Wuhualou - Foreign Scholars' China Ethnic Studies Library

Author: (Australia) C.P. Fitzgerald
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features: If one judges the book solely by its title, Wuhualou, it might easily be mistaken for a work about famous scenic spots and historical sites. However, upon closer reading, this book, written by a Western scholar and published over half a century ago, gives us a completely fresh perspective. It is as if one were looking down through the clouds from an altitude of over 10,000 meters, revealing a scene in the southern extension of the Tibetan Plateau along the Himalayas. At the intersection of the Shu-Shendu and Tea Horse Roads connecting China with Myanmar and India, amidst the towering mountains and river valleys of western Yunnan, "there lies a narrow strip of fertile rice-growing land nestled between the green mountains and the clear lakes—this is the homeland of the Dian Bai people." Thus, the author guides us through time and space, taking us back to the Dali of six or seven decades ago, allowing us to relive the life of our ancestors. The entire book, written in eleven chapters, vividly describes and provides insightful analysis of the natural geography, historical origins, social structure, natural resources, production and living customs, economic conditions, religious beliefs, foreign exchanges, and ethnic relations of the Bai region. Coupled with hundreds of photographs, it comprehensively recreates the survival and development of the Bai people in China during the 1930s. Through the lens of an anthropologist, it thoroughly examines the various characteristics of the Bai people as a nation, clarifying some of the ambiguous views in Bai ethnic studies throughout history, making it an outstanding academic monograph on the human geography of Dali Bai people.