Honorable Merchants: Commerce and Self-Cultivation in Late Imperial China (Studies of the East Asian Institute)

8vo, orig.cloth in dj 15cm, xii,241 pp Contents: Introduction; The Late Imperial World: Commerce, Education & Society; The Confucian Origins of Apprentice's Education; The Apprentice's Education Begins; Relations with Government & Community; Personal Relations in the Marketplace; The Market, Management, Money & Finance; Travel & Crime; Conclusion: Self-Cultivation in Mid-level Merchant Culture;Appendix: The Maoyi xuzhi Manual. In light of East Asia's current economic success, it has become increasingly clear that Confucian social thought, long assumed in Western scholarship to be a major stumbling block to economic development, can, under the proper circumstances, have exactly the opposite effect. Lufrano's study is the most sustained and sophisticated of recent reevaluations of Confucianism's role in the rapid commercial development in the late Ming to mid-Qing period. It will be of great interest and value to scholars in the growing field of Chinese business history and should be welcomed by those interested in the Confucian roots of Pacific Rim business practice. About the Author: Richard Lufrano is assistant professor of history at Barnard College.