Ma, Debin and Yuan, Weipeng (2013) Discovering Chinese economic history from footnotes : the living tale of a private merchant archive (1800-1850). Working Paper. Coventry, UK: Department of Economics, University of Warwick. CAGE Online Working Paper Series, Volume 2013 (Number 164).

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Abstract

This article recounts our unique encounter –through the last seven years of our
research - with the Tong Taisheng (统泰升) merchant account books in the Ninjing county of
Northern China in 1800-1850. By tracing the personal history of the original owner or donor,
we address a large historiographical and epistemological issue behind the current Great
Divergence debate on why Industrial Revolution occurred in England but not in China. Our
article showcases how the development of political ideology and academic discipline in the
modern era impacts our understanding of historical statistics and realities of the early modern
era, a critical issue largely neglected in the current Great Divergence debate.

Item Type:	Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DS Asia H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	China -- Economic conditions -- 1644-1912, China -- Economic policy -- 1644-1912
Series Name:	CAGE Online Working Paper Series
Publisher:	Department of Economics, University of Warwick
Place of Publication:	Coventry, UK
Official Date:	September 2013
Volume:	Volume 2013
Number:	Number 164
Number of Pages:	24
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Funder:	National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF), University of Warwick

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