Kenneth M. Swope. On the Trail of the Yellow Tiger

The Ming-Qing transition (roughly 1630–1682) has been described as the most dramatic dynastic transition in Chinese history. It was a time of utter chaos and violence that witnessed the near complete collapse of Chinese civilization. Kenneth M. Swope’s new book On the Trail of the Yellow Tiger: War, Trauma, and Social Dislocation in Southwest China during the Ming-Qing Transition is an important addition to the growing number of studies on this traumatic period by such scholars as Lynn Struve, Frederic Wakeman Jr., Tonio Andrade, and Xing Hang. On the Trail of the Yellow Tiger is the first full-length study in English to trace the Ming-Qing dynastic wars in southwestern China, focusing on Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Based on a wide range of secondary and primary sources—including official accounts in archives and local gazetteers, “unofficial histories” (or what Swope refers to as yeshi), diaries, and personal recollections of eyewitnesses as well as the writings of Jesuit priests and collections of folktales and legends—the book presents a fascinating and detailed narrative history of war, trauma, and social dislocation for the years 1630 to 1664.

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · China · Civilization · Dislocation · Literature · Narrative · Spanish Civil War · Transition (genetics) · Chinese history and philosophy · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies