Luxurious Networks : Salt Merchants, Status, and Statecraft in Eighteenth-Century China / Yulian Wu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wu, Yulian, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Merchants--China--Huizhou Diqu--History--18th century.

Merchants.

Merchants--Social networks--China--History--18th century.

Manchus--China--Kings and rulers--18th century.

Manchus.

Material culture--China--History--18th century.

Material culture.

Huizhou Diqu (China)--History--18th century.

Huizhou Diqu (China).

China--History--Qing dynasty, 1644-1912.

China.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (316 pages) : illustrations, map

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, CA : Stanford University Press, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

From precious jade articles to monumental stone arches, Huizhou salt merchants in Jiangnan lived surrounded by objects in eighteenth-century China. How and why did these businessmen devote themselves to these items? What can we learn about eighteenth-century China by examining the relationship between merchants and objects? Luxurious Networks examines Huizhou salt merchants in the material world of High Qing China to reveal a dynamic interaction between people and objects. The Qianlong emperor purposely used objects to expand his influence in economic and cultural fields. Thanks to their broad networks, outstanding managerial skills, and abundant financial resources, these salt merchants were ideal agents for selecting and producing objects for imperial use. In contrast to the typical caricature of merchants as mimics of the literati, these wealthy businessmen became respected individuals who played a crucial role in the political, economic, social, and cultural world of eighteenth-century China. Their life experiences illustrate the dynamic relationship between the Manchu and Han, central and local, and humans and objects in Chinese history.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Maps, Tables, and Figures

Reign Titles of the Qing Emperors (1644–1911)

Note on Transcription and Reigns and Dates

Acknowledgments

Introduction. Merchant Culture in the Material World of Eighteenth-Century China

PART ONE. A New Regime: The Manchu Court and Salt Merchants

PART TWO. Finding Things in Jiangnan

PART THREE. Making Things in Huizhou

Conclusion Cultured and Cosmopolitan Men (tongren): Objects, Merchants, and the Manchu Court in High Qing China

Notes

Character List

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2017.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jul 2020)

ISBN:

9781503600799

1503600793

OCLC:

1178769716