The Evolution Of Gentry Power Under The Nanhui Public Property Dispute (1906-1933)

From the end of the qing dynasty to the middle of the Republic of China,public property disputes in nanhui emerged in an endless succession,and "gentry" had conflicts with "officials","scholars" and "people" due to the distribution and handling of public property.By dealing with the problem of the public property of the nanhui school,the government and gentry began to fight for the power of local education.In the year of the Republic of China,the nanhui missionary institute was restored,and the gentry once again gained the right to participate in educational affairs.Since the restored reformatory was still subordinate to the county government,the gentry was constrained in raising funds for education and dealing with public property.The gentry of nanhui hoped to maintain their right to speak in local education by disposing of educational public property,while the government intervened in local educational affairs in the name of maintaining public property and suppressed the gentry.In the process,both sides display anxiety and distrust of each other.In the end,the government failed in its attempts to intervene in local education affairs and had to compromise.In the seven years after the establishment of the Republic of China,the scholars in the west half of nanhui county and the scholars in the east half of the county fought over the ownership of guantao primary school.Eventually,the two sides backed off and reached a compromise,mediated by the provincial government.The educated gentry in the eastern half of the county gained part of the right of education in the western half of the county in the confrontation with the educated gentry and the traditional gentry.From the late qing dynasty to the Republic of China,the relations between the gentry and the people changed with different official attitudes in the struggle for the property of the puji temple.At the end of the qing dynasty,a "good hall-dong dian-small dian" three-level tenancy relationship was formed.Dong shan became a strong contender for control of the property.With the official support,the gentry of nanhui drove out the dong dian who tried to fight for the control of the public property of puji tang,and turned the small dian into their own tenants under their own control.In the1920 s,the tenant farmers fought against the gentry through litigation,hoping to take over the property rights of the public property through purchase,but all failed.At thistime,the government still favored the gentry.In the 1930 s,official attitudes shifted to the popular side,and relations between the gentry and the people reversed.Finally,under the opposition of the government and the people,the power of the gentry faded away.In these relationships,the "gentry" is the core,and all public property disputes are around the gentry class.As the representative of the national power,"guan" runs through it all the time,cooperating with other classes,conflicting with them and reconciling with them.Under the disputes of nanhui public property,"gentry" and "officials","scholars" and "people" showed a complex relationship of both cooperation and conflict in different periods and under different situations.