明清时期苏州的宗族观念与文化世族

On the Clan Concepts and Cultural Clan of Suzhou in Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清时期苏州是南方的经济与文化中心,但在宗族建设方面属于边缘,宗族观念淡漠是其最大特色。明清苏州大多数的家族组织都是由城市或市镇中的士绅或富商所建立,而且主要是在晚清获得大规模的发展,这是由国家政治与地方社会的局势所决定的。苏州宗族组织区别于其他地区宗族组织的一个显著标志,是苏州宗族强烈的文化色彩,可以称之为"文化世族",它虽然不象乡村单姓村落那样将血缘与地缘紧密结合在一起,对地方社会具有绝对的控制力,但在文化教育与地方公共事业等方面,同样发挥着不可低估的影响。

Suzhou was the economic and cultural center in the South in Ming and Qing Dynasties,and most of its clan organizations were set up by gentries and rich merchants in the towns.What differentiated the clans in Suzhou from other regions was that the culture played an important role in Suzhou clans which was called cultural clan.Cultural clans exerted great influence over the local society on such aspects as cultural education and local public career.