Merit and Demerit Grid -- Moral Order in the Ming and Qing Societies

Author: Du Zhengzhen, Bao Yunya
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: In the 16th and 17th centuries, a system called "Gong Guo Ge" (Merit and Demerit Grid) became very popular in the folk society of China. The Gong Guo Ge was a type of moral book that assigned merit points for good deeds and demerit points for bad deeds. Thus, if a person who used the Gong Guo Ge performed good deeds and accumulated many merit points, they would have hope of advancement or positive rewards. By examining the use of Gong Guo Ge during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the authors present a fresh perspective on the intellectual and social history of late feudal China.