A Typology of Late Imperial Chinese Patterns of Protest, Resistance, and Rebellion



A Typology of Late Imperial Chinese Patterns of Protest, Resistance, and Rebellion

Introduction

In today's modern world of rapid development and constant growth, it becomes relatively important to understand the origin, the derivation and the kind of places that people are coming from. Keeping track of the historical backgrounds and the kind of previous history that people have maintained becomes extremely important these days in order to maintain the weightage of a specific culture, religion, establishment or civilization.

In this paper, we shall aim to attempt and describe the kind of Chinese protests that took place throughout history and how each event contributed towards the development and modes of protest, rebellion and resistance, which shall help us understand the patterns which are being practiced throughout Chinese Dynasties and deliberate upon the kind of work these individuals have done (Cohen, 1998).

Chinese History

China holds a lengthy history of the work and progress it has made over the period of time. Although the country has vastly grown to the biggest cultural centers around the world, a major pre-requisite of this success comes from the glorious history and survival of pre-historic times.

The basic motivation, the basic objective for any country to survive is to have their own identity, their own reputation, their own distinct representation in the country. According to my point of view all things matter; be it be religion, culture, history, politics, power, even money can play a significant role whenever a rebellion or protest takes place. Any single parameter is disturbed or hindered and one can welcome them the deepest realms of disaster (Glahn, 1991).

China, unlike any other civilization, existed and faced several troubles and turmoil to survive; many emperors and empire have been brought down in the name of independence and practicing strong cultural values that are strongly practiced and become a vital component of the Chinese history. With the present literature and cultural notes available, it will be much clearer and unambiguous to understand what were the key patterns that took place previously and that how the public manage to make their presence today.

To begin with the most basic rebellion that occurred took flight in the Late Ming Jiangnan times, where a strict and rigid demarcation between the rich and less privileged took place. Just like everyone else wishes to have a live and earn a healthy living, it becomes relatively difficult for individuals to survive for a longer period of time (Hung, 2004). With minor problems and concerns rising and creating major casualty, the basic reason why this movement took heat was because of the seclusion and concentration of wealth, business, contacts and sources limited to one particular section or the elite in the society.

Authors such as Glahn (1991) & Yuan (1979) provide significant results and analysis for the purpose and objective of creating the best and most effective representation of the basic clashes and casualties that occurred between the general public and the ...