State versus Gentry in Early Qing Dynasty China, 1644-1699

This meticulously researched study explores the humiliation experienced by the Chinese gentry during the 1660s under the Oboi regents and the subsequent rise of the Kangxi emperor in the 1670s. It highlights how the emperor's self-proclaimed Confucian wisdom undermined the gentry's traditional authority and sovereignty, illustrating a pivotal shift in power dynamics in Chinese society during this period.