The Ultimate Choice: Duty and Destiny in the Late Ming Collapse

 

The Ultimate Choice: Duty and Destiny in the Late Ming Collapse

The collapse of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) forced the scholar-official class into a profound existential crisis. While many ultimately chose survival, a significant number of officials and literati chose to "die for the state" (xunguo) or "die for the monarch" (xunjun). For these individuals, martyrdom was not merely a tragic end but the fulfillment of a moral obligation deeply rooted in traditional Confucian values

The motivations behind these acts of martyrdom were diverse. Some, like Grand Secretary Fan Jingwen, chose to die purely for the state, choosing suicide upon the fall of the capital even before the fate of the emperor was known. Others were driven by a sense of personal debt to the monarch, adhering to the principle that "when the ruler is insulted, the minister dies". Figures such as Li Banghua and Liu Lishun saw their deaths as the ultimate practice of "benevolence and righteousness" (renyi), following the ancient precedents of Mencius and historical heroes like Wen Tianxiang.

A crucial factor often overlooked in the analysis of this period is the lack of alternative paths for these men of conscience. Unlike the modern era, where globalization allows for relocation to new, comparable lands with similar civilizations, the Ming scholar-officials lived in a world where the fall of the dynasty was perceived as the end of civilization itself. To them, there was no "other" country to settle in that shared their cultural and moral landscape. Within their worldview, there was no place for a gentleman to "flee wealth and honor" or seek a new life under a different sky. Consequently, many felt that since the path of saving the state was blocked and the option of resettlement was non-existent, the only remaining "way" was to sacrifice their lives to maintain their integrity and the "Three Bonds" of social order.