Scholars have described the eighteenth century in China as a time of “state activism” when the state sought to strengthen its control on various social and cultural sectors. The Taiping Rebellion and the postbellum restoration efforts of the mid-nineteenth century have frequently been associated with the origins of elite activism. However, drawing upon a wide array of sources, including previously untapped Qing government documents, After the Prosperous Age argues that the ascendance of elite activism can be traced to the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns in the early nineteenth century, and that the Taiping Rebellion served as a second catalyst for the expansion of elite public roles rather than initiating such an expansion. The first four decades of the nineteenth century in China remain almost uncharted territory. By analyzing the social and cultural interplay between state power and local elites of Suzhou, a city renowned for its economic prosperity and strong sense of local pride, from the eighteenth to the early nineteenth century, Seunghyun Han illuminates the significance of this period in terms of the reformulation of state–elite relations marked by the unfolding of elite public activism and the dissolution of a centralized cultural order.

"Seventh Prince, do you see the smoky makeup I drew for you today?""Hongliang, Miss Qiao has an eyesight ailment. Take her back to the residence. I request that you accompany me to treat Miss Qiao.""Hey, Seventh Prince, don't go away yet. There's nothing wrong with my eyes, and I haven't slept for the whole night. I wrote a few poems for you, you can listen to them.""The seventh prince is the sky, the seventh prince is the earth, and the seventh prince is the radish and vegetables." Small cool is a flower, small cool is a treasure, small cool is that day fairy. "Ah — the flower and the radish with the fairy, a natural pair!"Just as she finished speaking, the purple-clothed servant girl stood beside the pink-clothed lady with big strides and also held up the cloth in her hand. She recited: "You are the number one marshal in the world, I am the prettiest in the world, you and I love each other and have a fat child to kiss!"

The Corpse Walker introduces us to regular men and women at the bottom of Chinese society, most of whom have been battered by life but have managed to retain their dignity: a professional mourner, a human trafficker, a public toilet manager, a leper, a grave robber, and a Falung Gong practitioner, among others. By asking challenging questions with respect and empathy, Liao Yiwu managed to get his subjects to talk openly and sometimes hilariously about their lives, desires, and vulnerabilities, creating a book that is an instance par excellence of what was once upon a time called “The New Journalism.” The Corpse Walker reveals a fascinating aspect of modern China, describing the lives of normal Chinese citizens in ways that constantly provoke and surprise.

This groundbreaking study highlights the importance of images within Confucianism and to a shrine-tomb for Confucius's buried robe and cap.

Canadian historians have always looks favourably on Macdonald's national policies, including the protective tariff. On the other hand, the canons of economic theory have little or nothing to say in favour of protection. Professor Dales attempts in these essays to bridge this gap between trade theory and the standard interpretation of Canadian development. In the first three essays he is concerned with relaxing the rigorous assumptions of labour and capital immobility that characterize theoretical writings on international trade in order to make them more applicable to Canada, for it must be recognized that large movements of labour and capital both into and out of the country have been one of the most important features of the Canadian economy today. The next three chapters discuss the probable historical effects of Canadian protection in the light of the modified theory. Professor Dales makes statistical comparisons between the economic development of Canada and the United States in order to identify the main differences between the patterns of economic growth in the two countries and to throw light on the large and persistent gap between the Canadian and American standards of living. The last two essays are in the nature of provocative "squibs" designed to break up some of the hard-core conventional wisdom about the Canadian economy. Although free trade versus protection has long been a dormant issue in policy discussions, it never quite disappears from the scene. Professor Dales persists in thinking that free trade—with all countries and unilaterally if necessary—is the best policy for Canada. The controversial issues raised by these essays are of the highest importance not only to historians and economists but to all in any way concerned with the public policies of this country. The book focuses our attention on a basic antinomy of Canadian life and thought that has been little recognized and by its stimulating analysis will help to form the shape of our continuing "nation-alysis."