a state ruled by the principles of wenli: the rule of reason and civility. In China, this was society’s response to profound social, cultural and demographic change. In such a populous, diverse and meritocratic society, there was an erosion of status and distinctions, along with growing social and geographical mobility and cultural pluralism that we began to glimpse in the Late Ming. The need, then, was both to redefine the world and to get back to basics.
