Institutions and Inequality: Comparing the Zongshi and the Jueluo in the Qing Imperial Lineage

Institutions and Inequality: Comparing the Zongshi and the Jueluo in the Qing Imperial Lineage

To gain insight into the implications of institutional affiliation for inequality in historical China, we examine differences in the demographic behavior and social outcomes between the main and collateral lines of the Qing imperial lineage. The former consisted of direct descendants of Takeshi, grandfather of the Qing founder Huang Taiji, while the latter consisted of descendants of Takeshi"s uncles and brothers. State regulations mandated differences in privileges and opportunities between the two lines, but previous examinations of inequality in the lineage focused only on differences within the Zongshi. By analysis of a newly expanded dataset constructed from the most recent edition of the Aixinjueluo Genealogy that also includes Jueluo records, we compare the quality of data, socioeconomic attainment, and demographic behavior of the Zongshi and Jueluo. The result is a complex picture of inequality between the two lines that reflects differences in their treatment by the state.

To gain insight into the implications of institutional affiliation for inequality in historical China, we examine differences in the demographic behavior and social outcomes between the main and collateral lines of the Qing imperial lineage. The former consisted of direct descendants of Takeshi, grandfather of the Qing founder Huang Taiji, while the latter consisted of descendants of Takeshi"s uncles and brothers. State regulations mandated differences in privileges and opportunities between the two lines, but previous examinations of inequality in the lineage focused only on differences within the Zongshi. By analysis of a newly expanded dataset constructed from the most recent edition of the Aixinjueluo Genealogy that also includes Jueluo records, we compare the quality of data, socioeconomic attainment, and demographic behavior of the Zongshi and Jueluo. The result is a complex picture of inequality between the two lines that reflects differences in their treatment by the state.