A Tender Voyage Children and Childhood in Late Imperial China [Paperback]

A Tender Voyageis the first full-length study of the history of childhood and children's lives in late imperial China. The author draws on an extraordinary range of sources to analyze both the normative concept of childhoodliterary and philosophicaland the treatment and experience of children in China.The study begins with the history of pediatrics and newborn care and their evolution over time. The author moves on to the social environment of the child, including models of upbringing and expected behavior and the treatment of different kinds of children, including the rebellious and the gentle child. She examines the role of the mother, notably her close and complex relations with her sons, and the broader emotional world of children, their relationships with the adults around them, and the destructive power of death. The last section discusses concepts of childhood in China and the West.Throughout, the study keeps in view the issue of representation versus practice, the role of memory, and the importance of listening for what is not said. This book contains a feast for the reader... The Chinese past is seen by [Hsiung] as an alternative world that questions and complicates our sense of children and childhoods. The value of this subfield is that it opens up new windows on our humanity, nothing less. A Tender Voyageis the first full-length study of the history of childhood and children's lives in late imperial China. A definitive work. --CHOICE This is a fascinating and well-researched book... In this collection of eight essays, Professor Hsiung explores fresh material to address topics related to children and early childhood in late imperial China. Overall, the book makes a remarkable contribution to the study of children and childhood in Chinese history. It enables readers to view the subject from various perspectives and to recognize its multifaceted nature and complexity. The greatest strengths of Hsiungs study are the great breadth lB