From Military Bigwigs to Prominent Families:Research Centering on Guide Prefecture of Henan in the Ming Dynasty

Through fieldwork and historical folk texts of the region of ShangQiu, Henan Province, the regional control system of Guide Prefecture of Henan Province in the Ming Dynasty underwent the evolution from military bigwigs to prominent families. Military bigwigs who had privileges were powerful and dominating in Gui-de Prefecture in the early Ming Dynasty. Reform of taxes and wasteland supervision in the Mid-Ming Dynasty restricted the political privileges of military bigwigs. Meanwhile, a multitude descendants of military bigwigs gradually became prominent families centered on gentry level via imperial examination, and established regional control system of gentry level. The regional control system which centered on military bigwigs and prominent families was different from folk clans of South China, which showed a special development formation of Henan local society in the Ming Dynasty.