Honorable Merchants
Commerce and Self-cultivation in Late Imperial China
Richard John Lufrano
The city of Suzhou at the height of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) was a flourishing metropolis, symbol of the vast Manchu empire''s prosperity. However much success the merchants of Suzhou may have enjoyed in the marketplace, they at the same time lived with the constant threat of fraud, coercion, robbery, even murder. Governments in late imperial China provided none of the commercial infrastructure that today''s businesses take for granted. While increasing the understanding of economic history and popular culture in late imperial China, the author''s systematic analysis of a neglected primary source, the merchant manual, provides answers to how businesses were able to thrive under such circumstances and how those merchants maintained social responsibility when their actions, driven by the demands of the marketplace, were often condemned.

Price: Bht 1,695.00