Abstract:
Social mobility in the Chinese medieval times mainly takes two forms: the horizontal geographical migration and the vertical class change. Due to political reasons, the Wei Hua Clan embarked on a migration route that started from Chang’an, to Xiangyang, Jiankang, and Nanxuzhou, before back to Chang’an again in over 200 years from the mid 16 States Period to the Sui Dynasty, in order to find a best way of family development. From the East Jin Dynasty to the Sounthern Qi Dynasty when the central government was contending with the local government for power, the Wei Hua Clan was firmly established in Xiangyang, as a powerful local landlord. At the end of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Wei Rui took dynastic replacement as an opportunity to obtain a high position and started a “Xiangyang—Jiankang” double city development mode. This period was regarded as the best time of the clan. Later, Wei Rui’s grandson, Wei Jie gave up Xiangyang and settled in Jiankang, attaching the clan to the emperor. His whole family was killed in the Houjing Rebellion. The migration and power change of the Wei Hua Clan shows the strengthening of the imperial power and the weakening of the local force in the southern dynasties. The study can shed some light on the fundamental factors in national reunification and the plebeianization of the nobilities in the late northern and southern dynasties.
