Of Camel Kings and Other Things

This unique study offers a critical perspective on political and economic modernization during a key turning point in world history. From the perspective of village activists across China, this book tells the stories of farmers and rural laborers who raised the banner of opposition to constitutional reform during the first decade of the twentieth century. The author brings to life the stories of the Camel King of Zunhua county, Qu Shiwen and the Four Mountains of Laiyang county, and many others who criticized government modernization efforts, known collectively as the New Policy. Rural dissidents viewed these reforms as anything but democratic for the majority of the rural population and its local leaders. Lines were drawn between those who gained authority from the reform process and those who organized in opposition through secular intervillage associations, secret societies, and temple networks. Analyzing global economic and political processes from the vantage point of village weavers, Buddhist priests, and others intimately connected with daily life in rural China, the author highlights the tensions between a local democracy defined by material scarcity and economic development structured by remote centers of capital. Using county archivesincluding oral historiesas well as memoirs, periodical literature, missionary records, and official documents both Chinese and foreign, "Of Camel Kings and Other Things" constructs, from fragmented sources, a coherent historical view vital to our understanding of China's twentiethcentury crises and the dilemmas of modernity itself.