In 1405, a family left their home in the Mongolian steppe and moved to China. This daring decision, taken at a time of dramatic change in eastern Eurasia, paved the way for 250 years of unlikely success at the Ming court. Winning recognition for military skill and loyalty, the family later known as the Wu gained a coveted title of nobility and became members of the capital elite until the dynasty's collapse in 1644. By tracing the individual fortunes of a single family, David Robinson offers a fresh and accessible perspective on the inner workings of Ming bureaucracy. He explores how the early-modern world's most developed state sought to balance the often contradictory demands of securing ability and addressing difference, a challenge common to nearly all polities.
‘By untangling the fascinating saga of the Wu family – Mongolian migrants who rose into the Ming elite – David Robinson illuminates the overlooked military aristocracy whose diverse origins and varied skills helped Ming rule to endure for two and a half centuries. An original, carefully-textured portrait of the human face of Chinese statecraft.'
Matthew W. Mosca - University of Washington, Seattle
‘Focussing on one noble family across nine generations, this outstanding work, using superb command of the sources, offers both a fresh and important redirection of attention away from the bureaucratic portion of Ming China's elite, and an essential contribution to understanding power and status in imperial history.'
Craig Clunas - University of Oxford
‘David Robinson expands and deepens our understanding of Ming society through the story of a migrant Mongol family over two and a half centuries. The Wu family saga, and the rise to power and elite status of its members, illuminates corners of Chinese history rarely explored. The book's probing into questions such as merit, ability, and alterity brings to life the tension and contradictions of a period of Chinese history often stigmatized as xenophobic and culturally intransigent. Such a refreshing and insightful perspective deserves high praise.'
Nicola Di Cosmo - Institute for Advanced Study
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