The collapse of the Ming dynasty and the takeover of China by Manchu rulers in the 1640s was of crucial importance in the late history of China. But because traditional Chinese sources arbitrarily divide the century at the change of dynasty in 1644, it has been difficult to form a clear picture of the transition. The nine essays in this book will contribute significantly toward understanding the complexity of change and continuity over the span of time leading up to and resulting from the tumult of the mid-1600s.

The Manchu-Chinese relationship, 1618-1636 / Gertrude Roth -- The Shun Interregnum of 1644 / Frederic Wakeman, Jr. -- Hsu Tu and the lesson of Nanking: political integration and the local defense in Chiang-nan, 1634-1645 / Jerry Dennerline -- The patriot and the partisans : Wang Fu-chih's involvement in the politics of the Yung-li Court / Ian McMorran -- Muslim and Central Asian revolts / Morris Rossabi -- Maritime China from Wang Chih to Shih Lang : themes in peripheral history / John E. Wills, Jr. -- The alternative to resistance : the case of T'ung-ch'eng Anhwei / Hilary J. Beattie -- Urban riots and disturbances / Tsing Yuan -- Ambivalence and action: some frustrated scholars of the K'ang Hsi Period / Lynn A. Struve.