The military system in the late Tang and Five Dynasties is principally characterized by the transformation of the practice of conscription to the recruitment of mercenary soldiers, along with the changes of military establishments and soldiers’ remuneration. In the early Tang Dynasty, the status and wealth of conscripts were highly valued. While in the late Tang, the martial art of recruits was more valued. This transformation in medieval China illustrates the decline of the imperial power’s direct control over its subjects and reflects the historical trends of the social evolutions taking place during the Tang-Song Era.
The changing status of moxibustion therapy in folk medicine from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty is a reflection of the distribution situation of popular medical resources during these periods. As a feasible therapy with a large popularity, moxibustion played a crucial role in the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty saw some social development as well, because it was an active state power and social force in medical activities. Therefore, people at the lower class gradually benefited from decoction and acupuncture treatments, and the status of the moxibustion therapy began to decline. The changing status of moxibustion therapy in different dynasties embodies the changes in technology and the quality of life.
In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the means of transportation were greatly improved; commodity production became more developed; silver was gradually monetized; commercial taxes became lighter; and social attitudes towards merchants changed. All these developments created a favorable environment for the formation of regional merchant groups. Meanwhile, social factors at the regional level—characteristics of local commodity production, favorable natural environment and production structures, as well as Ming government’s practice of border defense, border trade, foreign policy, local customs, and the interpretation of commercial activities of local people—all contributed to the emergence of merchant groups.
The legislation on public health was almost vacant in traditional China; however, related concepts and activities of local governments and communities helped maintain ecological balance. Since the reigns of the Emperor Jiaqing and Daoguang, Jiangnan has witnessed drastic changes in her society and environment, and has saw the advent of western civilizations. Scholars advocated the government administration to deal with the public health, and thus transferred the public health from individual activities which were free from external influence and destitute of specialized management to systematic and organized conducts which were in charge of governments at various levels.
Threatened by the thriving leftwing film industry, the Nationalist Party became more conservative. They set up the Central Film Censorship Committee as an important link in the system of film censorship, further tightening the control over film production. It was a substitute for the former Film Censorship Committee under the Ministries of Education and Interior. The committee achieved its original goals, but the result of its work did not fully conform to the party’s initial expectations.
Subletting land was widely practiced throughout the Chinese countryside during the early 20th century. The various modes of land subletting in the Chengdu Plains during the Republican period included sharecropping, contracted tenancy and a large-tract tenancy system. The subletting caused many conflicts among tenants, like the transfer of tax liability, etc. The reasons why there were so many lands being leased out were: (1) The ecological pressure caused by a surplus of people with little available land. (2) The civil customs of subletting land and national laws opposed each other but also complemented each other. (3) Subletting land was a supplement of the tenancy system, and also an economic activity driven by interests.
