What was the class of "gentry" in the Ming and Qing dynasties? Why?

What is a scholar-gentleman

Scholar-gentleman refers to a gentleman. Although the word "Shishen" appeared later, but the connotation is broader. The squire includes the family, the family, the huge room, the gate valve, the rich merchant, etc. Simply put, it is included in the local rich and powerful, the head of the face, the status, the voice of those who have the right to speak.

How did the gentry come to be

In the feudal dynasty era, reading and martial arts, what is it for? To put it vulgarly, it is for the status, for the money, to put it more clearly, it is to find ways to "sell" themselves to the emperor's family, to earn a post and a half of it. Which scholar does not want to high school, the world famous? And how many scholars do not have the ambition to become an official? Of course, it is convenient for the children of the rich and powerful, but what about the commoners? In order to give the common scholar a hope, the imperial examination system was born!

The old problem was solved, and a new one emerged. The old problem was solved, and the new problem arose. There were thousands of students, but only a few high school students (after all, there are only a limited number of official positions), so what about the rest of the scholars? If they are not properly arranged, it is very easy to make trouble. For example, the famous Huang Chao army revolt was a rebellion started by a scholar who had failed many times in the exams because of his grievances. In order to comfort these scholars, the so-called scholar-gentlemen class was born.

The Role of the Squire

What does it say about the rise of the Squire class in the Ming Dynasty? It shows that the squires were still of some use to society not.

1. To act as a bridge between the government and the people.

The people of the officials since ancient times there is a fear of psychology, and even some of the people see the officials are afraid to speak. This is extremely unfavorable for local officials to deal with things. But the gentry are different, they can enjoy a series of privileges, such as ascending the hall without kneeling or something. For meeting the local officials, they were not as restrained as the commoners. So the squires who were more honorable in the countryside acted as a bridge between the government and the people.

2. There is a role for local education.

Because most of the gentry were learners and practitioners of Confucian culture (that is, the people of the imperial examinations), and ethical relations have always been an important part of Confucianism, and thus ethical indoctrination is also an important part of the gentry's indoctrination. Under the influence of the Ming government's emphasis on indoctrination, either for the purpose of enhancing personal authority, or because of family interests, or because of the mission of Confucian indoctrination, the scholar-gentry was actively engaged in the cause of indoctrination (especially family indoctrination).

Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty and up to the pre-Republican period, the scholar-gentry class has played an important role on the stage of China's history, and has had a great influence on the later China as well.