Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 6, 2023

The Soul Stealing Case of 1768 Reexamined and Interpreted

(Abstract)

Mao Wei

The soul stealing case of 1768 was made famous by the writings of the overseas sinologist Philip A. Kuhn, whose Soul Stealers: The Chinese Sorcery Scare of 1768 has received wide acclaim. However, a review of the historical material and a comparison with similar cases reveals that there is no evidence for Kuhn’s argument that the Qianlong emperor used the soul stealing case to purge the bureaucracy; this was merely a microcosm of the contemporaneous monarch’s intervention in a major case, and the handling of this case was, on the whole, successful. It could be argued that it was not Qianlong who created this case, but rather the theoretical presupposition in Kuhn’s mind that created Soul Stealers. Kuhn’s argument reflects the limitations of minor historical writing, and reminds us that we should maintain a necessary sobriety and discernment when reading the writings of overseas sinologists.