Street Culture - Chengdu Public Spaces, Lower-Class Society and Local Politics, 1870-1930

Author: Wang Di
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: This book explores the daily life and popular culture of a traditional Chinese city during periods of social transformation and political turmoil, serving as a representative work on how national politics affects the lives of ordinary people in a region. — American Historical Review (USA)
This is an extremely in-depth study, accompanied by fascinating illustrations, which shows us the peddlers and craftsmen moving through the neighborhoods, the beggars and ruffians disturbing residents, religious rituals and entertainment, as well as the vibrant teahouses. It is an outstanding example of the achievements of a new generation of young Chinese historians in the field of social history. — The China Quarterly (UK)
Over the next few years, this book will remain a model for the study of Chinese urban culture. — The China Journal (USA)
Wang Di's work provides a valuable contribution, using a city as a starting point, which makes the past transformation process from tradition to modernity clear. — Canadian Historical Review (Canada)
The book discusses the cooperation, struggle, and resistance among the state, elites, and the lower classes in the issue of popular culture. With the publication of this book, it becomes possible to conduct comparative research on popular culture in various regions of China and between China and other regions. — Journal of Interdisciplinary History (USA)
This is a history of the lower classes. In this book, we can experience the richness of daily life under microhistory and the allure of street culture, while also witnessing the grand narrative of political, economic, and social upheavals in modern China. When the historical stage has always been dominated by the hegemony of elite discourse, this book looks at the experiences of ordinary people during reforms, revolutions, and social turmoil from the perspective of the bottom of society, the nameless masses, expressing their lament and heavy conclusion that they lost an old world but did not gain a new one. From the author's meticulous analysis of the relationship between public spaces and daily life of the lower classes, it is evident that he deeply cares about their fate. The author peels away the layers of historical fog, allowing later generations to see how the lower classes gradually lost their living space and cultural traditions under the dazzling banners and pleasing slogans, while also revealing how the people took up the "weapons of the weak" to fight for their destiny.
With its academic significance, originality, in-depth research, refined methodology, strong arguments, and major contributions to the field of urban history, the book was awarded the biennial American Urban History Association's Best Book Award in 2005.