Publishing, Culture, and Power in Early Modern China

This book is a path-breaking study of print culture in early modern China. It argues that printing with both woodblocks and movable type exerted a profound influence on Chinese society in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The book examines the rise and impact of print culture from both economic and cultural perspectives.

In economic terms, the central issues were th...

This book is a path-breaking study of print culture in early modern China. It argues that printing with both woodblocks and movable type exerted a profound influence on Chinese society in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The book examines the rise and impact of print culture from both economic and cultural perspectives.

In economic terms, the central issues were the price of books and the costs of book production. Chow argues that contrary to accepted views, inexpensive books were widely available to a growing literate population. An analysis of the economic and operating advantages of woodblock printing explains why it remained the dominant technology even as the use of movable type was expanding.

The cultural focus shows the impact of commercial publishing on the production of literary culture, particularly on the civil service examination. The expansion of the book market produced publicity for literary professionals whose authority came to challenge the authority of the official examiners.

周啟榮（Kai-wing Chow），加州大學(xué)戴維斯分校歷史學(xué)博士?，F(xiàn)任伊利諾伊州立大學(xué)歷史系、東亞語言文化系、中古史教授、史博洛博物館館長，2016年當(dāng)選美國中西部亞洲研究學(xué)會（Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs）會長。主要研究中國 思想史、禮學(xué)史、新文化史、比較書籍印刷史與公共文化史。主要著作有：《清代儒家禮教主義的興起》（The Rise of Confucian Ritualism: Ethics, Classics, and Lineage Discourse）、《前近代中國的出版、文化與權(quán)力》（Publishing, Power, and Culture in Early Modern China）。近期著有Chow, K. W. (2019). Identities and literary cult...

周啟榮（Kai-wing Chow），加州大學(xué)戴維斯分校歷史學(xué)博士?，F(xiàn)任伊利諾伊州立大學(xué)歷史系、東亞語言文化系、中古史教授、史博洛博物館館長，2016年當(dāng)選美國中西部亞洲研究學(xué)會（Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs）會長。主要研究中國 思想史、禮學(xué)史、新文化史、比較書籍印刷史與公共文化史。主要著作有：《清代儒家禮教主義的興起》（The Rise of Confucian Ritualism: Ethics, Classics, and Lineage Discourse）、《前近代中國的出版、文化與權(quán)力》（Publishing, Power, and Culture in Early Modern China）。近期著有Chow, K. W. (2019). Identities and literary culture in Qing China: Manchu emperors as Chinese poets, readers, and publishers等。

譯者張志強，南京大學(xué)出版研究院常務(wù)副院長，教授、博士生導(dǎo)師，美國哈佛大學(xué)博士后。全國出版專業(yè)學(xué)位研究生教育指導(dǎo)委員會副主任委員，國家社科基金重大項目首席專家，國家百千萬人才工程國家級人選暨有突出貢獻中青年專家，國務(wù)院特殊津貼獲得者。長期從事出版理論與歷史等方面的研究，曾獲“中國出版政府獎（優(yōu)秀出版人物獎）”、“中國圖書獎”、寶鋼優(yōu)秀教師獎等獎勵。