From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese SocietyThis classic text by Fei Xiaotong, China's finest social scientist, was first published in 1947 and is Fei's chief theoretical statement about the distinctive characteristics of Chinese society. Written in Chinese from a Chinese point of view for a Chinese audience, From the Soil describes the contrasting organizational principles of Chinese and Western societies, thereby conveying the essential features of both. Fei shows how these unique features reflect and are reflected in the moral and ethical characters of people in these societies. This profound, challenging book is both succinct and accessible. In its first complete English-language edition, it is likely to have a wide impact on Western social theorists. Gary G. Hamilton and Wang Zheng's translation captures Fei's jargonless, straightforward style of writing. Their introduction describes Fei's education and career as a sociologist, the fate of his writings on and off the Mainland, and the sociological significance of his analysis. The translators' epilogue highlights the social reforms for China that Fei drew from his analysis and advocated in a companion text written in the same period. |
Contents
Special Characteristics of Rural Society | 37 |
Bringing Literacy to the Countryside | 45 |
More Thoughts on Bringing Literacy to the Countryside | 53 |
Chaxugeju The Differential Mode of Association | 60 |
The Morality of Personal Relationships | 71 |
Patrilineages | 80 |
Between Men and Women There Are Only Differences | 87 |
A Rule of Ritual | 94 |
An Inactive Government | 108 |
Rule by Elders | 114 |
Consanguinity and Regionalism | 120 |
Separating Names from Reality | 128 |
From Desire to Necessity | 134 |
Sociology and the Reconstruction of Rural China by Gary G Hamilton and Wang Zheng | 141 |
Glossary | 153 |
| 157 | |
Other editions - View all
From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society Xiaotong Fei,Gary G. Hamilton,Wang Zheng Limited preview - 1992 |
Common terms and phrases
action Analects Arkush baojia system become behavior chap chapter chaxugeju Chinese families Chinese rural society Chinese social structure Chinese society circles concept Confucian Confucius consanguineous consensual power context countryside create culture develop dictatorial power differential mode discussion economic emotions fact father Faustian Fei Xiaotong Fei's guanxi Gui Youguang household human Ibid ideas individual intellectuals kind kinship land laws lineage live maintain Marxism means Mencius mode of association modern society morality networks norms one's organization patterns peasants people's political principles problems Reconstructing rural China reforms rituals role rule rural areas social order social relationships sociology soil symbol Taiwan term theory tion traditional translation types understand University Press village Warring States period West Western society wife women written language wuwei Xiangtu chongjian Xiangtu Zhongguo Yang Zhu Yunnan zhong