Cultural centrality and political change in Chinese history : northeast Henan in the fall of the Ming / Roger V. Des Forges.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Des Forges, Roger V.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Henan Sheng (China)--History--16th century.

Henan Sheng (China).

Henan Sheng (China)--History--17th century.

China--History--Li Zicheng Rebellion, 1628-1645.

China.

History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 422 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

The Ming period of Chinese history is often depicted as one of cultural aridity, political despotism, and social stasis. Recent studies, however, have shown that the arts continued to flourish, government remained effective, people enjoyed considerable mobility, and China served as a center of the global economy. This study goes further to argue that China's perennial quest for cultural centrality resulted in periodic political changes that permitted the Chinese people to retain control over social and economic developments. The study focuses on two and a half million people in three prefectures of northeast Henan, the central province in the heart of the "central plain"--a common synecdoche for China. The author argues that this population may have been more representative of the Chinese people at large than were the residents of more prosperous regions.

Contents:

The state

The elite

Gender, class, and ethnicity

The masses

Rebellion in the central province, 1641-42

Stalemate in northeast Henan, 1642

The rise of the Shun, 1643-44

Conclusion: Things fall apart, can the center hold?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 377-402) and index.

ISBN:

0804740445

OCLC:

50203943