The earliest extant Chinese laws stipulated extraordinarily harsh punishments for forgery and impersonation, indicating that these offenses had already become grave concerns for the ruling elites more than 2,000 years ago. However, little has been written about this topic. In this well-researched and lucidly written book, Mark McNicholas not only fills a considerable gap in our knowledge but also makes an important contribution to the historiography of late imperial China. By skillfully connecting the stories of individual imposters and forgers with succinct and incisive discussions of the broader contexts, Forgery and Impersonation in Imperial China offers valuable insights on various aspects of the politics, bureaucracy, popular culture, and society of Qing China.
Among the seven main chapters of this book, the first four analyze cases that involved impersonating princely and royal agents and then low-level officials and local constables. Chapters 5 and 6 study forgery cases, while the last chapter...
