Chinese Journal of Sociology

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Reflection upon Mores and Reconstruction Movement： Dilemma of the Yongjia Conservatives during the PostTaiping Restoration

  

  1. HOU Jundan，Department of Social Work，School of Labor Economics，Capital University of Economics and Business
  • Online:2015-03-24 Published:2015-03-24
  • Contact: HOU Jundan，Department of Social Work，School of Labor Economics，Capital University of Economics and Business E-mail:jundan8243@sina.com
  • Supported by:
    This paper was supported by the Scientific Research Support to the Young Lecturer,SLE,2014.

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Abstract: The law of power in“XiaQi”(chivalry) destroyed the hierarchical structure of the Imperial and produced a social equalization so that the traditional governance was involved in crises. It was on the reflection upon the crises that the reconstruction prompted by literati during T'ungchih and Kuanghsü periods was based. Confucian classics studies played an important role in shaping the elites’ ideology and individual wills. Besides， associations of literati and network of kinship contributed to the spread of these academic studies. Different judgments about the reality between people with different social statuses caused the conflicts in the practices of social transformation. Taking the higherranking group of literati in Wenzhou province for instance， they chose a conservative scheme of reconstructing patriarchal clan system and Confucian academic traditions in order to realize moralization in the imperial political structure. Unfortunately， this conservative reconstruction had an impact contrary to the initial contention of moralization. Scholartyrant and prominent clan monopolized local rural society. Estate occupied by the prominent clan indicated that the scholartyrant plundered finite land resources in the local mountainous society. Meanwhile， academic atmosphere was corrupted by those disciples following the higherranking masters so that aristocratic politics became the principles dominating the private school of the prominent clan. Furthermore， immorality among the close relatives in the prominent family also ruined the local customs. Superficially， it seemed that conservative moralization was obstructed and local affairs managed by the literati failed， but there was a new historical opportunity for the transformation of social structure in modern China. Social organizations that were based on the general individual mind structures would play a fundamental role in the modern democracy in China.