A Survey of the Studies on the Gentry System in Recent Two Decades

Gentry eventually formed during the Ming and Qing Dynasty.Gentry had knowledge and fame,enjoyed all the privileges given by the state,controlled of grass- roots society on behalf of the state.Meanwhile they shouldered a variety of social duties in the local area,dominated people's social life,and were in intermediarive positions between the officials and public.Over the past twenty years,Chinese scholars have made quite comprehensive studies on the gentry,mainly on the connotation,status and role of the gentry etc.