Description
Book SynopsisJimmy Yu reveals that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, self-inflicted violence was an essential and sanctioned part of Chinese culture. He examines a wide range of practices, including blood writing, filial body-slicing, chastity mutilations and suicides, ritual exposure, and self-immolation, arguing that each practice was public, scripted, and a signal of certain cultural expectations.
Trade Reviewthis is an important and original study that should be widely read by students of Chinese culture and society. * Wilt L. Idema, Comptes Rendus *
Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Acknowledgement ; A Note on Dynasties and Reigns ; Introduction ; 1. A Culture in Flux: Historical Background ; 2. Embodying the Text through Blood Writing ; 3. Nourishing the Parent with One's Own Flesh ; 4. Chaste Widows as Entertainment and Revenants ; 5. Exposing and Burning the Body for Rain ; 6. Conclusion ; Character Glossary ; Abbreviations and Conventions ; Bibliography ; Index
