Soulstealers - The Chinese Sorcery Scare of 1768 by Philip A. Kuhn
Midway through the reign of the Ch’ien-lung emperor, Hungli, in the most prosperous period of China’s last imperial dynasty, mass hysteria broke out among the common people. It was feared that sorcerers were roaming the land, clipping off the ends of men’s queues (the braids worn by royal decree), and chanting magical incantations over them in order to steal the souls of their owners. In a fascinating chronicle of this epidemic of fear and the official prosecution of soulstealers that ensued, Philip Kuhn provides an intimate glimpse into the world of eighteenth-century China.
This paperback book is in very good condition with minor imperfections to the cover. Pages are in very good condition.
ISBN 10: 0674821521 / ISBN 13: 9780674821521
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1990
