The Ledgers of Merit and Demerit

Social Change and Moral Order in Late Imperial China

Autori

• Cynthia Joanne Brokaw

Parametri

• 300 pagine
• 11 ore di lettura

• Scienze sociali

Maggiori informazioni sul libro

Examining the ledgers of merit and demerit, which gained popularity in sixteenth and seventeenth-century China, Cynthia Brokaw reveals their evolution from guides for salvation to tools for social status through civil service exams. Initially rooted in Taoist and Buddhist traditions, these ledgers were adapted by Confucian thinkers, who refined self-cultivation methods and explored the complexities of fate and human action. By the late seventeenth century, their role shifted towards promoting social stability, emphasizing adherence to established social hierarchies.

Lingua: Inglese

Pubblicato: 2016

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