This is the first English translation of Lu Zongli's major study of rumor in the early Chinese empires. Lu explores how rumor, a non-official form of public opinion, formed and spread through non-official channels of early Chinese history. In this careful investigation, Lu utilizes sources concerning dynastic politics, popular songs, mythology and prophetic texts, dissecting the nature, function and impact of rumor on politics and culture. His work demonstrates the ways that historians can examine views outside of mainstream thinking, interpret group mentality and try to understand the...

This is the first English translation of one of the most authoritative and significant studies of its kind. Utilising a broad range of literary genres from the late Qing through the Republican period, Fan Boqun's innovative, illustrated analysis charts the historical blueprint of modern Chinese popular literature.

Deng Yunte was a respected academic and artist. He was also a propagandist and political commentator, before becoming one of the earliest victims of the Cultural Revolution. He committed suicide in 1966. This is the first English translation of his classic study of famine relief in Chinese history. Richly researched, Deng plots the history of famine from ancient times to the Republican period, and explores the impact of famine relief in China with a focus on social and economic forces. This is a unique and revealing text, not only as a study of famine in China, but as an example of historical...

The first English translation of Li Bozhong's pioneering study An Early Modern Economy in China uses sophisticated analysis to reconstruct the GDP of the Yangzi Delta. In this innovative economic history, Li provides a basis for understanding the Delta's economy, an area of unprecedented growth in modern times. Using quantitative research Li carefully reconstructs the economies of the region, combining three methods for estimating GDP: output, income, and expenditure. The result reveals the structure and level of income and production in this highly commercialized and urbanized part of China,...