For the historical researcher, obtaining valid resources is vital. Unfortunately, many historical sources contain faults, which can weaken the work’s credibility. For instance, Charles Benn’s text, China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in Ancient China, contains several notable flaws. However, the historical researcher must not view such problems in isolation. Thus, by examining Benn’s work as a whole, it is possible to ascertain to what extent the author’s oversights damage his credibility.
Charles Benn's Purpose
In the preface to Benn’s work, the author provides valuable information about his thesis and sources. Benn explains that the goal of his text is to examine daily life during China’s Tang dynasty, which reigned from 618 to 907. The author narrows his discussion to this specific period for two reasons. First, Benn notes, the scope of Chinese history is “far too large for a modest survey” (Benn ix). Encompassing a broader period would complicate the relatively brief text, and force Benn to compromise his accuracy in favor of simplicity. Furthermore, the reason the text focuses on the Tang dynasty is due to this period’s distinction as China’s golden age.
Benn's Sources
Although Benn makes some mention of his sources in the opening of his text, the reader is unable to substantiate the validity of Benn’s research. When speaking of his sources, Benn briefly notes the presence of annals, poetry, biographies, fiction, and legal documents. Unfortunately, the rest of his work lacks any direct citations.
Benn does not include a single footnote, and lacks explicit, in-text references to where he obtained his facts. However, the author does attempt to explain and rationalize this oversight. Benn notes that most of his information comes directly from primary documents. Since he translated these works himself, he excludes citations because “the original sources are in classical Chinese accessible only to sinologists trained in that language” (Benn X).
Although most of Benn’s readers are likely not trained linguists, his credibility would be aided by the inclusion of document titles or, at minimum, a note on the context of each source. Instead, the author merely provides a “list of suggested readings in Western languages” (Benn X). While this list might prove useful for future study, its contents were not utilized in Benn’s research, and, therefore, do not reinforce his arguments.
The lack of references to Benn’s sources proves problematic when evaluating the rest of his text. One major is that the reader cannot assess the validity of specific statistics cited by Benn. For example, when discussing eunuchs, the author asserts that “they probably numbered no more than 5,000 at any given time” (Benn 27). There is no information regarding how this figure was obtained. Thus, the reader is left to ponder whether 5,000 was a legal limit, a number specifically stated by a Chinese chronicler, or Benn’s own extrapolation based upon a variety of sources.
The Usefulness of Benn's Work
If one is willing to overlook Benn’s exclusion of citations, his text proves quite a valuable, well-constructed resource. Structurally, the author provides a cohesive depiction of the subject matter. Benn opens with a brief discussion of the Tang dynasty’s history, which provides a foundational context for the rest of the work.
The remainder of his work discusses specific topics pertaining to daily life. Benn successfully organizes the text, and his credibility is strengthened by his lack of repetition. Additionally, the author often illustrates his points with specific anecdotes. For instance, when discussing the custom of giving skilled slaves as gifts to the royal family, Benn writes, “in 669, an embassy from Japan presented some hairy Ainu archers who astonished the Chinese court” (Benn 39).
Benn’s work poses an interesting problem. The text itself is well-organized, logically constructed, and contains valuable information. However, the author’s exclusion of citations and reference points leaves his credibility in question. Although the author sets himself up as a trustworthy researcher, there is considerable reason to doubt his findings. Thus, any historian planning to use China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in Ancient China as a historical resource must do so with caution.
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