Beggars in Ancient China

Name: Beggars in Ancient China
ISBN: 9787100193641

岑大利 / 高永建The Commercial Press · ChinaSep 2021

3.6

Word count: 128K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787100193641

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Summary

The history of beggars in ancient China began almost alongside civilized society. Although beggars were the poorest at the very bottom of society and received little attention from rulers of successive dynasties, rarely entering the official histories, many records about them survive in scholars' notebooks and fiction, local gazetteers, and folk legends. From these scattered yet valuable records, one can see a rich and complex picture of beggars: from emperors, generals, and literary talents down to ordinary common folk, all are encompassed within this scene of begging, none escaping it, which cannot but prompt deep reflection. Although this social group belonged to the poorest at the bottom of society and was not valued by rulers, they were always active in every corner of every dynasty, becoming an unavoidable social phenomenon. The Beggars of Ancient China aims, in accessible and vivid language, to systematically sort out and analyze the reasons for this group's emergence, its composition, methods of begging, beggar gang organizations, and the policies of rulers across dynasties toward beggars, in the hope of offering readers some meaningful reference for understanding this group.

Editor's review

Cen Dali's Beggars in Ancient China is a major work of social history that fills an academic gap, and the publication quality of The Commercial Press provides solid assurance of its scholarly value. With a broad historical vision, the book systematically traces the evolution of the beggar community from the pre-Qin period to the Ming and Qing dynasties. It moves beyond mere curiosity-driven narrative to analyze in depth this marginalized group's survival strategies, forms of organization and complex interaction with mainstream society.

Drawing on detailed historical sources—from legal institutions and local gazetteers to literati notes—the author constructs a multidimensional picture of beggar society. The book not only describes begging methods, trade argot and the rules of beggar gangs, but also examines the beggar phenomenon against the background of ancient social relief systems, household registration administration and changes in urban and rural economic structures, revealing the special role of this group as both a product of social problems and a force that in turn shaped social order.

Particularly noteworthy is the book's subtle analysis of the 'professionalization' of beggars and their distinction from lumpenproletarians, which challenges the traditional assumption that beggars were simply equivalent to the poor. For historians, the book offers a unique lens on how the lower levels of ancient Chinese society operated; for general readers, it provides a fresh perspective for understanding the complex texture of traditional society and the multidimensional nature of human behavior. Readers are advised to combine it with background knowledge of famine history and policies on displaced populations in order to appreciate more deeply the author's problem awareness and scholarly craftsmanship.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers and enthusiasts interested in the social history of ancient China and the lives of the lower classes
Readers who wish to understand the complex structure of traditional society from a non-elite perspective
Students in the social sciences concerned with the historical origins of social security and poverty
Writers who need details of ancient urban daily life as source material

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting sensational tales of underworld secrets or martial-arts-style legends of beggar gangs
General history enthusiasts seeking a quick, light read

Reading tips

Read alongside works of social history such as Soulstealers and Rebels and Revolutionaries in North China to understand historical narratives of different marginalized groups
Pay attention to the author's differentiation of source types and appreciate the tension between institutional regulations and social reality
Read selectively by historical period, focusing on the Song and Ming chapters to grasp the key transitional periods of the beggar community

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.

版权信息
第一章乞丐的产生和演变
一、乞丐名称的由来
二、贫穷导致行乞
三、乞丐的演变
第二章乞丐的构成
一、帝王与乞丐
二、文士与乞丐
三、穷人与乞丐
四、骗子与乞丐
五、小偷与乞丐
第三章乞丐的生活与行乞方式
一、原始型
二、卖艺型
三、无赖强索型
四、劳务型
五、残疾型
第四章丐帮组织
一、宋代的团头
二、清代各地的丐帮组织
第五章乞丐的习气
一、江湖义气
二、流氓无赖性
第六章乞丐·节日·宗教
一、节日里的乞丐
二、乞丐与宗教
第七章乞丐·社会·国家
一、乞丐文化
二、世俗观念与乞丐心态
三、历代的乞丐政策
主要参考书目

FAQ

How closely is this book related to the depictions of beggar gangs in martial arts novels?

This is a rigorous work of historical scholarship based mainly on official histories, local gazetteers, notes and other historical sources, focusing on the real living conditions and social relations of beggars in history. Although it touches on certain forms of organization resembling gangs, it aims to reveal their socioeconomic causes and is fundamentally different from the romanticized depictions of literary fiction.

Can non-specialist readers understand this kind of academic work?

While maintaining academic standards, the author emphasizes clarity and readability of narrative and explains specialized terms as appropriate. As long as readers have a basic interest in ancient society, they can follow the author's line of reasoning and appreciate the intellectual appeal of historical research. The rich case descriptions also make the reading more concrete.

What does this book offer for understanding contemporary social issues?

Through a long-term historical perspective, the book reveals the enduring tension between poverty, mobility and social control. Ancient society's strategies for managing beggars (such as the shelter system) and the mechanisms by which society stigmatized marginalized groups can provide historical reference points for thinking about related modern issues, though the essential differences between ancient and modern social structures should be noted.

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About the author

岑大利 Author

Cen Dali is an author about whom limited public information is available; the only confirmed work is the history book The Beggars of Ancient China. The choice of subject suggests an interest in the lower classes of Chinese social history, groups that are easily overlooked, with beggars treated as a specific focus in a work of history written for general readers. Such writing typically draws on historical documents, notebooks, and social customs to connect institutional background, means of livelihood, and everyday folk life. It differs from a general survey and from a purely academic monograph, placing greater emphasis on readability and the popularization of knowledge. Because only this one work is held, the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, education, and full body of writings cannot be verified, and the author's style and scholarly orientation can only be glimpsed through this book. For readers, it can serve as an introductory work on beggars in ancient China and their social circumstances, and as a concrete starting point for further study of marginalized people in traditional Chinese society.

高永建 Author

Gao Yongjian is an author about whom limited public information is available; little can be confirmed regarding his life, nationality, or dates of birth and death. One work is known under his name, The Beggars of Ancient China, a book generally classified as historical reading. Judging from its subject, the author focuses on the living conditions of marginalized groups in ancient Chinese society, taking beggars—a group long overlooked—as his narrative subject, with an eye informed by social history and the history of everyday life. Such a topic requires the author to trace clues through scattered historical documents while balancing institutional background, social customs, and individual circumstances. The writing tends toward informative narration for general readers rather than specialized academic research. Since other information about the author is lacking, it is difficult to judge whether his research is confined to this field; readers may use this work to learn about the world of beggars in ancient times and may look forward to further material about the author appearing in the future.