{"product_id":"essays-of-a-recluse-a-complete-translation-of-the-qianfulun-paperback","title":"Essays of a Recluse: A Complete Translation of the Qianfulun - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAnne Behnke Kinney\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eJohn Major\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eFu Wang\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWang Fu (ca. 85-162 CE) was a scholar who lived on the western frontier of the empire during the Eastern Han dynasty. Said to be the son of a low-ranking concubine, he never held an official government post. The \u003ci\u003eQianfulun\u003c\/i\u003e is his only surviving work. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAnne Behnke Kinney is professor of Chinese at the University of Virginia. She is translator of \u003ci\u003eExemplary Women of Early China: The\u003c\/i\u003e Lienü zhuan \u003ci\u003eof Liu Xiang\u003c\/i\u003e (Columbia, 2014), among other books. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJohn S. Major, formerly professor of history at Dartmouth College, is an independent scholar. He is cotranslator of \u003ci\u003eThe Huainanzi\u003c\/i\u003e (Columbia, 2010), among other books.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 624\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.38 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 03, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52932869488751,"sku":"9780231220323","price":79.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/4966\/4879\/files\/SjO-kxqXyN9780231220323.webp?v=1775858187","url":"https:\/\/finderbooks.com\/products\/essays-of-a-recluse-a-complete-translation-of-the-qianfulun-paperback","provider":"Finder Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}