1st Edition

Studies on the Jurchens and the Chin Dynasty

By Herbert Franke Copyright 1997
    400 Pages
    by Routledge

    The studies collected here derive in large part from the collaborative Chin history project, to which Professors Chan and Franke have made a massive contributuion. The Jurchens lived in northeastern Manchuria as hunters, fishers and farmers, until 1115 when they founded a dynastic state called Chin and went on to conquer northern China. Some of the studies here deal with the way of life of the pre-dynastic Jurchens, others with the law and institutions of the Chin state, and the treaties by which they sought to regulate their conflict with the Sung dynasty to the south. Taken together, these studies depict the varying mixture of Chinese and native traditions and customs that were adopted, presenting a detailed analysis of this multinational regime in medieval China.

    Contents: Chinese texts on the Jurchen (I): a translation of the Jurchen in the San ch’ao pei-meng hui-pien; Chinese texts on the Jurchen (II): a translation of chapter one of the Chin-shih; Some folkloristic data in the dynastic history of the Chin (1115-1234); Treaties between Sung and Chin; Jurchen customary law and the Chinese law of the Chin dynasty; The legal system of the Chin dynasty; Tea production and tea trade under the Jurchen-Chin dynasty; A note on wine; Calamities and Government relief under the Jurchen-Chin dynasty (1115-1234); Organization and utilization of labor service under the Jurchen-Chin dynasty; Index.

    Biography

    Herbert Franke

    'All ten articles contained in the collection are of uniformly high quality , and each opens a revealing window on Jurchen/Jin history and culture..we must...be grateful to Franke and Chan for their excellent work on this topic, including the fine articles collected here.' China Review International, Vol. 6, No. 1