Patriarchal Clan System
The Patriarchal Clan System Chinese: 宗法 was an important political system in the Western Zhou. The patriarchal system was based on blood relations, with firstborn succession at its core, and played a role in maintaining the Western Zhou political hierarchy and stabilizing social order.[1][2]
Overview
The hereditary king of Zhou was called the Son of Heaven and was the political suzerain of the world, and the throne was inherited by the firstborn son. The other sons of the Son of Heaven could be divided into vassals, and the throne was also passed to the firstborn son. The other sons of the vassals were divided into Taifu. The position of Taifu also passed to the eldest son, and the rest of the sons were the lowest rank of the nobles - scholar-officials without fiefs. These hereditary firstborn sons became the heads of all levels of power.[citation needed]
The Zhou people had the custom of building Jongmyo early on, and the clan temple housed a Spirit tablet representing the ancestor, and the number of "temples" built inside depended on the hierarchical status of the patriarch. In addition to rituals, the temples were also used for major ceremonies and decisions, and had the character of a ceremonial hall. This respect for the ancestors strengthened the unity within the clan and stabilized the social structure. Complementing the clan temple system was the clan tomb system, in which nobles and state officials were buried en masse in public cemeteries during the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods. According to the three books of rites, all clansmen should be buried in the clan tomb, except for the murderous dead. The patriarch sometimes had to go to the clan tomb to report the ancestors when there was an urgent matter.[citation needed]
In the Western Zhou Dynasty, "Xing" and "Shi" were two concepts, with "Xing" indicating descent and "Shi" being a branch of "Xing". The nobles were given a "given name" by their fathers when they were young, and "Courtesy name" when they were adults[3]. The "Courtesy name" is taken at the "Crown Ceremony" or "Maturity Ceremony", or sometimes at marriage for women[4]. For men, there are three characters in the full name of the character: the first character indicates the lineage of the eldest and youngest (Bo, Zhong, Shu, Ji, etc.), the second character is arbitrary, and the last character is the character for "father"[citation needed]. The last character of the full name of the woman's character is "mother" or "daughter", and the first character is marked with "surname". Because the full name is too complicated, it is customary to omit the "father" or "mother" at the end. This surname name system can play a good role in determining the lineage, the role of the eldest and youngest, the role of the inferiority.[citation needed]
Similar to the clan society, the nobles of the Zhou dynasty forbade Same-surname marriaget.[5][6]:22–23. However, the nobles of each rank had to marry women of different surnames within the same rank, while the son of heaven and the king's wife could intermarry with the vassals[citation needed]. The nobles practiced Polygyny, and the offspring were subject to Primogeniture (but it was not strictly enforced in early times)[citation needed]. Primogeniture served to stabilize the clan and prevent civil strife. The Western Zhou was stripped of its clan society, and each clan was governed by a patriarch or patriarch. The Son of Heaven was the great patriarch of the world, the vassals were the great patriarchs of their own state, and the vassals were the great patriarchs of their own families, in charge of the Fief people and land, and the various clan organizations formed a hierarchical ruling structure from top to bottom. Each level of nobility had a military under the command of the patriarch. The patriarch was also the chief priest of the clan temple and the patron of the clan members. The ministers of each country were in charge of military and political affairs, and they were assisted by households in various matters. The "chamberlain" was in charge of the patriarch's finances, the "patriarch" was in charge of various rituals, the "zai" helped with government affairs, and there were various ministers who served the ministers in their lives. The courtiers had to be absolutely loyal to the interests of the "family".[citation needed]
The drawback of the patriarchal system was that the power of the vassal states would grow and grow, and the tail would not fall off[citation needed]. The control of the Zhou emperor over his covens was gradually lost, and the titles of Duke, Marquess, Count, Viscount, and Baron were gradually changed from the titles of heaven to adult titles. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the territories of the vassal states were mostly small, and some of them were only one city. However, after Eastern Zhou, the status of the Prince of Heaven was greatly reduced, and the lords annexed each other, resulting in the emergence of Five Hegemons, which became independent kingdoms to compete with the Zhou royal family.[citation needed]
See Also
References
- ↑ 杨习梅 (2016). 中国监狱史. p. 44. ISBN 978-7-5118-9582-0. Archived from the original on 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2019-04-08. Search this book on
- ↑ ""宗法"字的解释 | 汉典". www.zdic.net (in 中文). Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ↑ "秦始皇︰一場歷史的思辨之旅". 博客來. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-02-12. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Wilkinson, Endymion Porter (2018). Chinese History: A New Manual. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center. p. 143-145. ISBN 978-0998888309. Search this book on
- ↑ 牟潤孫 (1990). 海遺雜著 (in 中文). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-962-201-407-7. Search this book on
- ↑ Ip, King Tak (2014). 儒家家庭價值的應用與生物科技倫理. International Journal of Chinese & Comparative Philosophy of Medicine (in 中文). 12 (1). doi:10.24112/ijccpm.121554. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
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