SoldPeople

During the late Qing and Republican periods, a robust trade in human lives thrived throughout North China, serving the needs of families at all levels of society to acquire servants, slaves, concubines, or even dispose of unwanted household members. Sold People, a book by Johanna Ransmeier, sheds light on the complicit dynamic of human trafficking in this region, revealing the social and legal networks that sustained it. The book illustrates how the Chinese family structure not only influenced but encouraged the buying and selling of men, women, and children.

Despite being prohibited during the Qing period, human trafficking was widely accepted as part of family life for centuries, with frequent involvement of criminals. In 1910, Qing reformers officially abolished the trade, hoping to guide China into the modern era. However, the new law proved challenging to enforce, and industrialization, urbanization, and modern modes of transportation created an environment conducive to the continued commerce of people. The Republican government that came to power after the 1911 revolution faced similar challenges when trying to eradicate the entrenched practice.

Drawing on previously untapped archives, Ransmeier recreates the lived experience of human trafficking in turn-of-the-century North China, demonstrating that the sale of people was not always a measure of last resort reserved for times of extreme hardship. Rather, it was a commonplace transaction that built and restructured families as often as it broke them apart.

作者简介

JohannaS.RansmeierisAssistantProfessorofHistoryandtheCollegeattheUniversityofChicago.