1587. A YEAR OF NO SIGNIFICANCE

In 1587, the Year of the Pig, nothing very special happened in China. Yet in the seemingly unspectacular events of this ordinary yea r, Ray Huang finds exemplified the roots of China's perennial inability to adapt to change.Through fascinating accounts of the lives of seven prominent officials, he fashions a remarkably vivid portrayal of the court and the ruling class of late imperial China. In revealing the subtle but inexorable forces that brought about the paralysis and final collapse of the Ming dynasty, Huang offers th e reader...[Read more]