Changes Of The Liu Clan In Pengcheng In The Middle Ages

This paper is mainly based on the official records,epitaphs,genealogy and other documents and focuses on the ups and downs of Pengcheng Liu calns.And the paper is divided into five chapters.The paper explores the the origins and genealogy ancestor of Pengcheng Liu calns.The author believes that the Book of Han(Hanshu)by Ban Gu integrates the relevant records on the origins of Liu clans in order to make the imperial family orthodox and constructs the legend that Liu Bang descends from Liu Lei which has great influence afterwards.In the time of Han,quite a lot of members of Liu clans were enfeoffed to Chu,among whom Chu Yuanwang Liu Jiao had the most influence.Aristocratic families in medieval China took great efforts to construct noble man of Wei and Han as their ancestors for the purpose of displaying their lingering family characteristics.The author finds that Pengcheng Liu calns is not the exception and traces Chu Yuanwang as their genealogy ancestor and writes it into genealogy and official history.The paper combs the ups and downs of Pengcheng Liu calns in the Period of Wei,Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties.The author believes in the end of East Han Dynasty Liu clans in Cong Ting Li of Pengcheng made the transition from imperial clan to celebrities,depending on family academy and local reputation they went into the stratum of aristocratic families.Thereafter because of the the political instability between Western Jin and Eastern Jin Dynasties,Liu Chou and Liu Wei failed one by one,Pengcheng Liu clans declined.Since Yong Jia Turmoil,the branch of Pengcheng Liu clans developed in north and south.The four branchs of Liu family migrated southward,experienced ups and downs and internal transition and finally died out.The body of branch of Congtingli still lived in native and made the collective renaissance in the Northern Dynasties through the joint effects of personal scholarship,Township,network of Aristocratic families.This paper explores the rise and fall and features of Pengcheng Liu clans in Sui and Tang Dynasties.Author believes that Congtingli Liu clans mainly divided into Liu Min and Liu Seng Li branch became the only distinguishing one among Pengcheng Liu calns branches in this period.The branch of Liu Min relying on forces of clans became political upstart,united by marriage frequently with imperial and noble family,and was therefore politically persecuted,which reflects two sides of the political marriage;the branch of Liu Min still put their burial sites in Pengcheng in the early Tang.In the Wuzhou period they were politically persecuted and lost ancestral property in Pengcheng and finally settled in Chang'an and Luoyang.The branch of Liu Seng inherited family scholarship since the Northern Dynasties,until the generation of Liu Zhiji appeared knowledgeable scholar and the family declined under the impact of An Lushan Rebellion;the branch of Liu Seng Li gradually settled in Luoyang sine middle Tang.However the descendants of Liu Zhiji were still buried in Pengcheng during the time of later Tang and had great impact in local,which break the fixed view on the immigration of aristocratic families in Tang Dynasty.The paper also demonstrates the noble commandery of Pengcheng Liu clans in the medieval China as well as the procedure and reasons on how to become the first noble commandery of Liu clans.The author believes that as the boundary of aristocratic families change from strict and closed in The Six Dynasties to open and extensive in Sui and Tang Dynasties,the noble commandery of Pengcheng Liu clans gradually became the the noble commandery of Liu clans and different kinds of people with family name Liu boast their origin from Pengcheng Liu clans through the way of masquerading and manipulating their genealogy,furthermore the minority changed their family name and masqueraded their origin from Pengcheng Liu clans which reflects the important change of noble commandery 's connotation and function in medieval China.In addition,the paper has two appendices.Appendices one the family tree of Congtingli Liu clans of Pengcheng in medieval China,makes systematically explanation on the lineage during about 900 years from Han to Tang Dynasties and help to get a more intuitive understanding on the development of Pengcheng Liu clans.