"Dear reader, are you fond of tales of neighbors betrayed, spouses prostituted, travelers murdered, honest merchants fleeced, promising students corrupted, women of good family debauched, and widows drugged? Do you savor stories about scoundrels who pervert the justice system, break religious vows, hoodwink the faithful, adulterate precious metals, encourage gambling and alcoholism, blind and amputate children, use sorcery to foment insurrection, or rob a fellow with his pants down? If so, this second volume, More Swindles from the Late Ming: Sex, Scams, and Sorcery, is for you."
"There are very few primary sources that deal with cons and scams in the pre-modern world - the only other one that comes to mind is The Book of Charlatans - so those interested in the history of crime, and social history more broadly will find this an engaging read. Even those studying medieval China or Chinese literature will find it a useful translation."
The volume collects forty late-Ming anecdotes of swindles, sexual exploitation, and sorcery that illustrate the many schemes used to defraud people. Stories include neighbors betrayed, spouses prostituted, travelers murdered, merchants fleeced, promising students corrupted, and widows drugged. Perpetrators pervert justice, break religious vows, hoodwink the faithful, adulterate precious metals, encourage gambling and alcoholism, blind and amputate children, use sorcery to foment insurrection, and rob victims in humiliating ways. The collection illuminates the social fabric, moral anxieties, and everyday vulnerabilities in pre-modern Chinese society. The translation complements an earlier volume to complete the work.
Read at Medievalists.net
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