Description
Book Synopsis: This intriguing book explores how ordinary people in traditional China used contracts to facilitate the transactions of their daily lives, as they bought, sold, rented, or borrowed land, livestock, people, or money. In the process it illuminates specific everyday concerns during China's medieval transformation. Valerie Hansen translates and analyzes surviving contracts and also draws on tales of the supernatural, rare legal sources, plays, language texts, and other anecdotal evidence to describe how contracts were actually used. She explains that the educated wrote their own contracts, whereas the illiterate paid scribes to draft them and read them aloud. The contracts reveal much about everyday life: problems with inflation that resulted from the introduction of the first paper money in the world; the persistence of women's rights to own and sell land at a time when their lives were becoming more constricted; and the litigiousness of families, which were complicated products of remarriages, adoptions, and divorces. The Chinese even armed their dead with contracts asserting ownership of their grave plots, and Hansen provides details of an underworld court system in which the dead could sue and be sued. Illustrations and maps enrich a book that will be fascinating for anyone interested in Chinese life and society.
Details
Experience the fascinating world of traditional China like never before with Negotiating Daily Life in Traditional China: How Ordinary People Used Contracts, 600-1400. This thought-provoking book unravels the intricate web of daily transactions conducted by ordinary people in medieval China as they bought, sold, rented, or borrowed land, livestock, people, or money.
Delving into surviving contracts and utilizing a wide range of sources, including supernatural tales, rare legal texts, plays, and language sources, Valerie Hansen provides invaluable insights into how contracts were utilized in everyday life. From uncovering the impact of the world's first paper money and its effect on inflation to shedding light on women's rights to own and sell land, this book uncovers the vibrant tapestry of medieval China.
Intriguingly, the contracts reveal not just the ordinary dealings of everyday life but also the complexities of family dynamics. As families grappled with remarriages, adoptions, and divorces, familial disputes became a common occurrence and the litigiousness of Chinese families became a topic of interest. Negotiating Daily Life in Traditional China offers a captivating glimpse into the unusual underworld court system where the dead can even sue and be sued, proving just how pervasive contracts were in Chinese culture.
With the inclusion of compelling illustrations and helpful maps, this book is a treasure trove of knowledge for those seeking an authentic understanding of Chinese life and society. Whether you are an avid history enthusiast or simply intrigued by the rich tapestry of another culture, Negotiating Daily Life in Traditional China is a must-read that will transport you to a bygone era.
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