Bing: From Farmer's Son to Magistrate in Han China: From Farmer's Son to Magistrate in Han China

Description

Writing two thousand years ago, China's historians and men of letters have left us a wealth of information on the rise, decline and fall of their empires. But nowhere do we find a direct account of how an individual man or woman passed through the stages of life in Han China. In this volume, Michael Loewe, esteemed historian of the Han, draws on original writings, material finds and recent scholarly research to compose an account of the life of a fictional character, Bing Wu, from his meager childhood on a rural farm, his service as a county laborer and a conscript solder, his apprenticeship to a traveling merchant, his career in the civil service and his appointment as magistrate of a rural county.

Michael Loewe was University Lecturer in Chinese Studies, University of Cambridge, from 1963 to 1990. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Clare Hall.

Only a master of the history of the early empires in China such as Michael Loewe could have spun this story tracing the gradual rise of a sympathetic character from plow boy to the official ranks at the Han court. Teachers will surely want to assign it to their students, as it perfectly illustrates key points that Loewe has made in more academic publications, for example, his Everyday Life in Early Imperial China during the Han Period 202 BC-AD 220. Comparative historians will find a wealth of information in it, including helpful notes suggesting further readings. Bing is as good as it gets in historical fiction. --Michael Nylan, University of California, Berkeley Fascinating account of Han society and social morality. Enjoyable to read. Great supplement for courses on traditional China. --Sue Fawn Chung, University of Nevada, Las Vegas This book is wonderful. Only someone with Loewe's deep and broad knowledge could provide such a work of historical fiction that gives life to the gleanings of historical research that are too scattered and incomplete for the less skilled to harvest. Add to this the interesting story and this makes for an effective, useful supplementary reading for courses on Chinese history. --Steven Davidson, Southwestern University