Abstract:

In 1859 the Jiang family redeemed themselves through a written contract and ended their economic dependence and their status as servants to the Fang family, which dated to the Ming dynasty. From that point on, the Jiang family initiated a series of family-organized construction activities: establishing an ancestral hall, compiling a genealogy and selecting a clan elder. Through this institutional building the Jiang lineage realized a resurgence of the family’s social status. By virtue of continuous purchases of land, the necessary material base was prepared for the survival and development of the lineage. Through production and management of land as well as the education of their sons, and the development of marriage alliances, the lineage eventually adapted to the local social life. The Jiang lineage finally realized its transformation from a small family to a commoner lineage and successfully integrated into Huizhou clan society. An examination of the transformation of the Jiangs from lower class family to an established lineage provides a model case for the investigation of how small lineages came to flourish in Huizhou.

摘要：

咸丰九年，祁门县溪头坞江姓通过一纸契约得到了开豁放赎，与在城方姓脱离了自明代即已形成的主仆名分和经济依附关系。改贱从良之后，江姓开展了一系列家族建设活动：通过建祠堂、修族谱、选族长等组织化建构，实现了家族社会地位质的提升；通过持续购置田地，为家族的生存发展准备了必要的物质条件；通过协作生产、接受找价、租田取利等生产经营活动以及联姻联亲、联合办会、教育子弟等社会文化活动，适应了地方社会生活。江姓最终实现了由小姓之家到庶民家族的转变，顺利地融入了徽州宗族社会，为考察徽州小姓的开豁以及开豁之后的家族建设实态提供了典型案例。