Recreating Fen-Jian: A Study of Noble Title and Political Order in Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties (Revised Version)

The "feudalism" of China's medieval period, that of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and even the modern understanding of feudalism are in fact different concepts. This book offers an in-depth analysis and discussion of the feudal system and political order of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Focusing on the system of nobility (爵制), this book explores the meaning of "feudalism" in China's medieval period and the relationship between the nobility system and the political order. The medieval Chinese feudal system nominally followed the Western Zhou feudal system, but in reality, it was constantly traced and reconstructed by Confucian scholars and literati since the Warring States and Han Dynasties, shaping a set of "historical memories" about Western Zhou feudalism. Medieval Chinese feudalism replaced the Western Zhou lords with royal dukes (王爵) and the hierarchy of five noble ranks (五等爵), establishing a framework where the Son of Heaven enfeoffed lords to govern their fiefs. It also formulated a unique "founding of the state" (開國) system and "investiture with soil" (茅土) ritual for these lords, drawing upon Confucian classics and stories from the Han and Wei dynasties. Various dynasties also used the enfeoffment of surrounding powers to construct a world order and demonstrate the regime's position as the sovereign of “All Under Heaven” (天下共主). This book not only examines the specific practices of the feudal system but also re-evaluates the political situation and institutional changes of China's medieval period.