin’an Lv clan not only championed in imperial examination system but also gained their fame in literature. And the two Lvs in Xin’an prompted the reputation of Xin’an Lv clan to the peak in history.