{"product_id":"true-crimes-in-eighteenthcentury-china-twenty-case-histories-asian-law-series","title":"True Crimes in Eighteenth-Century China: Twenty Case Histories (Asian Law Series)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe little-examined genre of legal case narratives is represented in this fascinating volume  the first collection translated into English of criminal cases - most involving homicide - from late imperial China. These true stories of crimes of passion  family conflict  neighborhood feuds  gang violence  and sedition are a treasure trove of information about social relations and legal procedure.  Each narrative describes circumstances leading up to a crime and its discovery  the appearance of the crime scene and the body  the apparent cause of death  speculation about motives and premeditation  and whether self-defense was involved. Detailed testimony is included from the accused and from witnesses  family members  and neighbors  as well as summaries and opinions from local magistrates  their coroners  and other officials higher up the chain of judicial review. Officials explain which law in the Qing dynasty legal code was violated  which corresponding punishment was appropriate  and whether the sentence was eligible for reduction.  These records began as reports from magistrates on homicide cases within their jurisdiction that were required by law to be tried first at the county level  then reviewed by judicial officials at the prefectural  provincial  and national levels  with each administrator adding his own observations to the file. Each case was decided finally in Beijing  in the name of the emperor if not by the monarch himself  before sentences could be carried out and the records permanently filed. All of the cases translated here are from the Qing imperial copies  most of which are now housed in the First Historical Archives  Beijing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44983769530421,"sku":"ByrdShop_0295989076","price":123.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780295989075.jpg?v=1770809705","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/true-crimes-in-eighteenthcentury-china-twenty-case-histories-asian-law-series","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}