A summary of studies on the clan of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the last ten years

The comprehensive and regional studies on the clan of the Ming and Qing Dynasties including Fujian and Guangdong,Yangtze River,Jiangnan and the north reveal the time difference of spreading and the geographical distribution of the clan organization,regional clan's specificity and general features.The most challenging study is the north clan whose characteristics increasingly clear.Profoundly influenced by the community covenant and Bao-jia system,clan system integrated with community covenant in the Ming Dynasty.The clan elder emerged in the Qing Dynasty and extended to the grass-roots unit in Fujian and Taiwan.We shouldn't ignore the local culture in the clan study such as clan schools and academies.The formation and development of the clan linked with immigration and area development.Only combined with local society,the story of ancestral legends can be deeply understood.Analysis of ancestral legends becomes an important way to clan study and the early part of the genealogy lineage shows new data value.It is necessary to do fieldwork and read the historical data from different angles in the clan study.