The Death of Woman Wang

"This is an account of rural life in a place called T'an-ch'eng, in northern China in the 17th century. It was the fall of the Ming dynasty (1368-1643) and the Manchus who came from the north to establish the new Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911). Using the compilations of The Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the memoirs from a scholar official, and the works of P'u Sung-ling, the tales of woe, romance, and murder bring this distant setting boldly alive. The book also largely focuses on the role that women played in this era of Chinese history."