Chinese people. Japanese people. Korean people

Author: Jin Wenxue (Author), Jin Yinglan (Translator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: The authors, with a unique knowledge background gained from living in China, Japan, and South Korea, approach the topic from the perspective of cultural comparison between the three kingdoms. They delve into every aspect of the social life and customs of the Three Kingdoms era: from the differences in titles and language to the customs surrounding toilets, saliva, urine, farting, and bathing; from views on marriage, family, and women to dining habits, tableware, and representative foods; from regional divisions to daily sitting and lying habits, gift-giving customs, and human relationships; and from differing concepts of emotion, loyalty, and reason to the unique national character of the people. Truly, it covers everything from eating, drinking, and excretion to the myriad facets of human life, thereby revealing, through small details, the underlying differences in nationality and culture hidden behind phenomena and specific objects. The book critiques the culture of the Three Kingdoms without empty rhetoric but instead cites examples and provides illustrations, with concise, witty, and humorous writing. Accompanying the text are over a hundred exquisite images reflecting various aspects of the Three Kingdoms culture, making it a well-illustrated, leisurely, fashionable, yet culturally rich book.
Content of the Book:
Fun facts about the names of the Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms' literary celebration of festivals
The national character of the Chinese
Cultural education on handwashing in the Three Kingdoms
From Sakyamuni to toothpicks
The national character of the Japanese
Cultural education on bathing in the Three Kingdoms
Chili sauce, pickled mustard greens, and pickled plums
The national character of the Koreans
Farting and the Japanese
Tension and relaxation
China-centricism, Japan-exceptionalism, and Korea-centricism
Beauty, beauty, and beautiful legs
The philosophy of "gifts."