China and Capitalism

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163995.China_and_Capitalism

China and Capitalism: A History of Business Enterprise in Modern China by David Faure

This book describes China’s encounter with capitalism from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century. It poses poignant questions in simple language, guides the reader through a complex literature and presents a unique point of view.

“I think I am interested in social history. That means I am interested in custom, but I am not really interested in the history of customs. I am also interested in life style, but the social history I want to write is not the history of lifestyles. I guess I am interested in social structure, not the social structure created by historians, but the social structure which the people I am interested in identify with. I believe people can only surpass the limits imposed by the structure they identify with by understanding it. Yes, I think we read history to contribute to a better life.”