Discussions on the Process Characteristics of the Chinese Intellectuals' Choices of Political Orientation in Late Ming and Early Qing

Political changes during late Ming and early Qing led to the confrontation of the different political directions and the group integrity differentiation among the intellectuals. Consideration in the dilemma of political situation resulted in the intellectuals' implicit attitude in the process of differentiation, which externalized into deeds with tortuosities and complexities in the path selection process. The tortuosities and complexities in the path selection process are manifested in the following three aspects:The coexistence of the polarization of the overall direction and the multi-level of the specific paths selected by the intelligentsias. The vacillation between political camps they selected and the opposing political spectrums among the intelligentsias, which is created by their hesitation attitude. The deviation, or even the paradox of the intellectuals' choices of self direction, relative to the publics' moral expectations.