This highly informative book reports how the ruling elite of scholars during the Ming Dynasty discussed the challenges of economic growth and international trade, and how they reflected on the logic of the system. --Bertram Schefold, Professor, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany For Western-readers grappling with the complexity of China's economic history and economic thought Hua Tengda's book will prove an instructive guide. --Joseph P. McDermott, Emeritus Professor, University of Cambridge, UK This is a heroic effort to tackle the timeless and thorny issue of merchants in society ever since the dawn of Imperial China - the Han Period. --Kent Deng, Professor, London School of Economics, UK This book explores the vital role of merchants within early modern China. Unlike European merchants, their Sino-colleagues have long been regarded as certain social pariahs after pre-Qin period, despite the fortune they made. The key mission of this monograph is to investigate whether the standing of merchants in the Ming Empire has been improved compared with their predecessors. Generally, their status is reflected in state-merchant relationship and their role in the market, which can be found in miscellaneous economic activities such as market monopoly, commercial taxation, international trade, and consumption. This book aims to be of relevance to students and researchers interested in early modern history, eastern commerce, Ming merchants, and contemporary global affairs. Tengda Hua is Assistant Professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. He obtained his Doctoral degree from Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.