Xiaoming Wang Libros

Xiaoming Wang and Richard H. Tedford combine their research with Mauricio Anton's impeccable reconstructions to present a remarkable portrait of canids over the past 40 million years. Wang and Tedford cull their history from the most recent scientific research conducted on the vast collections of the American Museum of Natural History and other leading institutions. With their rich fossil record, diverse adaptations to various environments, and different predatory specializations, canids are an ideal model organism for the mapping of predator behavior and morphological specializations. They also offer an excellent contrast to felids, which remain entrenched in extreme predatory specializations. The innovative illustrated approach of this book transforms the science of paleontology into a thrilling visual experience, and it forms the perfect accompaniment to an extremely important branch of animal and fossil study.

The Late Cenozoic Yushe Basin, Shanxi Province, China embodies the bulk of our knowledge on successions of terrestrial vertebrates in the northern part of East Asia.  Everything we know about Asian mammals of the last 6 million years has a historical basis in the documentation of the geology of Yushe.  This volume introduces the basin in its geological setting, describes the succession of fossiliferous strata, and shows how it is dated.  It develops an unsurpassed level of precision for its age control.  Geological maps and stratigraphic sections provide the backbone for individual studies to follow on varied fossil groups.  The volume explores the history of exploration of the last century in Yushe Basin and places development of paleontology there into the context of the birth of the modern epoch of science in China.

The Hui are predominantly Muslim Chinese with roots in Persian and Arabic-speaking regions of Central Asia and the Middle East. As the largest Muslim group in China and its third largest ethnic minority, they number 10.6 million according to the 2010 census. Despite their significant presence, Hui identity is often overlooked in humanities and social sciences due to their geographic distribution and long-term acculturation by the Han majority. This study investigates Hui identity in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region amidst China’s rapid modernization and industrialization in the 21st century, focusing on the internal migration of rural populations that has significantly influenced the socioeconomic landscape for Chinese peasants. Drawing on field data collected from 2011 to 2013 among the Jahriyya Hui, the research explores the effects of migration on Hui ethnoreligious identity, examining concepts of purity, fasting, and beliefs about the afterlife. It analyzes religious rituals, including commemoration ceremonies and Ramadan, highlighting their evolving forms and values. The findings reveal that Islam remains vital in defining Hui identity, yet increased interactions with Han populations and diverse Sufi paths are challenging traditional notions of purity and weakening the Hui's unique awareness of their religious affiliations.