Imperial Power And Gentry Power A Study Of Rural Micro-power In The Late Qing And Early Republican Periods

The "imperial power and gentry power" has always been a classic domain in sociology and anthropology,and has attracted the attention of many scholars in China and the West.In Chinese vernacular society,the power structure is redundant and the power networks are intertwined and overlapping,giving rise to several power subjects,and the "country squire" is one of them,showing the unique logic of action and power game in vernacular society.The current academic research on the country squire mainly focuses on the study of "country squire power" and "how to transform the country squire group in modern society",while to explore "country squire power ",we have to start from the topic of "whether the imperial power came to the countryside".However,at present,there is still no unified consensus and no unified conclusion on this issue in the academic community.However,rural areas often have the "foot" of the imperial power,the imperial power can be in various forms of power penetration,can still make a difference,even in remote areas,the gentry power will be subject to the imperial power control.This paper examines how the Tang clan,as a gentry,acted in the process of the continuous infiltration of imperial power and how they achieved a balance between the two,and what the imperial power did in the process,and why it chose to cooperate with the gentry instead of eliminating them.In terms of logic,the paper takes time as the main line,using the continuous downward movement of imperial power to draw out the different ways in which the Tang gentry responded to the situation,and to map out the micro-power changes in traditional Chinese society through dynamic changes.First,in the introduction section,we mainly elaborate on the reasons for the selection of the topic,concept definition,research review,research methodology,and research innovation,etc.Immediately afterwards,in the first chapter,we focus on the development history of the Tang family,the research object of this paper,such as the history of business and family history,so that readers can have an overall The main part of the paper is devoted to the development of the Tang family.Secondly,in the main part of the paper,i.e.,Chapters 2,3 and 4,the dynamic evolution of imperial power of "not going to the countryside","going to the countryside" and "being in the countryside" is the main line to reveal How the Tang gentry acted in the micro-power network of the village community in different periods,and how they went from confrontation,game,mutual check and balance to mutual integration with the imperial power.Finally,in the concluding part of this paper,the author’s views and opinions are analyzed by summarizing the process of change between the Tang gentry and imperial power in Luo Ping Bai Gu Village.This paper finds that the Tang squires played the role of "intermediaries" and "protectors" in the local power network.On the one hand,in the face of the relevant policies promulgated by the state power to the rural society,the Tang gentry would refine them and convey them in a way that was acceptable to the villagers,helping the state power to govern the rural society at the grassroots level;on the other hand,under the oppression of the imperial power,the Tang gentry played the role of "protector",pooling the power of the villagers to play against the imperial power On the other hand,under the oppression of the imperial power,the Tang gentry played the role of "protector",pooling the power of the villagers to play against the imperial power and safeguard the legitimate rights of the villagers.In addition,I also found that although the Tang squires did not have a clear "position" in the micro-power network,and even if they did,there were only a few of them,and their status as squires was established more by virtue of their family strength and reputation,relying more on "moral governance" The "authority" formed under the "virtue rule".In the village power structure of "virtue-based",the Tang squires gained the support and respect of the villagers in Baigu village,and gained recognition and sublimity in the "virtue-based" governance system,which supported the game and competition between the local power and imperial power represented by the Tang squires.Through the study of rural micro-power in Baigu village during the late Qing and Republican periods,we can get a glimpse of the interaction and actions between state power and local power,reveal the way power operated in a specific period,and extend and supplement existing research.