What is a genealogy? The origin and development of genealogy

Genealogy is also called genealogy, family travel, genealogy and so on. It is a special book genre that records the reproduction of a family lineage and the deeds of important people in the form of genealogy. Genealogy is a unique cultural heritage in China. In the great integration of historical nationalities, genealogy began to appear in various nationalities. Genealogy is also one of the three major documents of the Chinese nation (national history, geography and genealogy).

The earliest genealogy can be traced back to oral genealogy. According to the data, the original function of genealogy is to distinguish between relatives and friends, unite ethnic groups and optimize fertility, which is called "kissing with each other". Since then, everything has been inseparable from its two basic functions of "separation" and "gathering", but with the passage of time, different social systems have different specific connotations and functions. Its development is also based on the political system of historical dynasties. Now follow Xiaobian to learn about the origin of genealogy.

The development of genealogy and the evolution of its functions can be roughly divided into the following stages: Zhou Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties and after the Five Dynasties.

Zhou Dynasty

The patriarchal enfeoffment system in the Zhou Dynasty was influenced by the war in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, especially after the Qin King swept away Liuhe, the clan organization changed from prosperity to decline, from destruction to reconstruction, and was replaced by clan and clan in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhou Daidai was a patriarchal feudal system. Originally, the "clan" was only a blood-related group, and there was no difference between the superior and the subordinate. But when it entered the class society, there was a "clan", that is, among the relatives, one person was the main one, and the master was honored and privileged, and after his death, it was inherited by the clan. In this way, the function of genealogy "don't be intimate, be clear about the system" has infiltrated into the class struggle of subordination, and its function is also the content of patriarchal feudal political service.

"Those who distinguish Zhao Mu, the emperor is in the Book of the World, all have their own relatives and friends, so they must distinguish the clouds." It can be seen that the genealogy of the Zhou Dynasty, such as Shiben, belongs to the Zhou clan headed by Zhou Tianzi, and its clear lineage is the imperial lineage of the Zhou clan; Distinguish between intimacy and distance, it is the intimacy of respect and inferiority. Therefore, the genealogy of the Zhou Dynasty is entirely for the purpose of promoting patriarchal clan system and consolidating the rule of the Zhou Dynasty.

during the Han dynasty

during the Han dynasty, the clan landlords were basically dominant, and "the officials were appointed by virtue, and the nobles were appointed by merit", and the monarchical system and the patriarchal system began to separate. Therefore, the function of genealogy in the Han Dynasty is to serve the restoration and reconstruction of clans and the formation and consolidation of clan rule.

Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties

Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties practiced aristocratic politics and Wei Li's nine-product system. "The top grade has no poverty, and the bottom grade has no powerful family." The selection of officials and people, marriage and marriage, the distinction between scholars and ordinary people, strict respect and inferiority, "the election of officials must be made by the book; Family marriage must be based on genealogy, so the genealogy that maintains the door system is particularly prosperous.

At this time, the genealogy became the basis for the government election, the gentry's official career and the family marriage, and also became a tool for the gentry's political service. It is precisely because genealogy plays such an important role in people's social status, development prospects and social level that the phenomenon of counterfeiting is also rampant, which is also driven by interests.

After the Five Dynasties

Due to frequent wars in the north, a large number of people from the Central Plains moved south, and the economic center moved south. Especially, the development of commodity and monetary economy in Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the prosperity of urban commerce and the emergence of business gangs promoted the further decentralization of social power, and the gentry clans also developed into civilian clans. After the Five Dynasties, genealogy lost its previous political function, and it was also changed from official revision to private revision, and its content was more extensive and rich, and its function also developed from political function to social function.

specifically, private genealogy plays a role in tracing the source, uniting clans and collecting clans, and maintaining and strengthening clans by showing the original surnames, the origin of migration and the origin of lineage. Especially in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the role of genealogy has risen to a binding force to regulate the ethnic code of conduct, and its surname culture has also been vigorously developed, providing a large number of folk historical materials for historians to study history now.

In short, genealogy has a long history in China. In the long history, it has formed a genealogical culture with unique connotation and national sentiment. It has become the textual research material for historians to explore real history, and its cultural value is beyond doubt. Its emergence and development are related to social groups such as clans, clans and families. Its function changes with the changes of social structure and social system, from social function to political function and then back to social function. Since its own written genealogy, the general development trend has been from aristocrats to gentry and then to civilians, and the people who maintain and unite are becoming wider and wider. It explains, reflects and confirms the historical process of the Chinese nation from the perspective of family history, which plays a great role in carrying forward national culture, loving the motherland, strengthening national cohesion, and studying sociology, demography, ethnology, history and other disciplines today.