Institutions and Regulations (Part 2) cover

Institutions and Regulations (Part 2)

Rating 3.3
Word count
40K words
Chapters
27
ISBN
9787807119937

Tags

Summary

Chinese culture values peace and upholds the ideal personality of the golden mean. When different cultures meet, it excels at fusion—avoiding bias and resentment, prizing harmony and balance—which has enabled the Chinese nation to grow and thrive.

Chinese culture is like a sea of a hundred rivers, vast and boundless.

A History of Chinese Culture recounts China's extraordinary journey from prehistory to the present: the opening of its territory, the formation of its peoples, social evolution, economic and cultural development, and political transformation.

Editor's review

Institutions (Volume 2), part of the series edited by Xing Chunru, offers a systematic survey of the evolution of ancient Chinese political institutions. Focusing on the institutional codes of the Sui–Tang through Ming–Qing periods, it presents, with scholarly rigor, the development and distinctive features of core institutions such as the civil service, ritual, legal, and tax-and-corvée systems. Compared with similar works on institutional history, its strength lies in interpreting complex institutional provisions within their concrete historical contexts, avoiding dry enumeration while maintaining academic accuracy. Its analysis of major institutional innovations—the Three Departments and Six Ministries, the civil service examination, and the Single Whip Reform—is especially penetrating, revealing the interplay between political wisdom and social change behind institutional design. Reading this book not only provides systematic knowledge of institutional history but also illuminates how traditional China sustained a vast empire through institutional construction, offering a historical reference for observing social governance in contemporary China. Note that the book favors academic exposition and suits readers with an advanced interest in historical institutions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • History enthusiasts seeking systematic study of the evolution of ancient Chinese political institutions
  • Public administration researchers in need of reference to traditional institutional design approaches
  • Humanities students who wish to understand the details of specific institutions such as the civil service examination and the tax-and-corvée system
  • Social science readers who enjoy interpreting historical change from an institutional perspective

Not a good fit for

  • Casual readers looking for light, entertaining history books
  • Beginner history enthusiasts who need only a basic overview of dynasties

Reading tips

  1. Read the table of contents and introduction first to grasp the book's framework and periodization logic
  2. Read the relevant institutional chapters alongside specific historical events (such as Wang Anshi's reforms)
  3. Note the reference material in the appendices, such as the table of official ranks, for easy consultation

About the publisher

Liaohai Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Liaohai Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for textbooks and the collation of ancient works. Its publishing scope covers state-approved textbooks, local curriculum materials, supplementary educational books, and national and local ancient-text compilation projects, while also extending into humanities fields such as Eastern philosophy. Its catalog contains about 4,694 titles, with representative works including the multi-volume Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and its author resources include classic writers and works such as Sima Qian and Confucius. Grounded in educational publishing and the transmission of traditional culture, the press maintains sustained investment in ancient-text collation, forming a publishing profile that balances textbooks and scholarship. Due to limited public information, its more specific publishing directions and features require further supplementation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 《中国文化知识大观园》编 委 会
  3. 编写说明
  4. 二、行政区划制度
  5. 邑
  6. 畿服
  7. 九州制
  8. 五服制
  9. 内服与外服
  10. 秦郡县制
  11. 分封制
  12. 推恩令
  13. 遥领与虚封
  14. 双头州郡
  15. 都督区与行台区
  16. 六镇
  17. 道
  18. 府
  19. 节度使
  20. 藩镇
  21. 路制
  22. 行省制度
  23. 司
  24. 改土归流
  25. 三、税役制度
  26. 力役
  27. 地税

FAQ

How does this book differ from Qian Mu's Zhongguo Lidai Zhengzhi Deshi?
This book focuses more on a systematic survey of institutional provisions themselves, while Qian's work emphasizes macroscopic evaluation of institutional strengths and weaknesses; the two are complementary.
What prior historical knowledge is required?
A basic understanding of the succession of dynasties and major events from the Sui–Tang through Ming–Qing periods is recommended; otherwise understanding the institutional context may be affected.
Does the book include excerpts from primary sources?
The book is mainly written in modern academic language; important institutional provisions are presented in translation with citations to the original sources.

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About the author

Xing Chunru Author · China

Xing Chunru is a Chinese full-time book editor about whom publicly available information is limited. He has long compiled popular series for institutions such as Liaohai Publishing House. His output is considerable, with more than 700 titles held in the collection, covering fields such as art history, science and military affairs, politics and history, language and writing, and film and television. Representative works include Chinese Martial Arts (Part II), A History of Chinese Art, A History of Chinese Science and Technology, A Course in the Art of Language, Famous Paintings and Masterpieces, and the series A Grand Garden of Chinese Cultural Knowledge. These books present specialized knowledge in an accessible style, emphasizing systematic organization and readability, and are intended for young readers and general audiences, helping to popularize and guide understanding of traditional culture, art appreciation, and language expression.

李穆南 Author

Li Munan: publicly available information is limited, and details of his life, such as nationality and dates of birth and death, are not clearly recorded. Nevertheless, the 229 works held in the library indicate a prolific compiler with wide-ranging interests. His works focus mainly on Chinese culture and history, and representative titles include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume Two), The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Science and Military Volume, The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Politics and History Volume, The History of Ancient Chinese Literature, The History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, Poems of Successive Dynasties, and Residential Architecture and Folk Customs (Volume One). The common categories cover culture, popular science, general biography, and history readers, showing that his writing centers on knowledge popularization and cultural dissemination. His subjects span literary history, folk customs, military science, and political history, and are mostly aimed at general readers. Overall, Li Munan's body of work is extensive and emphasizes the systematic organization of traditional Chinese culture and historical knowledge, giving him a certain accumulated presence and influence in the compilation of popular cultural reading materials.

Jie Baofeng Author · Chinese · 1976

Jie Baofeng, born in 1976 and a native of Qianguo, Jilin, is of Han ethnicity and serves as an assistant researcher. He is currently director of the Jilin Provincial Local Chronicles Museum, a member of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial CPPCC, and vice chair of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and has long been engaged in compiling local chronicles. He has planned and published more than ninety chronicles and gazetteers, including the Illustrated Gazetteer of the Colonial Governing Institutions of the Puppet State of Manchukuo, and has served as chief editor of numerous history and popular science series, gaining extensive experience in document organization and knowledge dissemination. His works span a wide range of subjects, including folk literature, inspirational growth, and social fiction, with 970 titles held in the collection. These include multivolume editions of traditional classics such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas and The Complete Works of Guiguzi, as well as accessible popular readings, reflecting an editorial approach that balances scholarship with readability.

刘心莲 Author

Liu Xinlian is a Chinese compiler credited with a considerable number of titles, though public information about her is limited, and her nationality, dates of birth and death, and personal background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the 182 works held in the collection, her writing focuses mainly on cultural popularization and general knowledge books, covering such subjects as Chinese martial arts, political history, science and military affairs, emperors and eunuchs of successive dynasties, imperial examination top scholars, and myths and legends. The common categories include culture, popular science, history readings, folk literature, and general biography. Representative works include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume II), The Grand View of Chinese Culture: Political and Historical Volume, The Grand View of Chinese Culture: Science and Military Volume, Emperors of Successive Dynasties, and Myths and Legends. Overall, her editorial style leans toward accessible introductions for general readers, emphasizing systematic organization and readability, making it suitable for ordinary readers seeking to understand traditional culture and historical knowledge.

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