Part 1. Space -- The spatial organization of subcounty administration -- The gazetteer cartography of Ye Chunji -- Part 2. Fields -- Taxing polders on the Yangzi Delta -- Growing rice in North Zhili -- Part 3. Books -- Building school libraries in the mid-Ming -- State censorship and the book trade -- Part 4. Monasteries -- At the margin of public authority: the Ming state and Buddhism -- Buddhism in the Chinese constitution: recording monasteries in North Zhili.

"The Ming dynasty (1368-1644), a period of commercial expansion and cultural innovation, fashioned the relationship between the present-day state and society in China. In this unique collection of reworked and illustrated essays, one of the leading scholars of Chinese history re-examines this relationship and argues that, contrary to previous scholarship, which emphasized the heavy hand of the state, it was radical responses within society to changes in commercial relations and social networks that led to a stable but dynamic "constitution" during the Ming dynasty."--OCLC record.

See Table of Contents.
Local access only [Brook-Ming Chinese State.pdf]

Family, fields, and ancestors : constancy and change in China's social and economic history, 1550-1949 / Lloyd E. Eastman.

"This study synthesizes recent research on China's social and economic history, offering a perspective on the four centuries from the Ming Dynasty to the Communist revolution. Drawing on a wide array of sources, the author clarifies the complexities of Chinese society, covering a wide range of topics from population trends, class structure and religion to agriculture, commerce and manufacturing."