Role of Merchants in Society from the Perspective of Qing Dynasty Law

Author: Chen Yaping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: This book is a social history that examines the issues of Qing Dynasty law and social change. The author, through the study of Qing Dynasty state codes, archival materials, and a large number of private writings, employs an interdisciplinary research methodology combining history, law, sociology, and anthropology to explore the process of commercial development and the transformation of the merchant social role under the traditional Chinese social structure. By comparing Chinese and Western history, it analyzes the differences between China's "inclusive transformation" and Europe's "rupture-driven development." It offers new interpretations on the evolution of merchant groups, commercial regulations, and the relationship between officials and merchants under the Chinese legal tradition, as well as explains the impact of modern legal reforms on the transformation of the merchant social role within the traditional Chinese social structure.