The Research About Structure And Function On Wenzhou Lineage In Ming And Qing Dynasties

The lineage is a social organization established by blood ties. It refers to people’s life and production. Therefore, the structure, operation and development of the lineage has been attracted lots of attention in academic circles. After two North-South migration in late Tang and Five Dynasties and the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the composition of lineage in Wenzhou have changed during Ming and Qing Dynasties. At the same time, the structure of lineage have been profound impacted by immigrations of military. This paper takes unique natural and social environment in Wenzhou as the background, discusses the traditional blood relatives in the lineage structure, including the lineage of vertical structure, the origin of horizontal structure and the marriage structure. Moreover, in this structure, the lineage expands the scale by dividing up family property and living apart, the reproductive and migratory of population, but also realizes the joint by unite branches and ancestor worship. In the process of sustainable development, the functions of lineage have been fully exploited and achieved remarkable results in Wenzhou during Ming and Qing Dynasties, especially in production, social security and education.