{"product_id":"essays-of-a-recluse-a-complete-translation-of-the-qianfulun-9780231220323","title":"Essays of a Recluse: A Complete Translation of the Qianfulun","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnder the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 CE), a self-described recluse wrote a series of essays denouncing the evils of his time. Assailing corruption, misrule, and neglect of the common people, Wang Fu's \u003ci\u003eEssays of a Recluse\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eQianfulun\u003c\/i\u003e) offers a rare outsider view of culture, society, and government during this period. This book presents the first full English translation of the \u003ci\u003eQianfulun\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the most significant works to survive from the Eastern Han period. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWang's essays range across moral philosophy, cosmology, education, military affairs, and conflict in the borderlands. The essays decry governmental corruption and rampant litigiousness, as well as the callous neglect of the poor and the exploitation of women. To remedy these failures, Wang Fu calls for heeding the wisdom of the classics and implementing procedures for recruiting worthy officials. His focused interest in the common people and sensitivity to their travails make \u003ci\u003eEssays of a Recluse\u003c\/i\u003e a rich source of information about daily life during the Eastern Han period, providing insights into folk religion, divination, marriage practices, and the legal system. Widely admired in his lifetime, Wang's essays were later singled out by Han Yu (768-824 CE) as one of the three great works of the period. Anne Behnke Kinney and John S. Major's expert translation makes an important but notoriously complex and difficult work accessible to a range of English-language readers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Anne Behnke Kinney, Fu Wang\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/03\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Translations from the Asian Classics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 624\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.57lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 1.38d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231220323","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44134347047049,"sku":"9780231220323","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_bdbc4b72-9dd8-42b6-b634-95edacbf7fc2.jpg?v=1748392991","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/essays-of-a-recluse-a-complete-translation-of-the-qianfulun-9780231220323","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}