In ancient Chinese history, the existence of the great family once occupied the stage of history for a long time. Most of these families originated in the Han Dynasty, some from the Western Han Dynasty, and some from the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The achievements of these families did not happen overnight, but were forged through the collective efforts of several generations.
These families have played an important role in the stage of history since the day they were born. From the Western Han Dynasty to the middle of the Tang Dynasty, these large families have always occupied an important position, and their influence is enough to influence the political direction of a place or even a country, and their roots are deep.
Among these families, the most well-known are the five surnames and seven sects.
Five surnames and seven sects, with a long history and a long history. Including the seven families of Longxi Li, Zhaojun Li, Boling Cui, Qinghe Cui, Fanyang Lu, Xingyang Zheng, and Taiyuan Wang.
Among them, the Li family and the Cui family each have two county wang clans, so they are also known as the five surnames and seven families. These families have produced numerous important figures throughout history and have had a profound impact on the course of history.
For example, the Li clan in Longxi established a state twice, once in Xiliang during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and the other in the Tang Dynasty, ruled by the Li Shimin family.
The Li clan of Zhaojun, the famous general of the Warring States period in history, Li Mu, is recognized as the ancestor of this clan. And during the Tang Dynasty, we can see an interesting phenomenon: almost all the prime ministers came from these five surnames and seven families!
These great families lasted for thousands of years, even to the extreme, and only allowed intermarriage within the family, and even the royal family and the prime minister could not compete with them.
Xue Yuanchao, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, once said that one of the biggest regrets in his life was that he failed to marry a woman from the five surnames of the seven clans, which showed the prestige of the five surnames of the seven clans.
So, what is so special about these families that allows them to become the center of power? The main reason is that they hold the key to talent promotion.
Since the implementation of the inspection system by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, to the Jiupin Zhongzheng system implemented in the Three Kingdoms period later, ordinary people want to enter the court as officials, and the main way to be promoted is to be recommended by the local ** or county wang.
Under this system, the right to recommend is controlled by the big families, who almost monopolize the channel for upward promotion, and the bottom talents must seek their support if they want to improve their status.
For a long time, this system has formed a virtuous circle, which has sent fresh blood to the family. By controlling the way of talent promotion, the family was able to establish a complete ruling system in their region, and its influence even exceeded that of the emperor and the imperial court.
Their attitudes can often affect the fate of a region or even an entire country.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao was able to unify the north, and the biggest factor was the support of the Yingchuan scholars. The gathering of these scholars attracted a large number of talented people to join Cao Cao's camp and laid the foundation for later unification.
However, how did these great families, who could almost decide the rise and fall of a country, disappear? It's like Xiao He contributed to Liu Bang's success and failure. The biggest reason why these families can continue to exist for less than a thousand years is that they have monopolized the upward channel of talents.
However, their decline is also due to the loss of these upward channels. As we all know, from the Sui and Tang dynasties, the imperial examination system gradually emerged, replacing the previous system recommended by the family, and no matter who recommended it, they needed to take the exam.
In ancient China, the implementation of the imperial examination system played a key role in the development of society. Although some people think that the imperial examination system restricts people's thinking and has many drawbacks, it is a historic progress.
The fall of the Sui Dynasty was partly due to the introduction of the imperial examination system, as it touched the fundamental interests of the great families. However, during the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin's family adopted a relatively mild approach to weaken the influence of the family, which allowed the Tang Dynasty to exist for a relatively long time.
During this period, the imperial examination system gradually matured, and the clans lost their economic foundation and social status, becoming rootless water. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Huangchao Rebellion had caused the extinction of a large number of scholars, and their property and land were also deprived.
Eventually, the imperial examination system was replaced by the emerging landlord and gentry class during the Song Dynasty, and became a historical relic.