Family, Fields, and Ancestors

The first book to synthesize and make available important research on the social and economic history of China in late Imperial and modern times, this is a much-needed supplement to existing political histories. Drawing on a vast array of sources pertaining to the period from the Ming Dynasty to the Communist revolution, Lloyd E. Eastman clarifies the complexities of Chinese society while paying tribute to its extraordinary regional, social, and historical diversity. He covers a wide range of topics, from population trends, family life, and popular religion, to agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, and class structure. He also includes incisive comparisons with European socioeconomic history. Family, Fields, and Ancestors portrays aspects of China that have been largely ignored in other general texts but that are crucial to a full understanding of China's historical development in modern times - Back cover.