This work presents evidence about the historical and contemporary Chinese population behaviour that overturns much of the received wisdom about the differences between China and the West first voiced by Malthus, who described a China in which early and universal marriage ensured high fertility and higher demographic responsiveness to economic circumstances.
James Z. Lee (1952 -) is Chair Professor of History and Sociology and the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Faculty Associate at the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan, and Jiangxi Chair Visiting Scholar at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He and his ...