In light of East Asia's current economic success, it has become increasingly clear that Confucian social thought, long assumed in Western scholarship to be a major stumbling block to economic development, can, under the proper circumstances, have exactly the opposite effect. Lufrano's study is the most sustained and sophisticated of recent reevaluations of Confucianism's role in the rapid commercial development in the late Ming to mid-Qing period. It will be of great interest and value to scholars in the growing field of Chinese business history and should be welcomed by those interested in the Confucian roots of Pacific Rim business practice.

鉴于东亚目前的经济成功，越来越明显的是，长期以来在西方学术界被认为是经济发展的主要绊脚石的儒家社会思想，在适当的情况下，可能产生恰恰相反的效果。卢夫拉诺的研究是最近对儒学在明末清中商业快速发展中所起作用的重新评估中最为持久和成熟的一次。它将对中国商业史不断发展领域的学者产生巨大的兴趣和价值，并应受到那些对环太平洋地区商业实践的儒家根源感兴趣的人的欢迎。