The people of Ming China experienced many hardships in a truly extreme time of crises and tribulation during the 17th century. Many factors including government, society, culture, and Confucianism influenced the lives of many Chinese. Although considered normal for the time, people's lives are considerably atrocious compared to today's standards; this is reflected as Jonathan D. Spence assumes the role of social historian in his book The Death of Woman Wang. .
This book is written as a counter to the "depersonalization" of rural China so commonly seen in other historical portrayals of the land. This book is about the immense turmoil during the transition to the Qing Dynasty, told through one county, through the lives of the Chinese people who were so directly affected by the morals and customs of the time period. .
Chapter one, The Observers, begins by demonstrating the accuracy of the local historian; Feng K'o-ts'an, who compiled The Local History of T'an-ch'eng in 1673. The descriptive context of the Local History encapsulates the reader's attention to understand and literally project themselves into people's lives of the period. The records of the earthquake of 1668, the White Lotus rising of 1622, and rebels rising vividly described by Feng, demonstrate the extent of suffering people of T'an-ch'eng experienced. Mr. Spence illustrates through repeated graphic examples how horribly miserable the two-quarters of the seventeen-century were to the diminishing population of the county. The earthquake claimed the lives of nine thousand people, many others died from the White lotus rising, hunger, sickness and banditry. P'u Sung-ling's stories convey that after the loss of the wheat crops there were documented cases of savagery and cannibalism. On top of all of this chaos, ferocious butcheries of entire family lines by bandits were taking place. Incredible records of women like Yao and Sun in the Local History present the reader with the magnitude of savagery the bandits possessed.