The rise of the Hui Culture can be attributed to an influx of migrants. These immigrants are of two categories: the first were people who fled the Central Plains during perennial wars at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. They found refuge in Huizhou in the recess of the mountains where they settled down. The second were officials who remained in the region after their tenure expired. Many of these are the ancestors of eminent families in Huizhou.
These immigtants brought with them Confucianism and a better civilization, which was gradually incorporated into the local mountainous culture. At last a new regional culture came into being that was based on Confucianism.
In contrast to the clashes and blending between different cultures and thoughts in the plains areas, Confucianism in mountain-encircled Huizhou remained intact for long periods. With the proliferation of immigrats in the region, clanism was strengthened. Based on blood ties, clanism was a product of Confucianism and consolidated Confucian rule.
In 1127 the forces of the state of Jin broke into Bianliang to end the rule of Northern Song Dynasty. The succeeding Southern Song regime established its capital in Hangzhou in southern China, not far from Huizhou. The Hui Culture afterward began to thrive. Many Huizhou people entered the government by passing the imperial civil service examinations, and local scholars built their fame in the nation's literary circles. During the Song Dynasty more than six hundred Huizhou people excelled in the imperial civil service exams, and more than one hundred and twenty scholars composed poems and essays that have been passed down through history. During the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) the Mongolian rulers discriminated against the Hans and other ethnic groups. And the imperial civil service examination, no longer deemed the primary way to select candidates for official posts, was often suuspended. Many scholars felt indignant about this and retreated to Huizhou. During this time the School of Principle founded by Zhu Xi, a Confucian school of idealist philosophy, thrived in the region. Advocates, such as Zheng Yu (1295-1358), Chen Li(1252-1334) and Zhu Sheng (1299-1370), carried forward its theories, and preached its doctrines in public. As a result, Lixue, or the School of Principle became a key part of Hui Culture.
The Hui Culture underwent further development after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when local farmlands could no longer sustain the growing population. Many people had to leave the region to do business. With fair schooling and thanks to the supportive policy of government, they soon made large fortunes and grew into an influential faction. They used part of their profits to expand business, and they sent the rest home to buy land, build houses, and pay for children's education, which further advanced the Hui Culture.
The Huizhou businesspeople grew stronger in the following decades. They traveled across the nation and returned to introduce various cultures into their hometown. Meanwhile people outside of Huizhou began to pay greater attention to it. Many scholars and artists, including Shen Shixing, Wang Shizhen, Zhu Zhishan, She Zhou, Chen Jiru, Dong Qichang, and Xu Wei of the Ming Dynasty and Qian Qianyi and Yuan Mei of the Qing Dyansty visited there, and created writings or paintings about to Huizhou, Tang Xianzu, a famous Ming playwright, declared it to be the palce he dreamed of. A booming economy significantly contributed to the prosperity of the Hui Culture.
These immigtants brought with them Confucianism and a better civilization, which was gradually incorporated into the local mountainous culture. At last a new regional culture came into being that was based on Confucianism.
In contrast to the clashes and blending between different cultures and thoughts in the plains areas, Confucianism in mountain-encircled Huizhou remained intact for long periods. With the proliferation of immigrats in the region, clanism was strengthened. Based on blood ties, clanism was a product of Confucianism and consolidated Confucian rule.
In 1127 the forces of the state of Jin broke into Bianliang to end the rule of Northern Song Dynasty. The succeeding Southern Song regime established its capital in Hangzhou in southern China, not far from Huizhou. The Hui Culture afterward began to thrive. Many Huizhou people entered the government by passing the imperial civil service examinations, and local scholars built their fame in the nation's literary circles. During the Song Dynasty more than six hundred Huizhou people excelled in the imperial civil service exams, and more than one hundred and twenty scholars composed poems and essays that have been passed down through history. During the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) the Mongolian rulers discriminated against the Hans and other ethnic groups. And the imperial civil service examination, no longer deemed the primary way to select candidates for official posts, was often suuspended. Many scholars felt indignant about this and retreated to Huizhou. During this time the School of Principle founded by Zhu Xi, a Confucian school of idealist philosophy, thrived in the region. Advocates, such as Zheng Yu (1295-1358), Chen Li(1252-1334) and Zhu Sheng (1299-1370), carried forward its theories, and preached its doctrines in public. As a result, Lixue, or the School of Principle became a key part of Hui Culture.
The Hui Culture underwent further development after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when local farmlands could no longer sustain the growing population. Many people had to leave the region to do business. With fair schooling and thanks to the supportive policy of government, they soon made large fortunes and grew into an influential faction. They used part of their profits to expand business, and they sent the rest home to buy land, build houses, and pay for children's education, which further advanced the Hui Culture.
The Huizhou businesspeople grew stronger in the following decades. They traveled across the nation and returned to introduce various cultures into their hometown. Meanwhile people outside of Huizhou began to pay greater attention to it. Many scholars and artists, including Shen Shixing, Wang Shizhen, Zhu Zhishan, She Zhou, Chen Jiru, Dong Qichang, and Xu Wei of the Ming Dynasty and Qian Qianyi and Yuan Mei of the Qing Dyansty visited there, and created writings or paintings about to Huizhou, Tang Xianzu, a famous Ming playwright, declared it to be the palce he dreamed of. A booming economy significantly contributed to the prosperity of the Hui Culture.