Being An Official And Enjoying Nature:A Study On The Phenomenon Of The Official Travel Among Officials In Late Ming Dynasty

Official travel is a special type of ancient Chinese tourism,that is,the travel activities conducted by officials during their assignments,promotions,relegations,and official excursions.The history of exploring the phenomenon of official travel can be traced to the emergence of officials.From the Qin and Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasty,influenced by the clan idea of "while one's parents are alive,one should not travel to distant places" and by the nostalgic and provincial notion of "nowhere is better than home",the traditional officials regard "official travel" as wandering frustration.During the late Ming Dynasty,with the development of the commodity economy and the increasing convenience of transportation to promote the mobility of the population,the fashion of tourism was extremely popular.People's attitude towards official travel also changed dramatically.It became a demonstrative activity to show fame.This shift was the reflection of the increasingly tense relationship between the monarch and the court in the complicated political environment in the late Ming period,and the emergence of consumer society under the prosperity of the commodity economy,which made people turn their eyes from the court to the mountains,from the pursuit of material enjoyment to the pursuit of higher levels of spiritual fulfillment.A large number of books by Ming scholars showed that the phenomenon of official travel flourished.From prestigious officials from National Academy and Minister of Rituals to magistrate of a county,they were all keen on official travel,resulting in the form of a huge travel group in late Ming Dynasty.This thesis focuses on Wang Shixing to explore the phenomenon of the official travel among officials in the late Ming Dynasty.Wang Shixing who was born in Linhai,Zhejiang Province and travelled to Beijing,Nanjing and as many as twelve provinces since his official career in the fifth year of Wanli(1577)was the prominent representative of the late Ming Dynasty travel group.Wang Shixing's official travel was not just a simple tour of enjoying the nature,but because of his unique identity,he took government governance as the basis for observation.Under the convenience of official travel,he has meticulously examined the history,topography,climate,economical and cultural conditions of the places he visited and all the information has been recorded in his travel writings such as Guang Zhi Yi,Travel to Five Mountains and Guang You Zhi.These books unfold a splendid picture of the late Ming society instead of the sheer cunning and falsehood.This article,by interpreting the travel group of the late Ming Dynasty and the experience of Wang Shixing's official travel,finds that the late Ming officials use their special identity as an official traveler to meet the dual needs of being an official and enjoying nature and reach a perfect combination point of ideal and reality.The splendid late Ming society shown from the lines of the travel writings is in stark contrast to the complicated political environment of the time.Their carefree travel appears unique among the late Ming officials who are involved in the party struggle,which presents a secular world of flesh and vitality for us.