Treason by the Book

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
In 1728, a strange messenger approached the commanding general of Sichuan Province in China with a letter urging him to join a growing rebellion against the corrupt emperor. Thus opens Treason by the Book, Jonathan D. Spence's brilliant and thrilling history of a case of attempted revolution in 18th-century China. Through the amazing use of extant court documents and historical records, Spence develops an enthralling portrait of the battle of wills between the would-be conspirator Zeng Jing and the Emperor Yongzheng, creating a history that is more like a novel for the richness of its prose. Spence proves that a story as fascinating as Zeng Ling's traitorous letter, the Emperor Yongzheng's unorthodox response, and the book that they produced together, can be written in a beautiful, literary manner without sacrificing historical accuracy.

Spence is a professor at Princeton University and one of the United States' foremost scholars of Chinese history, with 13 books to his credit on the subject, including his acclaimed short biography of Mao Zedong published through the recent Penguin Lives series. Treason by the Book starts off as a detective novel, then becomes a character study of the emperor and the rebel, and ultimately evolves into an exploration of Chinese society.

The letter that was handed to General Yue in October 1728 accused the Emperor Yongzheng of extensive corruption, of murdering his brothers, of committing sexual excesses with the women in his family. The brilliance of Treason by the Book stems from Spence's extensive use of the government documents. The Qing dynasty of the 18th century was characterized by impressive record keeping. When General Yue sent his report of the interrogation of Zhang and a copy of the treasonous letter to Emperor Yongzheng, the emperor wrote on the report in brilliant red ink that he did not kill some of his brothers, did not starve his own peasants, and had always been respectful to the women in his family.

The rebel leader Zeng Jing, a failed intellectual, was captured and brought to Peking. After Zeng Ling claimed a change of heart and renounced his traitorous ideas, the emperor worked with Zeng through his officials to create a book called Awakening from My Delusions, in which Zeng's heretical rumors about the emperor were aired and then rebutted. The emperor decreed that hundreds of thousands of copies be printed up and sent around China, and they became mandatory reading for government officials and students alike.

Treason by the Book goes through the roller-coaster ride of the nine-year case of treason against Zeng Ling, with twists and turns that are guaranteed to surprise readers. Spence has developed an engrossing and elaborate tale of intrigue that will surely become a classic study of Chinese history. (Dylan Foley)

Dylan Foley lives in New York City.

New York Review of Books

...Jonathan Spence...once again applies his exceptional skills as a document-hunter, historian, and storyteller.

Newark Star Ledger

[Treason by the Book]...is executed with great skill and insight.

Wilmington News Journal

Spence does an excellent job of making a strong story out of good history.

Wall Street Journal

Compelling reads like a medieval whodunnit.

Christian Science Monitor

An intricate and riveting tale.

New Yorker

...a fascinating detective story...

Seattle Times

Nobody is better-suited to revive this tale than Yale historian Jonathon Spence...his narrative flows elegantly...

New York Newsday

...an extraordinary exploration of the intellectual landscape of the early Qing dynasty...

Los Angeles Times

...a delicate spider's web of a book, deft, fascinating and precise as Chinese calligraphy.

Wall Street Journal

Jonathon De Spence, a meticulous historian and master storyteller, weaves a compelling narrative that at times reads like a medieval whodunnit.

Publishers Weekly

In 1728, Emperor Yongzheng of China received a message from a distant subordinate advising that treason, in the form of a letter denouncing his regime, was abroad in the land. This new book by Yale scholar Spence (The Death of Woman Wang; The Search for Modern China; etc.) traces the intricate and surprising consequences of that disclosure. Partly a chronicle of historical events and partly an examination of a culture and a political system, this volume recounts how the emperor's relentless investigation led to apprehension of the dissidents who had dared impugn the imperial system. One of the book's surprises is the emperor's next move. Instead of imposing an immediate death sentence, he began an intensive, written conversation with the leader of the dissidents, a man named Zeng Jing. Ultimately convinced he had grievously wronged the emperor, Zeng Jing wrote an elaborate confession of error and received pardon for his crimes. Remarkably, the emperor ordered the entire chain of writings, including the original treasonous letter, published and distributed throughout all China as a civics lesson for his subjects. Spence draws on documents surviving from the Yongzheng era, and his telling of the emperor's story is anchored in a close reading of those primary sources. Accompanying the history is a sustained meditation on the power of the written word, including its uses for attack, for dialogue and for persuasion. Seen nearly 300 years later, Emperor Yongzheng's experiment with mass publication of ideas he found repugnant seems enlightened and commendable. Spence is a wonderfully accomplished writer, and in this rather slight tale he has found an intriguing character for his many readers to ponder. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

To understand a remote time or unfamiliar place, we need to see it in action one story can be worth thousands of undressed facts and bare charts but Spence also admonishes us as he begins this tale that "one of history's uses is to remind us how unlikely things can be." The prosperous and stable Manchu regime in 18th-century Qing dynasty China rested uneasily on Chinese concurrence as much as on terror or law; emperors were understandably touchy on the subject of disloyalty, and officials serving under them were positively paranoid. So when, in 1728, the possibility of an anti-government conspiracy appeared, officials leaped into action, jumping around like dragons on a hot tile roof. Drawing on the wealth of documents and depositions generated by the emperor's meticulous bureaucracy, Spence's story of emperor, officials, and conspirators is both rousingly unlikely and highly informative. A great treat for fans of his earlier books.[A History Book Club selection.] Charles W. Hayford, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The well-made story of a treason investigation in 18th-century China, by Yale historian Spence (Mao Zedong, 1999). Highly centralized governments churn out one product hateful to contemporaries but priceless to scholars: paperwork. The immense archives preserved by generations of Chinese bureaucrats have proved a gold mine to historians such as Spence, whose obscure but well-documented story begins in 1728 when a provincial governor was handed a letter denouncing the emperor. Arrested and interrogated, the bearer named others involved, and a torrent of paperwork followed. The loyal governor reported every detail to the emperor, who demanded more details, which the governor hastened to provide. The emperor then ordered provincial governors throughout China to arrest those named (and their families—in China, everyone shares a relative's guilt). Their interrogations, in turn, produced more evidence of disloyalty, more names, and more reports, as a stream of prisoners poured into the capital for further interrogation. None of the accused had plotted to take action against the emperor; their offense was merely to spread unflattering rumors about him, to complain in private diaries, to read or write poetry that cast the dynasty in an unflattering light. No matter: Imperial China was positively Stalinist (or Maoist?) in its demand for absolute loyalty in thought as well as deed. Spreading a false rumor was criminal, but originating it was treason. Spence records the prodigious effort, manpower, and documentation that the Imperial government devoted to tracking down and punishing its critics (and their families). What is truly creepy about his story is how much of it was told(with astraight face) on the official record. A fascinating tale: like all good historical writing, this brings to life both the strangeness and the humanity of people from a previous era.