Street Culture (Chengdu Public Spaces, Lower-Class People, and Local Politics 1870-1930)

Author: Wang Di (Author), Li Deying et al. (Translator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: This is a history of the lower classes. In this book, we can both appreciate the richness of daily life and the allure of street culture under microhistory, as well as witness 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 offers a perspective from the bottom of society, from the nameless masses of history, to examine the experiences of the people during reforms, revolutions, and social turmoil. It echoes the lament and heavy conclusion that the lower classes lost an old world but did not gain a new one. Through 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 veils to reveal how the lower classes gradually lost their living space and cultural traditions under the dazzling banners and melodious slogans, while also uncovering how the people fought for their destiny with "weapons of the weak."
This book, for its academic significance, originality, in-depth research, refined methodology, strong arguments, and major contributions to the field of urban history research, was awarded the biennial "American Urban History Association Best Book Award" in 2005.