Preface and acknowledgement . . xiii
Personae . . xvi

PART I - Introduction 

1 Suicide as a Chinese problem . . 3
1.1 Understanding suicide in China . . 3 
1.2 Fieldwork and methodology . . 6 
1.3 Theory, thesis and structure of this book . . 10

2 Two philosophies about suicide . . 15
2.1 Sociological and psychiatric studies of suicide . . 15  
2.2 The state of suicide . . 17 
2.3 Ming and family life . . 22 
2.4 Qi and "behaving as a person" . . 26 

PART II - Domestic justice 

3 Familial love . . 33
3.1 Conjugal love . . 33 
3.2 Parental love . . 37 
3.3 Filial piety . . 40 
Discussion . . 44 

4 Family politics . . 46
4.1 The margin of the family . . 46 
4.2 A troubled family . . 53 
4.3 A complex family . . 63 
Discussion . . 69 

5 Fortune . . 71
5.1 Long and short lives . . 71 
5.2 Ghosts and human beings . . 76 
5.3 Fortune and misfortune . . 82 
Discussion . . 88 

PART III - Human dignity 

6 Suicide and madness . . 93
6.1 Excluded suicide . . 93 
6.2 The abnormal . . 95 
6.3 Non-persons . . 101 
Discussion . . 105 

7 Gambling for qi . . 107
7.1 Impulsivity . . 107 
7.2 Long-term gamble . . 112 
Discussion . . 118 

8 Face . . 120
8.1 Spiritedness . . 122 
8.2 Loss ofpersonhood . . 131 
Discussion . . 139 

9 Thinking through . . 140
9.1 Having tunnel vision . . 141 
9.2 Heart and lungs . . 146 
Discussion . . 153 

PART IV - Conclusion: suicide as a public affair 

10 Public justice . . 159
10.1 Interfamily conflicts . . 159 
10.2 Clear heaven . . 165 
70.3 Public injustice . . 171 
Discussion . . 179 

11 Making good luck . . 181
11.1 Psychiatry and suicide intervention . . 182 
11.2 Suicide intervention oj'the rural women . . 184 
11.3 Revolution . . 192 
11.4 Good fortune . . 195 

Notes . . 198
Bibliography . . 203
Index . . 212