ABSTRACT
This book looks into the history of Chinese feudal society. It does not merely see feudalism as something static; it conducts an analysis of feudalism from its birth to its collapse, covering the functions of its social organisations and their relations, aiming to provide a comprehensive picture of Chinese feudal society. Feudalism was characterised by the double proprietorship, that is, the superior ownership of the lords of fiefs in contrast to the inferior property or estate of tenants. Feudalism was founded on deals or contracts designating reciprocal rights and obligations. Chinese feudalism dates back to ancient times, with limited historical accounts to determine the exact period. England had shown signs of feudalism before the Norman Conquest, but it was after the conquest that farmers began to submit to landowners, and feoffment was set up to officially define superior-inferior relations. Like the rise of feudalism, its collapse was incremental. During the Spring and Autumn Period, feudalism was down but not out.
