Hutong and Others - (Revised Edition)

Author: Zhang Qingchang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This small book offers a superficial observation of the names of streets and alleys in Beijing from a linguistic perspective. It is neither in-depth nor at the level of research. If it can be considered a preliminary attempt by Chinese people in the field of sociolinguistics, presenting some scattered data and sometimes accompanying superficial ideas for reference by experts and scholars, then it might barely qualify. It is not to say that these scattered data are unique discoveries, or that the superficial ideas are groundbreaking theories. It is just that roads are made by people, and this new approach centers on language, integrating social, historical, geographical, cultural aspects, and so on, taking the names of Beijing streets and alleys as the focal point of analysis to give it a try.