The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China

The rise of commerce during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) brought with it the rise of private wealth and the status of merchants. This was quite alarming to many; Confucius had taught that the four classes of society were (from top to bottom): literati, peasants (who earned their high status by farming the land), military, and way down at the bottom, merchants. During the Ming, however, elitist scholars could turn into rich merchants, and land-owning peasants could take on the lifestyle and accessories of members of the courtAuthor Brook traces this evolution, its sources, repercussions and outcomes, but in the end concludes: "However thoroughly commerce had replaced paternalism and deference with a wage relationship, or however well some individuals managed to step over social barriers and move up the social ladder, or however deeply the successful were troubled as standards and distinctions seemed to dissolve beneath them, the class system of overlordship and deference that held the Chinese world together at the beginning of the Ming was still there at the end" (p. 260).The stories of who, what, when and how are to be found in the preceding pages, and explain many aspects of Chinese society that one may have wondered about elsewise--for example, why certain luxury goods were considered 'collectibles' by some and 'unworthy' by others, why fashions changed in clothing, in art, etc., and the dynastic transition to "the gentry-merchant fusion of the Qing" (p. 262).Readers will be introduced to Zhang Tao, a minor official in 1609 (near the end of the Ming) who fretted: "Those who enriched themselves through trade became the majority, and those who enriched themselves through agriculture were few. The rich became richer and the poor, poorer."Brook's writing and stories are always enjoyable and colourful ("...as he sat at his desk putting his papers in order to the whine of summer cicadas...") and the woodcuts at the beginning of each chapter and throughout, delightful additions, but I found myself wondering over the book's potential readership. It is neither academic, nor entirely general reader-friendly. It assumes a fair amount of background concerning China (dynasties, philosophy, political structure) yet has enough anecdotes to move readers along through the slower bits. But for anyone wondering how scholar and merchant would find themselves sitting at the same banquet table one day, this is a good place to start.

I am only into the first chapter but would like to express my pleasure on reading a well written and thoughtful book based on good scholarship. I started Chinese studies at Stanford in 1964 and in 1972-3 was at the Stanford Center in Taipei while Professor Brook was in Shanghai. I spent some pleasurable years at Berkeley with Professor Boodberg, Lancaster, Ch'en Shih-Hsiang and Tu Wei-Ming. I eventually ventured outside the university bubble and have enjoyed a variety of non-academic positions. Now that I have more time to read I am pleasantly surprised by the combination of academic and popular style mastered by Dr. Brooks. As a student I worked in the East Asiatic Library at UCB for six years and can picture all the tomes of the Ming and Ch'ing era that scholars never quite got to - the T'ang dynasty was all the rage. Interestingly, the transition from a self-contained agricultural economy to commercialism has been repeated throughout history (Early China - per the Han writers, Judea during Roman times and America). The tension between moral life versus commercial profit life goes on. A recommended read. Thanks Professor Brook.

I had to use this book for class. it wasn't the most phenomenal book I have ever read but it wasn't dead boring like some required readings I've had.

The only reason why I purchased this book was for my history class and for some odd reason, they didn't have one in the library at school. Other than that, the book was in great condition for it to be used.

A superb study!

A clear and lively account of the transformation and constancy of Chinese society during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Brook shares his insights on the increased role of silver in the economy, the competitive connoisseurship of gentry and merchants, and a variety of other aspects of daily life. His central thesis is that, while the Ming saw the expansion of the market economy, it did not entail the destruction of the educated elite class. Rather, the scholarly gentry and the nouveau riche merchant classes became interwoven. This transition caused status anxiety and nostalgia on the part of many of the Chinese diarists Brook cites, but it also allowed Chinese elites to weather the bloody and traumatic Ming-Qing transition.The book is cleverly structured as a progression of seasons, from Ming Taizu's austere, idealized Daoist Winter through the gaudy extravagance and debauchery of late Ming Summer and finally the ill winds of dynastic collapse in Autumn.Highly recommended as a window on a fascinating era in history, with many thought-provoking parallels to the current situations in both China and the West.

The Ming dynasty in China does not receive much attention since it mostly lacks the bloodshed or philosophical grandeur of the Qing, the Tang or the Han. Brook is one of the leading authorities on this era, and this book is, I believe, his most accessible. Beginning with documents written late in the dynasty, Brook shows how the elite of that time feared the collapse of the imagined golden past into what was then considered an immorally secular present. The massive economic changes in the globe in this era (14th to 17th centuries) changed the Chinese society and the Confucian elites place in it. Obviously less exciting to laymen than his work on Tiananmen, 1989, this is a clear book for students who have a general grasp of Chinese history and want to begin to grab details without losing the easy flow found in well written introductory books.