The Chinese empire in local society : Ming military institutions and their legacies / edited by Michael Szonyi and Zhao Shiyu [Shiyu Zhao] ; translated by Joel Wing-Lun.
This book explores the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) military, its impact on local society and its many legacies for Chinese society. It is based on extensive original research by scholars using the methodology of historical anthropology, an approach that has transformed the study of Chinese history by approaching the subject from the bottom up. Its nine chapters, each based on a different region of China, examine the nature of Ming military institutions and how they interacted with local social life over time. Several chapters consider the distinctive role of imperial institutions in frontier areas and how they interacted with and affected non-Han ethnic groups and ethnic identity. Others discuss the long-term legacy of Ming military institutions, especially across the dynastic divide from Ming to Qing (1644-1912) and the implications of this for understanding more fully the nature of the Qing rule.
Series:
The historical anthropology of Chinese society series ; 7
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.