A groundbreaking history of fengshui’s roles in public life and
law during China’s last imperial dynasty Today the term fengshui,
which literally means “wind and water,” is recognized around
the world. Yet few know exactly what it means, let alone its
fascinating history. In Laws of the Land, Tristan Brown tells the
story of the important roles—especially legal ones—played by
fengshui in Chinese society during China’s last imperial dynasty,
the Manchu Qing (1644–1912). Employing archives from Mainland
China and Taiwan that have only recently become available, this is
the first book to document fengshui’s invocations in Chinese law
during the Qing dynasty. Facing a growing population, dwindling
natural resources, and an overburdened rural government, judicial
administrators across China grappled with disputes and petitions
about fengshui in their efforts to sustain forestry, farming,
mining, and city planning. Laws of the Land offers a radically new
interpretation of these legal arrangements: they worked. An
intelligent, considered, and sustained engagement with fengshui on
the ground helped the imperial state keep the peace and maintain
its legitimacy, especially during the increasingly turbulent
decades of the nineteenth century. As the century came to an end,
contentious debates over industrialization swept across the
bureaucracy, with fengshui invoked by officials and scholars
opposed to the establishment of railways, telegraphs, and
foreign-owned mines. Demonstrating that the only way to understand
those debates and their profound stakes is to grasp fengshui’s
longstanding roles in Chinese public life, Laws of the Land
rethinks key issues in the history of Chinese law, politics,
science, religion, and economics.
General
Imprint: |
Princeton University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 2023 |
Authors: |
Tristan G. Brown
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
356 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-691-24673-4 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-691-24673-4 |
Barcode: |
9780691246734 |
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