{"product_id":"fountain-of-fortune-money-and-monetary-policy-in-china-hardcover","title":"Fountain of Fortune: Money and Monetary Policy in China - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRichard Von Glahn\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe most striking feature of Wutong, the preeminent God of Wealth in late imperial China, was the deity's diabolical character. Wutong was perceived not as a heroic figure or paragon but rather as an embodiment of greed and lust, a maleficent demon who preyed on the weak and vulnerable. In \u003ci\u003eThe Sinister Way, \u003c\/i\u003e Richard von Glahn examines the emergence and evolution of the Wutong cult within the larger framework of the historical development of Chinese popular or vernacular religion--as opposed to institutional religions such as Buddhism or Daoism. Von Glahn's study, spanning three millennia, gives due recognition to the morally ambivalent and demonic aspects of divine power within the common Chinese religious culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSurveying Chinese religion from 1000 BCE to the beginning of the twentieth century, \u003ci\u003eThe Sinister Way\u003c\/i\u003e views the Wutong cult as by no means an aberration. In Von Glahn's work we see how, from earliest times, the Chinese imagined an enchanted world populated by fiendish fairies and goblins, ancient stones and trees that spring suddenly to life, ghosts of the unshriven dead, and the blood-eating spirits of the mountains and forests. From earliest times, too, we find in Chinese religious culture an abiding tension between two fundamental orientations: on one hand, belief in the power of sacrifice and exorcism to win blessings and avert calamity through direct appeal to a multitude of gods; on the other, faith in an all-encompassing moral equilibrium inhering in the cosmos.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA classic. All subsequent work in areas related to Chinese monetary history will simply have to follow in von Glahn's footsteps.--Dennis O. Flynn, author of \u003ci\u003eBorn with a Silver Spoon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn important study of a little-researched and maddeningly complex topic. It reflects a rare combination of strengths in monetary theory, more general social and economic history, and an impressive command of hard-to-find materials in both Chinese and Japanese.--Kenneth Pomeranz, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Making of a Hinterland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fascinating story of the origins and development of the Wutong cult and the demonic in Chinese religion. From the Shang Dynasty down to late imperial times, Von Glahn lays before us an engaging wealth of knowledge and never-before presented data.--Steve Bokenkamp, Indiana University, and author of \u003ci\u003eEarly Daoist Scriptures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo other writer has explored the place of the sinister in Chinese religion in such a thoughtful and nuanced way. An excellent, gracefully written study covering major themes of the Song through Ming periods.--Patricia Ebrey, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA classic. All subsequent work in areas related to Chinese monetary history will simply have to follow in von Glahn's footsteps.--Dennis O. Flynn, author of \u003ci\u003eBorn with a \"Silver Spoon\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An important study of a little-researched and maddeningly complex topic. It reflects a rare combination of strengths in monetary theory, more general social and economic history, and an impressive command of hard-to-find materials in both Chinese and Japanese.\"--Kenneth Pomeranz, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Making of a Hinterland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating story of the origins and development of the Wutong cult and the demonic in Chinese religion. From the Shang Dynasty down to late imperial times, Von Glahn lays before us an engaging wealth of knowledge and never-before presented data.\"--Steve Bokenkamp, Indiana University, and author of \u003ci\u003eEarly Daoist Scriptures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No other writer has explored the place of the sinister in Chinese religion in such a thoughtful and nuanced way. An excellent, gracefully written study covering major themes of the Song through Ming periods.\"--Patricia Ebrey, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard von Glahn\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the coeditor of \u003ci\u003eThe Song-Yuan-Ming Transition in Chinese History\u003c\/i\u003e (2003) and \u003ci\u003eThe Country of Streams and Grottoes: Expansion, Settlement, and the Civilizing of the Sichuan Frontier in Song Times\u003c\/i\u003e (1987).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 408\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 9.28 x 6.37 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 27, 1996\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51755305238816,"sku":"9780520204089","price":133.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/7c24484fd170e88583f63f218ab56b61.webp?v=1780055035","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/fountain-of-fortune-money-and-monetary-policy-in-china-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}