University Knowledge·business Place: Gentry and Society in Jining During the Ming and Qing Dynasties

This book is a case study of urban history with Jining, Shandong as an empirical example and gentry activities as the main line. Different from previous studies on Ming and Qing history that focused on the Jiangnan region, this book expands its research horizons to Jining, Shandong, a northern city that prospered due to the rise of the Grand Canal, and focuses on comparing the Jiangnan region with Jining. In the process of shaping the city, the Jining gentry demonstrated the wonderful game between local power and national power. Through their close ties with the "merchant" class, they also demonstrated the prosperous commercial trade and urban life of the northern canal cities during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This book enriches readers' understanding of the history of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and also provides an important reference and supplement for the study of regional social history of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.