Jiangnan gentry and Jiangnan society

Author: Xu Maoming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Under the guidance of veteran scholars such as Cheng Yingmiao, Zhang Jiujiu, and Wei Jianyou, the Department of History at Shanghai Normal University has achieved remarkable accomplishments over the past half-century, forming a pragmatic and innovative style. On one hand, it emphasizes cultivating solid historical foundations, while on the other, it focuses on enhancing innovative awareness, leveraging strengths and addressing weaknesses, and staying at the forefront of academic research. Currently, the department boasts two doctoral programs and one postdoctoral research station. In 1982, the discipline of Modern Chinese History began admitting master's students. In 1994, the Institute of Modern Chinese Society was established based on the existing Research Room of Modern Chinese History. In 2000, the doctoral program in Modern Chinese History was approved by the State Council Academic Degrees Office, and in 2001, the Research Center of Modern Chinese Society was established on the basis of the institute, which was also recognized as a key discipline by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission in the same year. The leading scholar of the discipline is Professor Tang Likeng. Currently, the discipline is divided into three research directions: Regional Social and Economic Studies, Social Problems and Social Change, and Lower-Class Society and Secret Societies. The respective heads of these directions are Tang Likeng, Su Zhiliang, and Zhou Yumin.
The Department of Modern Chinese History at Shanghai Normal University, with the study of Chinese society in transition as its core, has formed the following four characteristics:
1. Combining Whole China and Regional Social Studies: Regional history has become a new trend in international historiography. The Jiangnan region (including Shanghai and Huizhou) is a distinctive area with unique characteristics in social transformation, which we focus on. Regional society is an integral part of whole China, serving as its cellular form. Analyzing a representative regional society helps deepen our understanding of whole China. Moreover, lower-class citizens live within specific regional societies, and we must adopt a "downward gaze" to study their social life, organizational structures, religious beliefs, traditional culture, and their relationship with major social changes. Reconstructing the actual state of social life is inseparable from regional history research. For example, regional studies such as Jiangnan Confucian Merchants and Jiangnan Society, Regional Social and Economic Studies of Huizhou since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, The Dual Symphony of Merchants and Culture—A Historical Examination of Huizhou Merchants and Clan Society, Research on the Black Society of Modern Shanghai, and Research on the Black Society of Old Shanghai have constructed social realities that contribute to a deeper understanding of whole China. When conducting whole China studies, we also make full use of regional materials to achieve a balance between macro and micro perspectives, such as in Merchants and Modern Chinese Society, History of Chinese Secret Societies, and Chinese Secret Societies.
2. Combining Long and Short Timeframes: We believe that the emergence of capitalism in the 16th century marks the beginning of the transformation of traditional Chinese society. Whether studying regional society, secret societies, or modern social problems or intellectuals, research should not be confined to the 100 years of rapid social change after the 1840 Opium War. Instead, placing the short-term rapid social changes within the longer timeframe of the transition from traditional agrarian society to modern society can overcome the limitations of traditional research, which often focuses on a shorter period, thereby making the research more profound and impactful. Therefore, we have moved beyond examining social changes solely after the 1840 Opium War to propose the concept of "Modern Chinese Society since the Ming and Qing Dynasties," stepping out of modern history while returning to it. For instance, Merchants and Modern Chinese Society; similarly, the study of regional social and economic changes in the Jiangnan region since the Ming and Qing Dynasties has revealed the historical continuity and of social and economic transformation in the Jiangnan region since the Opium War. The study of lower-class society in modern China begins with the formation of the floating population in the early Qing Dynasty and further examines the changes in the organization of the floating population after the Opium War. Research on folk secret societies traces back to even earlier historical periods. The study of social problems and social change, such as drug issues, has been traced back to the initial introduction of opium into China. The study of intellectuals extends to the present day. Even for specific research on a shorter, specific timeframe, such as History of the Shanghai Xiaodao Society Uprising and History of the Nian Army Uprising, these are positioned within the broader framework of historical change, providing historical context in detailed and meticulous studies.
3. Combining Studies of Upper and Lower Society: Traditional historiography has been limited to the upper echelons of society, excluding the lower classes from research. The lower classes are the main subjects of history and a crucial aspect of social history. What was the basic state of the lower classes during the long historical period, and what was their reality during major social changes? How did they interact with society? These studies hold significant implications for today. The lower classes, including farmers, urbanites, and the floating population, as well as their families, clans, secret societies, bandits, and religious groups, are closely tied to the transformation of lower society. Meanwhile, intellectuals and merchants, who are connected to the lower classes, frequently engage in activities at the upper levels of society or directly occupy them. Through the study of these social groups, a more comprehensive picture of the transformation of modern Chinese society can be revealed, showcasing the differentiation, reorganization, and psychological changes of various social groups during the transition period.
4. Focusing on Innovation in Historiographical Theory and Methodology: The study of society in transition is an interdisciplinary research topic. In our research, we have attempted to introduce new theories and employ interdisciplinary methods to deepen our understanding. For example, regional social and economic studies do not merely discuss economic history in isolation but take merchants as a specific social group as the entry point, exploring the interaction between economic and social development from perspectives such as family systems, merchant organizations, and commercial spirit, transforming economic activities into the living activities of people. In the study of floating populations and secret societies, we do not simply list the significant activities of secret societies in different periods but consider both their commonalities and the profound influence of regional characteristics on the unique features of secret societies in various areas. For the study of intellectuals, while grasping the general development of modern thought, we pay greater attention to their individual characteristics. Under the guidance of Marxist historiographical theory and methodology, we fully absorb and apply regional research methods, sociology, political science, genealogy, psychology, and other research methods, broadening our research approaches and continuously innovating.
Based on long-term historical research practices, we not only focus on the inheritance and innovation of historiographical methods but also emphasize cultivating rigorous and solid academic rigor, starting with the most fundamental historical materials. Regional social and economic studies with merchants as the entry point, lower-class society studies with floating populations and secret societies as the entry point, as well as research on modern social problems such as drugs and prostitution, and the study of intellectuals, all lack existing systematic historical materials. Much of the work is original and requires starting from the most fundamental historical materials. We have compiled works such as Selected Materials on Huizhou Merchants since the Ming and Qing Dynasties and Epigraphic Collection of Jiangnan Social History since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The formation of each professional direction has nearly all undergone more than a decade of accumulation, with some even spanning two or three generations. Many of our academic achievements have been widely cited and welcomed by domestic and international scholars. In recent years, the colleagues of the Research Center of Modern Chinese Society have worked diligently, producing numerous outstanding results and continuing to develop the research characteristics we have formed over the years.
To strengthen academic exchanges with domestic and international historiography, with the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Commercial Press, we plan to publish the Series of Modern Chinese Society Research, gradually introducing the achievements of our colleagues. We hope that our work can add a touch of spring to the field of historiography.