State versus Gentry in Early Qing Dynasty China, 1644-1699; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Summary of the Late Ming Context; The Meaning of the Dynastic Transfer; The People versus the Gentry and the State; The (Southern) Ming Solution; The Qing Solution; The Special Characteristicsof the Early Qing State; Chapter 1: The Dorgon Regency, 1644-1650; Quelling Faction or Suppressing the Gentlemen?; The State's Tentative Accommodation with the Gentry in the Provinces; Dynastic and Social Warfare in Jiangnan; Hong Chengchou and Qing Control over Jiangnan.

Qing Fiscal Policy and the State's Sovereignty over the PeopleOptions for the Gentry: Holding on to Local Power; Options for the Gentry: Reclusion or Service?; Gentry in Magistrate's Robes: The Case of Gu Yuxian; Dorgon's Enduring Suspicions and Vainglory; Chapter 2: The Shunzhi Emperor, 1651-1661; Wu Weiye: Organizing from the Ground Up; Chen Mingxia: Organizing from the Top Down; Wei Yijie: Hints of a Negotiated Sovereignty; Hong Chengchou: Sage or Servant?; Identifying the Villains of the Countryside: "Corrupt Officials"or "Powerful Gentry"?; Chapter 3: The Oboi Regency, 1661-1669.

Discouraging Officials' Affinity with the GentryThe Gentry's Preemptive Strike: Lamenting in the Temple; The State's Policy of Zero Tolerance toward the Gentry; Zero Tolerance in Fiscal Matters: The Tax Clearance Case; The Novel Finality of the Tax Clearance Case; Further Innovations of the Regency; Instability of the Qing State under the Regents and the Search for New Leadership; Chapter 4: The Kangxi Emperor, 1669-1699; Kangxi's Reestablishment of the Court Lectures; The Rebellion of the Three Feudatories and Its Effect on the Gentry.

The Gentry's New Priorities during and after the RebellionKangxi's Co-optation of the Gentry-Officials; Kangxi's Coronation as Sage King; Kangxi's Southern Tour of 1699; Epilogue: The Meaning of the Ming-Qing Transition; Notes; Bibliography; Index.