Minxian Ming And Qing Dynasties Inscriptions And Local Social Research

Minxian County,located on the geographical dividing line of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,Loess Plateau and the remnants of the West Qinling Mountains,has been an important hub of communication between the Central Plains and ethnic minority areas in history.The culture of the central Plains and ethnic minority cultures have blended here for a long time,forming its special cultural features.In the early Ming Dynasty,the Weisao system was implemented,and a large number of military officers and their families moved here.With the integration of the culture and customs of the Ming and Qing dynasties and Han Dynasties,it had a profound impact on the local society.In the process,many inscriptions were left to record various aspects of society at that time.The local history and culture of Minxian county involves the development of local cultural and educational undertakings,the spread of religious beliefs and local social governance.The abundant materials of tablet inscription record the development of local society in the form of carrier.The Ming and Qing Dynasty inscriptions in Minxian County have been sorted out in 61 ways.Based on the analysis and study of Minxian inscriptions,combining with the literature,this paper tries to understand Minzhou local society in the Ming and Qing dynasties from the contents of inscriptions.From the inscription in Minxian County during the Ming and Qing Dynasties,we can first see that in terms of local cultural and educational undertakings,the continuous construction of academic palaces and academies reflected the development of local Confucianism during this period,which was driven by national policies and local officials.Secondly,in terms of religious belief,local people believe in Buddhism,Taoism,Qiushui God and mountain God,etc.,which fully reflects the complex and diversified characteristics of local beliefs in Minxian during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.Among them,Qiushui God belief with local characteristics reflects the struggle process between local people and the natural environment.Finally,the Monument of Minzhou Main Hall shows the contents of Minzhou’s social governance in the late Qing Dynasty.In the late Qing Dynasty,amid frequent natural disasters and wars,Minzhou faced difficulties in people’s livelihood.Faced with this situation,the local government comforted the people by carving notices and monuments and issuing decrees for the convenience of the people,thus making the local society relatively stable at that time.