OS SHENSHI DE MACAU EM MEADOS DA DINASTIA QING清代中葉澳門紳士群體分析

The article analyzes the group of Macao's *shenshi* (gentry) in the mid-Qing dynasty (18th–19th centuries), arguing that their influence transcended the local sphere and articulated with the political, economic, and cultural circuits that structured the city's external relations. Drawing on the clas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of Culture
Main Author: Yang Renfei
Format: Articles
Published: Instituto Cultural de Macau October 2005
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Online Access:https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40016/3788
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Summary:The article analyzes the group of Macao's *shenshi* (gentry) in the mid-Qing dynasty (18th–19th centuries), arguing that their influence transcended the local sphere and articulated with the political, economic, and cultural circuits that structured the city's external relations. Drawing on the classical typology of the *shenshi* in imperial China — divided into upper and lower categories according to the pathways of access to status (examinations, merit-based appointments, and purchase of office) — the study reconstructs the trajectories of the literati and officeholders linked to Macao, with particular attention to the *juren*, the *gongsheng*, and the *zhengtu*, as well as figures promoted through purchase. Methodologically, the research proceeds through a prosopographic analysis, tracing careers, titles, and offices referred to in biographical and documentary sources (including, among others, examination records and works attributed to the individuals in question). Comparison with the Chinese interior allows the author to interpret the Macanese case as a microcosm of social mobility and of the reproduction of prestige. The study concludes that the composition of the group reveals the coexistence of meritocracy and mechanisms of institutional investment, with the upper category concentrating administrative power and literary reputation, while the purchase pathways expanded access to networks of authority that helped shape Macao's social space.
ISSN:1682-1106