The art of being ruled

The Art of Being Governed: Everyday Politics in Kate imperial China

Editor's Recommendation
/ Won the 2018 "Outstanding Academic Book Award" from Choice magazine in the United States.
/ Highly recommended by Professor Zheng Zhenman of Xiamen University, Professor Pu Depei of Yale University, and James Scott, author of "The Art of Escape from Rule", with prefaces written by Dangnian Mingyue, author of "Things About the Ming Dynasty", and David Faust, Chairman of the History Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
/ This book explores the larger history through small historical events, exploring the major issues of our times through the small stories of ordinary people. Starting with the Ming Dynasty's military service system and the strategies adopted by military households, it recreates the interplay between policy and human nature, reflecting on the successes and failures of Ming governance and prompting us to consider what constitutes a good system.
Professor Song Yiming speaks fluent Mandarin and is deeply familiar with Fujian's customs and culture. With nearly three decades of field research experience, he has collected a wealth of first-hand folk materials, including family genealogies and local chronicles. As a leading figure in the third generation of the "South China School," a school of historical anthropology, he often quotes his "grandfather," Fu Yiling: "Historical research cannot be done in a library; it must be conducted in the field."
Media Recommendation: Within China's unified dynastic system, civil society developed flexible and diverse coping mechanisms. "The Art of Being Ruled" explores the survival strategies of Ming Dynasty military households, offering insights into traditional Chinese political culture and social structure.
—Zheng Zhenman, Professor of History, Xiamen University This illuminating book draws on a wealth of historical materials and creatively connects the past with the present. It is one of the most complex and vivid descriptions of social relations in Ming and Qing China published in recent years.
—Peter C. Perdue, Professor of History at Yale University This book intelligently and powerfully blends micro-history and macro-history, exploring how people resisted beneath the surface of obedience over long periods of time. The author examines the Ming Dynasty's conscription system through the lens of history, aiming to demonstrate the manipulation strategies between individuals and the state.
—James C. Scott, Professor of Political Science, Yale University. Synopsis: Set in the coastal garrisons of the Ming Dynasty, this book examines the interactions between military households and the government under the Ming dynasty's hereditary military household system. It focuses on describing and summarizing how military households, committed to military service, sought advantages and avoided disadvantages, developing various strategies to optimize their circumstances. Neither openly defying authority nor servilely obeying it, they operated in a "middle ground" between resistance and obedience, minimizing costs while maximizing benefits.
This book is divided into three parts, respectively describing the lives of Fujian military households in their native places, garrisons, and military settlements. A key feature of this book is its extensive use of folk sources such as family trees, local chronicles, and oral histories, recounting numerous fascinating stories from the lives of these households. These authentic and vivid cases, complemented by rigorous and meticulous research, form a social history that recounts the lives of ordinary people.

2023-04-01

九州出版社

the new wave

392

9787522506814