. . . Every major aspect of life during this period is treated with meticulous exactitude. . . . an unrivalled glimpse of Chinese society as it was seven hundred years ago.”—Journal of Southeast Asian History“A pioneering high popularization of Sung social history. . . . An elegant work.”The Journal of Asian Studies
^Jacques Gernet (1962). Daily life in China, on the eve of the Mongol invasion, 1250–1276, Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804707206 (revised Sep 2015)
^Gernet, Jacques (2014). Daily Life in China, on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276., Stanford Univ Pr. BiggerBooks. ISBN 9780804707206 (revised Nov 2023)
^Daily Life In China On The Eve Of The Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276Indigo. ISBN 9780804707206 (revised May 2023)
^Jacques GernetDaily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276, Stanford University Press. Amazon. ISBN 9780804707206 (revised Nov 2014)
This is one of my earliest and most valuable finds, an excellent resource for the study and/or reenactment of the period. The first several chapters detail city life, social classes, housing, cooking and personal grooming. The later chapters cover the broader subjects of life cycle (birth, marriage and death rituals), and the yearly cycle (festivals, religions observances). Detailed and well footnoted.
Translated from the French by H.M. Wright. The overall theme of the book is to dispel the notion of a China that was immobile, and that this lack of change is what aided in the success of the Mongol invasion. From a plethora of sources, Gernet reconstructs a snapshot of how society functioned during the end of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), only a few years before the invasion. To accomplish this task the book looks at a twenty-six year period (1250-1276), focusing on the Southern Song capital, H..
What a wonderful book! It could do with some help in the format and layout, and the sentences tend to get too long and convoluted (was that the way to write in the 1960s???)It was researched to fascinating detail, taken from various sources like artworks and documents, to give a vivid picture of the bustling life of Hangzhou during the Song period. It brilliantly covers the multi-varied life in the cosmopolitan city - food, customs, celebration, beliefs, occupations, housing, architecture, townspeople, roya..
