Plague: War and Peace (China's Environmental and Social Change 1230-1960)

Author: Cao Shujī, Li Yushang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: This book is the first detailed and comprehensive discussion by Chinese scholars on the plague in China. The two authors, based on nearly a decade of research, explore the history of plague in China from perspectives such as the methodology of plague history, plague epidemic patterns (during wartime and peacetime), environmental changes, and national medicine. The book not only proposes new interpretations of the relationship between plague epidemics and environmental changes in China but also offers new models for understanding the evolution of Chinese social history over the past 700 years. The authors raise intriguing questions, such as "The rats destroyed the Ming Dynasty." Many such questions deserve deep reflection. The authors use clear and engaging language, making this rigorous academic work both enjoyable and thought-provoking.