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

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.--jacket. 1. The Late Imperial World: Commerce, Education, And Society -- 2. The Confucian Origins Of The Apprentice's Education -- 3. The Apprentice's Education Begins -- 4. Relations With Government And Community -- 5. Personal Relations In The Marketplace -- 6. The Market, Management, Money, And Finance -- 7. Travel And Crime -- Conclusion: Self-cultivation In Mid-level Merchant Culture -- App. The Maoyi Xuzhi Manual. Richard John Lufrano. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 219-231) And Index.