Super Short Summary

The Death of Woman Wang by Jonathan Spence explores the hardships faced by people in 17th-century rural T’an-ch’eng, China, focusing on four crises: tax collection issues, a widow's struggle for her child's inheritance, a violent local feud, and the tragic attempt of a woman named Wang to escape her oppressive marriage, which ultimately leads to her death. This history, drawn from local records, sheds light on the marginalized and forgotten lives in a troubled era.