Urban life in China

Author: Li Xiaoti
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: This is an anthology of essays, comprising 13 articles. It is one of the outcomes of the "Social and Life in the Ming and Qing Dynasties" thematic project by the Academia Sinica in Taiwan. These essays approach the material culture of clothing, food, housing, transportation, entertainment, commerce, festivals, desires, tastes, artifacts, streets, and architecture during the Ming and Qing dynasties and the early Republic of China from the perspectives of history, art history, and literary history. They conduct extensive, empirical research, providing readers with a richer and more detailed understanding of the social customs and changes in material life that emerged after the rise of the commodity economy in the early 16th century. The "Social and Life in the Ming and Qing Dynasties" research project has gathered historians, art historians, and literary historians from both China and abroad to conduct ongoing team research on modern Chinese cities, daily life, and the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties, accumulating significant achievements. This book is one such outcome. The topics explored include: leisure as a value, religion and the life of scholars, a reassessment of the culture of scholars and commoners, a revisit to urban life, the culture and life of merchants, micro/macro history, and traditional/modernity.