Mingming Wang, one of the most prolific anthropologists in China, has produced a work both of long-term historical anthropology and of broad social theory. In it, he traces almost a millennium of history of the southern Chinese city of Quangzhou, a major international trading entrepot in the 13th century that declined to a peripheral regional center by the end of the 19th century.

Mingming Wang is Professor of Anthropology at Peking University. He is also director of the National Center for Anthropological and Ethnological Inquiries located at Central Minzu University in Beijing and chief editor of Chinese Review of Anthropology. He has a Ph.D. from University of London and is author of many articles and books on Chinese anthropology, history, and sociology in both Chinese and English, including Social Anthropology and Sinology (1997, in Chinese), Grassroots Charisma (2001, in English, co-authored with Stephan Feuchtwang), Beyond Rural China (2003, In Chinese), and The West as Other (2007, in Chinese). He also writes political comments and travelogues.

1 Introduction 2 The Carp: Empire and the Culture of Commerce, 712-1368 3 Casting the Net: Pu and the Foundations of Local Control, 960-1400 4 Pujing and the "Civilizing Process" of the Ming, 1368-1520 5 Heaven on Earth: Pujing and Worship Platforms 6 Local Worlds on the Margin, 1400-1644 7 Unorthodox Cults and the Expulsion of Demons, 1500-1644 8 "Congregations of the Gods," Rule of Division, 1644-1720 9 Pujing Feuds, 1720-1839 10 The Ceremonial Redemption, 1840-1896 11 Conclusion