Luo Zhongyi: Kidnapping (Guangdong, 1729)

Case 9: Luo Zhongyi: Kidnapping (Guangdong, 1729) Primary Document Analysis (20%): Historians often face the task of reconstructing the past from limited or problematic sources. In this assignment, I challenge you to see how much you can extrapolate from the archival material translated by Robert Hegel (True Crimes). The case you will write about is case 9: Luo Zhongyi: Kidnapping (Guangdong, 1729) Why is this case significant? What can we learn from it? In order to assess the importance of this document, you will need to: 1) provide an analysis of the document itself—assess its reliability, representativeness, and latent biases; and 2) contextualize the conflict it describes, using other sources of information encountered in this class (assigned readings, lectures, etc.) and your own supplementary research. Of particular relevance to this project will be your understanding of Philip Kuhn’s Soulstealers. Kuhn makes important observations about the authority of the emperor, the role of the bureaucracy, and the tensions of Chinese society during the 18th century. Can you relate your case to any of these broader themes? How and why? A minimum 1200 word essay