Rural Control in Imperial China I

This book, the first of a two-volume set, presents the xiangli system throughout Imperial China, tracing its development from the pre-Qin period to the Tang dynasty. The xiangli system is a cornerstone of Imperial China’s rural governance. Rural Control in Imperial China vols. I and II illuminates how state power extended to the villages, and also examines how the rural population was integrated into the dynastic system. This first volume begins by clarifying the concept of the xiangli system an