Daily Life in Ancient China
Daily Life in Ancient China
In this volume, Mu-chou Poo offers a new overview of daily life in ancient China. Synthesizing a range of textual and archaeological materials, he brings a thematic approach to the topic that enables a multi-faceted understanding of the ideological, economical, legal, social, and emotional aspects of life in ancient China. The volume focuses on the Han period and examines key topics such as government organization and elite ideology, urban and country life, practical technology, leisure and festivity, and death and burial customs. Written in clear and engaging prose, this volume serves as a useful introduction to the culture and society of ancient China. It also enables students to better understand the construction of history and to reflect critically on the nature of historical writing.
- Provides a new synthesis of daily life in ancient China using textual and archaeological material, filling a gap in the knowledge of life and culture in ancient China from a daily life experience angle
- Employs a thematic approach to study the structure of daily life, allowing the reader to gain a multi-faceted understanding of the ideological, economic, legal, social, and emotional aspects of life in ancient China
- Emphasizes the provisional nature of historical knowledge, allowing readers to gain an idea of the construction of historical knowledge through the examples of Han material
Reviews & endorsements
‘… [those] concerned with China’s early history, be they first year students or veteran scholars, will be grateful for this clear and concise account of the conditions that affected the conduct of life in China’s early empires. Enriched as they have been by the material finds of recent years, thanks to an overview such as this book, they may well be able to place these discoveries in their context, fully conscious of the need to accept both historical and archaeological evidence as aspects of one and the same situation.’ William A. Everett, University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory
Product details
June 2018Hardback
9781107021174
272 pages
260 × 182 × 19 mm
0.75kg
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. The stage
- 2. Government organization and elite ideology
- 3. Social structure and law
- 4. Country life
- 5. Cities and urban life
- 6. Production, consumption, and ideological constraints
- 7. Practical technology
- 8. Leisure and entertainment, games and festivals
- 9. Glimpses of emotional life
- 10. Death, burial, and the hope of a happy afterlife
- Conclusion: continuation and transformation of life experience
- Bibliography
- Index.
