Bing : From Farmer's Son to Magistrate in Han China

Writing two thousand years ago, China's historians and men of letters have left us a wealth of information on the rise, decline and fall of their empires. Archaeologists, working over the last century, have uncovered untold riches that confirm or correct our literary sources and supplement them in matters that do not feature in the literature. But nowhere do we find a direct account of how an individual man or woman passed through the stages of life in Han China. In this volume, Michael Loewe, esteemed historian of the Han, draws on original writings, material finds and recent scholarly research to compose an account of the life of a fictional character -- Bing Wu -- from his meagre childhood on a rural farm, his service as a county labourer and a conscript solder, his apprenticeship to a travelling merchant, his career in the civil service and his appointment as magistrate of a rural county. In this tale of the life of an ordinary man, we learn much about the Han, including rural life and methods of farming, building practices and the construction of tombs, the organisation and armaments of the military, practices of trade, the art and practice of writing, craftsmanship, customs and rituals, life in the cities, the roles of officials and the laws of the Empire. Includes illustrations, maps, and an essay on the history of the Han Empire.