Imperial Power and Institutions
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
From a professional perspective, the book's argument has two notable features: first, it adopts a research approach combining institutional history with political culture, avoiding the dryness of mere institutional description; second, it emphasizes the flexibility and adaptability of institutions in actual operation, revealing the tension between institutional texts and political practice. The book's exploration of multiple relationships—between "monarchical power and ministerial power," "center and locality," and "ritual law and penal law"—provides a multidimensional perspective for understanding traditional Chinese politics.
Reading this book requires some historical background, but the authors' clear argumentative logic and rich supporting examples make complex institutions tangible and perceptible. For readers who wish to go beyond narratives of court intrigue and grasp the operating patterns of Chinese history from an institutional level, this is a reference work deserving of close reading.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in researching the history of ancient Chinese political institutions
- History students or teachers in need of reference materials on institutional history
- Thinkers who enjoy analyzing the patterns of historical evolution from an institutional perspective
- Readers curious about the mechanisms of power operation in traditional culture
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining court stories
- Popular history enthusiasts who want a quick understanding of emperors' lives and anecdotes
Reading tips
- Read each chapter's summary first to grasp the framework, then delve into details
- Understand institutional change in the context of specific historical periods
- Consult relevant dynastic histories in parallel to deepen understanding of institutional practice
About the publisher
Jointly credited to China Environmental Science Press and Xueyuan Audio-Visual Publishing House, the publications held in this catalog number 243 titles and cover common categories such as architecture, popular science, philosophy, world history, theory, and art. They include works on history and architecture, such as The World History of Architecture: Frozen Music and The Hometown of the Hanging Gardens: Babylon; popular science titles such as 100 Scientific Discoveries That Shook the World and 100 Technological Inventions That Refreshed the World; and works on intellectual and art history, such as The Most Beautiful Flower on Earth: A History of World Thought and The Sublimation of Life and Production: A History of Arts and Crafts. Works by authors including Wen Ming, Peng Pingping, Ge Dan, Qian Shu, and Li Munan form the main author resources. Because public information on the two institutions' complete catalogs and editorial plans is limited, this description presents their publishing direction only on the basis of the books in the catalog: mainly history, popular science, and art history, with some theoretical works, and under the joint imprint a emphasis on knowledge popularization and the humanities and social sciences.
Contents
- 编写说明
- 行政区划制度1
- 行政区划制度2
- 税役制度
- 制度改革1
- 制度改革2
- 制度改革3
FAQ
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Comments
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About the author
Wen Ming is a prolific author about whom little is publicly available; details such as birth and death dates, nationality, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the 157 works held in the collection, Wen Ming's writing centers mainly on world history and the popularization of the arts, covering architecture, painting, drama, arts and crafts, intellectual history, and ancient civilizations. Representative works include systematic surveys of architectural history, accounts of the rise and fall of ancient civilizations such as Babylon, and introductions to the development of painting, drama, and craft arts. Overall, Wen Ming's writing tends toward informative, general-audience exposition, presenting artistic and historical themes along clear lines and helping ordinary readers understand the cultural background of these fields.
Zhang Lin is a Chinese author whose works span a notably wide range of subjects, with 107 titles held in the collection. Judging from the available bibliography, his writing covers several fields: social novels and essayistic works such as Galloping Horse, One Person, and Don't Forget Why You Started Because You've Gone Too Far; the compilation of the Fu-Selected Liu Duzhou Medical Case Commentaries series, showing an interest in documenting traditional Chinese medicine; I Confess: Recorded Confessions of Japanese War Criminals, a work of history; and Tang and Song Poetry Anecdotes, aimed at popularizing classical verse. His works are also often classified under foreign literature and social sciences. Public information about Zhang Lin is limited, and his biography, nationality, and dates of birth and death cannot be verified. The range of his output nonetheless suggests a versatile writer who moves between literary creation, historical documentation, and the organization of medical texts, balancing accessible writing with careful compilation of source materials.
