SHIGAKU ZASSHI
Online ISSN : 2424-2616
Print ISSN : 0018-2478
ISSN-L : 0018-2478
The Appearance of the Liang-Nu 良奴 System in the Pei-Wei 北魏 Dynasty : about The Problem of Liang 良
Yoshiaki Kawamoto
Author information
JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

1987 Volume 96 Issue 12 Pages 1895-1913,1983-

Details
Abstract

There were confrontations between 旧人 (Chiu-jen), who were old members in the 北魏 dynasty and 新人 (Hsin-jen), who were new members, and between 北人 (Pei-jen), who are 鮮卑 (Hsien-Pei) group and 南人 (Nan-jen), who are 漢人 (Han-jen). These groups had been intertwining complexly, and thus constituted a political "structure". The emperor's power continuosly aimed at making 旧人 of 新人 in order to intensify his power. About the time of 孝文帝 (Hsiao-wen-ti)'s reformation, the 北人 group's organization was becoming weaker and weaker. Therefore a great deal of confusion had occurred in this "structure". The 良奴 (Commoner and Slave) system appeared to take the place of this "structure" for bringing this confusion under control. There occurred an essential difference between 良 before the 孝文帝's reformation and 良 after the reformation because the 良奴 system had aimed at overcoming this "structure". The enforcement of the 良奴 system did not signify a decline of the 北人's political rank, but it rather aimed at elevating the 南人's political status to the 北人's political level. The emperor's power finally aimed at making 国人 (Kuo-jen) of 南人. The Sinification of 鮮卑 at this time does not mean assimilation of 鮮卑 into Chinese society, but rather can recognize that it was a generative power for creating a new Chinese civilization, because it was due to 鮮卑's voluntary choice, and there was the creation, of many institutions in the 北魏 dynasty which were adopted by the Sui 隋 and T'ang 唐 dynasties, and there was the unconscious preservation of 鮮卑 spirit. 鮮卑 in the 北魏 dynasty held an attachment to blood relations and prided itself in joining directly to the 拓跋 emperor. In the backgroud of the 良奴 system's full scale appearance during 孝文帝's reformation, lay such a 鮮卑 spirit and the aim to intensify emperor's powerinter-twiningly.

Content from these authors
© 1987 The Historical Society of Japan
Previous article Next article
feedback
Top