The Confusion of Indulgence—Commerce and Culture in the Ming Dynasty

Author: Bu Zhengmin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Bu Zhengmin skillfully combines woodcuts, local chronicles, quantitative data, and the complaints of literati about commerce to create a memorable social portrait of the empire's growth. The book vividly depicts the potters, merchants, officials, courtesans, weavers, booksellers, and bandits busy engaging in various trades to adapt to the increasingly dominant monetary relationships. It also outlines the fundamental problems and realities they encountered: bricks, bridges, markets, temples, mail, famine, fashion, printing, passion, and omens. It is an English work that presents a panoramic view of the boiling and complex life during the Ming Dynasty. Confucian Envy is a gem of historical artistry. Using a series of rich and rarely used sources—notably anecdotes, observations, and complaints about social dissatisfaction—Bu Zhengmin recreates the vibrant commercial society of Ming China, showcasing the power of commerce in shaping both public and private cultural life. As Bu Zhengmin vividly embarks on a lively journey as if living in the Ming Dynasty, he demonstrates that Ming China remained the center of the global economy, as he aptly puts it: "The tides of the Atlantic are drawn by the moon of China." By skillfully combining woodcuts, local chronicles, quantitative data, and the complaints of literati about commerce, he creates a memorable social portrait of the empire's growth. After reading this book, no one will ignore Ming China's enthusiasm for commercial profits and its massive consumption, as it vividly depicts the potters, merchants, officials, courtesans, weavers, booksellers, and bandits busy engaging in their respective trades to adapt to the growing monetary relationships. It is a delightful and lively that skillfully combines narrative, anecdotes, and rigorous analysis to portray the socioeconomic changes of early modern Chinese society.