Description
This pioneering book provides a comprehensive survey of ancient Chinese women's history, covering thousands of years from the Neolithic era to China's unification in 221 BCE. For each period-Neolithic, Shang, Western Zhou, and Eastern Zhou-Bret Hinsch explores central aspects of female life: marriage, family life, politics, ritual, and religious roles. Deeply researched, the book draws on a wide range of Chinese scholarship and primary sources, including transmitted texts, inscriptions, and archaeological evidence. The result is a comprehensive view of women's history from the beginnings of Chinese civilization up to the beginnings of the imperial era. Clear and readable, the book will be invaluable for both students and specialists in gender studies.
About the Author
Bret Hinsch is professor of history at Fo Guang University, Yilan, Taiwan. He is the author of Women in Early Medieval China, Women in Early Imperial China, Women in Imperial China, Masculinities in Chinese History, and The Rise of Tea Culture in China.
Reviews
This is a fine account of the condition of women in ancient China from the emergence of an agricultural way of life to the end of the Bronze Age. Bret Hinsch has assimilated a remarkable amount of information from both archaeological literature and paleographic analyses, incorporating it into a concise and coherent social history of early China. -- Li Feng, Columbia University
With this richly documented volume, Bret Hinsch extends his noted work on women in traditional China all the way back to the Stone Age. His even-handed inquiry and treatment of sources will appeal to readers in many fields and make the book especially suitable for the classroom. -- Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania
Hinsch fills a huge gap by examining women's lives in the formative stage of Chinese civilization. His survey is comprehensive, deft, and accessible to undergraduates. Its erudition also makes it an excellent reference work for scholars and graduate students interested in early Chinese women's history. -- Yiqun Zhou, Stanford University
Book Information
ISBN 9781538115404
Author Bret Hinsch
Format Hardback
Page Count 226
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 237mm * 158mm * 19mm
About the Author
Bret Hinsch is professor of history at Fo Guang University, Yilan, Taiwan. He is the author of Women in Early Medieval China, Women in Early Imperial China, Women in Imperial China, Masculinities in Chinese History, and The Rise of Tea Culture in China.
Reviews
This is a fine account of the condition of women in ancient China from the emergence of an agricultural way of life to the end of the Bronze Age. Bret Hinsch has assimilated a remarkable amount of information from both archaeological literature and paleographic analyses, incorporating it into a concise and coherent social history of early China. -- Li Feng, Columbia University
With this richly documented volume, Bret Hinsch extends his noted work on women in traditional China all the way back to the Stone Age. His even-handed inquiry and treatment of sources will appeal to readers in many fields and make the book especially suitable for the classroom. -- Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania
Hinsch fills a huge gap by examining women's lives in the formative stage of Chinese civilization. His survey is comprehensive, deft, and accessible to undergraduates. Its erudition also makes it an excellent reference work for scholars and graduate students interested in early Chinese women's history. -- Yiqun Zhou, Stanford University
Book Information
ISBN 9781538115404
Author Bret Hinsch
Format Hardback
Page Count 226
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 494g
Dimensions(mm) 237mm * 158mm * 19mm
