{"product_id":"betting-on-the-civil-service-en-li-9780674293830","title":"Betting on the Civil Service Examinations: The Lottery in Late Qing China","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWeixing\u003c\/i\u003e, or \"surname guessing,\" was a highly organized lottery practice in China wherein money was bet on the surnames of which candidates would pass the civil and military examinations. For centuries, up until 1905, the examination system was the primary means by which the Chinese state selected new officials from all over the empire and a way for commoners to climb the social ladder. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHow was betting on the examinations possible and why did it matter? Opening with a \u003ci\u003eweixing\u003c\/i\u003e-related examination scandal in 1885, En Li reconstructs the inner mechanisms of \u003ci\u003eweixing\u003c\/i\u003e and other lottery games in the southern province of Guangdong. By placing the history of the lottery in a larger context, the author traces a series of institutional revenue innovations surrounding lottery regulation from the 1850s to the early 1900s, and depicts an expansive community created by the lottery with cultural and informational channels stretching among Guangdong, Southeast Asia, and North America. This book sheds light on a new reality that emerged during the final decades of China's last imperial dynasty, with a nuanced understanding of competitions, strategic thinking by lottery players and public officials seeking to maximize revenues, and a global network of players.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e En Li\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674293835\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674293830\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/20\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 374\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"En Li","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47520286736639,"sku":"9780674293830","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d29d6d8e-2ee5-4b2d-8efd-6e02ced13520.jpg?v=1762884669","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/betting-on-the-civil-service-en-li-9780674293830","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}