Family, Fields, and Ancestors : Constancy and Change in China's Social and Economic History, 1550-1949

This is the first book to synthesize and make available important recent research on China's social and economic history, offering a completely new perspective on the four centuries from the Ming Dynasty to the Communist revolution. Drawing on a wide array of sources, the author clarifies the complexities of Chinese society, covering a wide range of topics from population trends, class structure, and religion to agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing.