Crime and Punishment in Ancient China: Tang-Yin-Pi-Shih

by Robert van Gulik (Translator)

Fascinating glimpse into the world of traditional Chinese judicial systems through this record of 144 criminal and court cases, judged in courts of ancient China; entertaining and informative.

Genres: China, History

212 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1979

About the author

Robert Hans van Gulik was a Dutch diplomat best known for his Judge Dee stories. His first published book, The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, was a translation of an eighteenth-century Chinese murder mystery by an unknown author; he went on to write new mysteries for Judge Dee, a character based on a historical figure from the seventh century. He also wrote academic books, mostly on Chinese history.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book and others like it were used to train bureaucrats on how to investigate and try cases. Van Gulik is the author of the Judge Dee mysteries, the first of which is Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee, here's the basis for many of the stories. The text is in English, traditional Chinese characters and Wade-Giles pronunciation. It's some interesting stuff, including one case that smacks of Solomon and some trivial cases that are a bit silly. Both the Japanese and Koreans had access to these as well. Well worth a look for mystery writers and others interested in Chinese culture.