History of the Ming Dynasty, Volumes I and II: A Series on China's Dynasties

The two-volume set History of the Ming Dynasty systematically examines and analyzes the development of Ming China's politics, economy, military affairs, ethnic relations, and foreign relations, as well as the class structure of Ming society. The Ming dynasty was an important period in Chinese history. During this era, social productive forces and the economy developed considerably, and the growth of the commodity economy surpassed that of any previous period. This in turn brought subtle changes to relations of production. The author argues that these changes marked the emergence of the first sprouts of capitalism, and that they were clearly evident in the society and industries of the time. History of the Ming Dynasty is distinguished by its wealth of content and its abundance of historical sources. Its accounts of many historical events are more thorough and detailed than those found in comparable books.