The Economy Of Lower Yangzi Delta In Late Imperial China

This book explores aspects of this vibrant market economy in late imperial China, and by presenting a reconstructed narrative of economic development in the early modern Jiangnan, provides new perspectives on established theories of Chinese economic development. Further, by examining economic values alongside social structures, this book produces a historically comprehensive account of the contemporary Chinese economy which engenders a deeper and broader understanding of China's current economic success.

In this learned, yet readable, book, Joseph McDermott introduces the history of the book in China in the late imperial period from 1000 to 1800. He assumes little knowledge of Chinese history or culture and compares the Chinese experience with books with that of other civilizations, particularly the European. Yet he deals with a wide range of issues in the history of the book in China and presents novel analyses of the changes in Chinese woodblock bookmaking over these centuries. He presents a new view of when the printed book replaced the manuscript and what drove that substitution. He explores the distribution and marketing structure of books, and writes fascinatingly on the history of book collecting and about access to private and government book collections. In drawing on a great deal of Chinese, Japanese, and Western research this book provides a broad account of the way Chinese books were printed, distributed, and consumed by literati and scholars, mainly in the lower Yangzi delta, the cultural center of China during these centuries. It introduces interesting personalities, ranging from wily book collectors to an indigent shoe-repairman collector. And, it discusses the obstacles to the formation of a truly national printed culture for both the well-educated and the struggling reader in recent times. This broad and comprehensive account of the development of printed Chinese culture from 1000 to 1800 is written for anyone interested in the history of the book. It also offers important new insights into book culture and its place in society for the student of Chinese history and culture. 'A brilliant piece of synthetic research as well as a delightful read, it offers a history of the Chinese book to the eighteenth century that is without equal.' - Timothy Brook, University of British Columbia 'Writers, scribes, engravers, printers, binders, publishers, distributors, dealers, literati, scholars, librarians, collectors, voracious readers — the full gamut of a vibrant book culture in China over one thousand years — are examined with eloquence and perception by Joseph McDermott in The Social History of the Book. His lively exploration will be of consuming interest to bibliophiles of every persuasion.' - Nicholas A. Basbanes, author of A Gentle Madness, Patience and Fortitude, A Splendor of Letters, and Every Book Its Reader Joseph McDermott is presently Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, and University Lecturer in Chinese at Cambridge University. He has published widely on Chinese social and economic history, most recently on the economy of the Song (or, Sung) dynasty for the Cambridge History of China. He has edited State and Court Ritual in China and Art and Power in East Asia.

This volume marks a turning point in the study of Chinese economic history. It arose from a realization that the economic history of China—as opposed to the history of the Chinese economy—had yet to be written. Most histories of the Chinese economy, whether by Western or Chinese scholars, tend to view the economy in institutional or social terms. In contrast, the studies in this volume break new ground by systematically applying economic theory and methods to the study of China. While demonstrating to historians the advantages of an economic perspective, the contributors, comprising both historians and economists, offer important new insights concerning issues of long-standing interest to both disciplines. Part One, on price behavior, presents for the first time preliminary analyses of the incomparably rich and important grain price data from the imperial archives in Beijing and Taibei during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). These studies reveal long-term trends in the Chinese economy since the seventeenth century and contain surprising discoveries about market integration, the agricultural economy, and demographic behavior in different regions of China. The essays in Part Two, on market response, deal with different aspects of the economy of Republican China (1912–49), showing that markets for land, labor, and capital sometimes functioned as predicted by models of economic "rationality" but at other times behaved in ways that can be explained only by combining economic analysis with knowledge of political, regional, class, and gender differences. Based on new types of data, they suggest novel interpretations of the Chinese economic experience. The resulting collection is interdisciplinary scholarship of a high order, which weaves together the analytic framework provided by economic theory and the rich texture of social phenomena gathered by accomplished historians. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1992.

The first English translation of Li Bozhong's pioneering study of GDP in early modern China.

This book examines cities of the Jiangnan region of south-central China between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries, an area considered to be the model of a successfully developing regional economy. The six studies focus on the urban centers of Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Shanghai. Emphasizing the regional focus, the authors explore the interconnections and sequential relationships between these major cities and analyze common themes such as the development of handicraft industry, transport and commerce, class structure, ethnic diversity and internal immigration, and the social and political pressures generated by developments in manufacturing, taxes, and government politics. The book provides a valuable resource on commercial development and internal economic and social development in pre-modern China, particularly on specific regional development and the historical role of traditional Chinese cities.

In order to understand China's current economic miracle, it is essential to thoroughly study the true picture of China's economy before the arrival of the West in the mid-19th century. This volume collects the internationally influential Chinese economic historian Prof. Li Bozhong’s influential academic work written in English over several decades, focusing on how to abandon the previously prevailing Western-centric historical viewpoint and recognize the changes in China's economic history during the Ming and Qing dynasties from a new perspective. The selected papers are divided into two main categories: macro-level presentations and reports delivered at major international historical events, and specialized research on economic history, with a particular focus on the economic history of the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and comparative economic history between China and the West. The book aims to promote international exchanges in the field of Chinese economic history and expand the international vision of the younger generation of economic historians in our country. These papers, published in various journals and occasions, generated a positive academic response abroad. Upon compilation and publication, this volume will further promote international exchanges in Chinese economic history and enhance the international vision of young economists. Prof. Li Bozheng, born in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 1949, graduated from Xiamen University. He is among the first batch of master's and doctoral degree recipients in history following the restoration of the degree system in new China, and also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan in the United States. Currently, he serves as a Humanities Chair Professor at Peking University. In 1998, Prof. Li Bozheng joined Tsinghua University, and founded the Tsinghua University Center for Chinese Economic History. He has held various roles, including consultant, director of the History Department, and director of the Institute of Intellectual and Cultural Studies. In 2009, he joined the Tsinghua University Academy of Sinology. Throughout his career, Prof. Li Bozheng has been a guest professor at numerous universities, including the French School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, the London School of Economics and Political Science (Department of Economic History), Keio University (Faculty of Economics), Harvard University (Department of East Asian Civilizations and Languages), the University of Michigan (History Department), the California Institute of Technology (Division of Humanities and Social Sciences), and the University of California (History Department). A long-term devotee to the study of Chinese economic history, he has published over ten monographs and ninety academic papers in both Chinese and English, making significant contributions to the field.

Seven previously published but long out-of-print essays, and one new one, explore traditional and modern manufacturing in Ming and Qing China and its relationship to the government. Among the topics are a comparative perspective of Chinese economic history, cotton textiles 1871-1910, a 19th-century coal and iron company, proto-industrialization 155

Uses the early phase of Chinese industrial efforts to demonstrate that Chinese political values significantly and assuredly affected the way modern industry was promoted and developed. Both values and environment can change, and it is their interaction that determines some specific ideological content and thrust.