Chinese Outcasts Discrimination and Emancipation in Late Imperial China |
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| Author:
| Hansson, Anders |
| Series title: | Sinica Leidensia Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-90-04-10596-6 |
| Publication Date: | Jun 1996 |
| Publisher: | BRILL
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $155.00 |
Book Description:
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Outcasts and pariahs are known to exist in several Asian countries but have usually not been associated with traditional Chinese society. Chinese Outcasts shows that some Chinese were in fact treated as outcasts or semi-outcasts. They include the boat people of South China and certain less well-known groups in different regions, including the musicians households" and the "fallen people". The reasons for their inferior status and perceived impurity is examined, as well as the intent...
More DescriptionOutcasts and pariahs are known to exist in several Asian countries but have usually not been associated with traditional Chinese society. Chinese Outcasts shows that some Chinese were in fact treated as outcasts or semi-outcasts. They include the boat people of South China and certain less well-known groups in different regions, including the musicians households" and the "fallen people". The reasons for their inferior status and perceived impurity is examined, as well as the intent behind a series of imperial emancipation edicts in the 1720s and 30s. The edict provided an escape route from inferior legal status but failed to put a quick end to customary social discrimination."