This course will focus on the emergence of two modern Chinas, that of the gentry and that of the people: 1) the re-emergence of Confucianism as ˇ§this culture of oursˇ¨, eventually leading to the creation of lineage China in the 16th century; 2) the emergence of ˇ§popular cultureˇ¨, which includes a popular, increasingly state-supported pantheon of local gods, local festivals built around these gods, and popular literature (from the bianwen of the Tang to the xiaoshuo of the Ming). Particular attention will be paid to the parallel transformations of the economy and of the legal system in Ming-Qing China.