Gentlemanly Interests and Wealth on the Yangzi Delta (review)

Reviews 229 John Meskill. Gentlemanly Interests and Wealth on the Yangzi Delta. Association for Asian Studies Monograph Series, no. 49. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Association for Asian Studies, 1994. viii, 206 pp. Hardcover $32.00, isbn 0924304 -19-7. Paperbook $16.00, isbn 0-924304-20-0. Change is the theme ofJohn MeskiU's newest book. The author defines change as an exercise in local as well as social history, but not in the conventional sense. Rather than showing how society related to the environment, how its structure worked, and what values emerged from it, Meskill tells us that he intends to present history as it was perceived by men who lived in a given place at a given time (p. 7). The place is Songjiang, on the Yangzi Delta, die time is the sixteendi century, and the men whom Meskill has chosen to serve as his voice are He Liangzhun (1506-1573), Fan Lian (b. 1540), Li Shaowen (fl. 1570-1623), and Wu Lüzhen (d. 1645). They have been chosen not simply because they lived in Songjiang: dirough their writings, in MeskiU's view, they demonstrate an attachment to and an interest in their locality, not to mention an ability to observe events keenly and write about them vividly (p. 33). Meskill's book manifests a conviction that has been acquired over a long and distinguished career, and, fittingly, it reads with a serene confidence. What it lacks, on the other hand, is a lively sense ofcuriosity in the newest ideas and findings . Few secondary works are cited in support ofthe argument, and, more critically , those that are cited date mosdy from before the 1980s. Additional shortcomings also diminish the book's value. Despite his disclaimer, Meskill is constantiy invading the territory of the conventional social historian, but he fails to address adequately any of the pertinent issues. Regardless of the subject, whether it is social structure, economic organization, patterns ofvalue, or the role ofthe environment , his treatment is invariably perfunctory and irritatingly imprecise. Meskill himselfstates that Songjiang was not unusual, and that what happened there reflected trends all across the Yangzi Delta (p. 8), but the book does notiiing to prove this point. There are no accounts ofthe conditions in other localities, no inquiries into the thoughts of their leading citizens, and no comparisons or contrasts between them and Songjiang. Songjiang thus emerges from the book, against the author's professed intentions, as an isolated example. These failings, plus excessive reliance on a select number ofprimary sources, make his book not only anecdotal, but dated and, frankly, oflittle practical use.© 1996 by UniversitySixteenth-century Songjiang, aspresentedbyMeskill, was aplace in transition , where increasing wealth put to test time-old conventions. Songjiang had always been a place ofwealth, but during the sixteenth century it became even more so, thanks pardy to the burgeoning cotton industry. The overflowing of 230 China Review International: Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 1996 riches transformed Songjiang, in turn, into a place of conspicuous consumption, ofhedonism, and of an unabashed cult ofopulence. Even before this period, wealdi had indelibly left its mark on the collective mentality of its people. Meskill explains that Songjiang's elite had long before replaced the quest for moral perfection with the love ofbeauty, elegance, and gracious living (pp. 44, 49, 55). The new trends ofthe sixteentii century, however, carried elite tastes a step further. Under what Meskill describes as die "triumph of abundance," taste gave way to display, moderation to excess, and modesty to ostentation (p. 155). The men of the time demanded that the worth they found in themselves be recognized by others, and self-assertiveness became a sign of the gentieman (pp. 80, 152). With die help of extensive quotes from his chosen authors, the author devotes a good amount of space to elucidating the differences between the new and old attitudes. He remains conspicuously silent, on the other hand, concerning the equally critical questions ofhow wealth was distributed in Songjiang and how it was spent, other than on homes, gardens, and accouterments. With respect to the first question, he implies vaguely that there was a kind ofuniversal equity. The abundance seemingly touched all classes, albeit disparately, and some...