Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in History
Up The Social Ladder: How Chinese Merchants Excelled Under The New Values Of Ming-Qing China, James B. Townsend
Up The Social Ladder: How Chinese Merchants Excelled Under The New Values Of Ming-Qing China, James B. Townsend
Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History
Ming China was a socially volatile period of Chinese history. Social distinctions were blurred as the merchant class rose to power to challenge old Confucian ideals in a commerce-based society. This paper examines what paved the road for the merchant class to rise, and how the non-elite empowerment shifted China's attitudes towards consumption and commerce.