Author Description
For seven years, from 1933 to 1940, George N. Kates--a native American--immersed himself in the inner world of Peking by living a simple and leisurely life in a traditional house inside the old Imperial City in Peking. Consciously reconstructing the lifestyle of the vanished scholar class, Kates came to know China as few other Westerners have known it.Kates offers in this volume a celebration of a city, its buildings, its people and way of life, its customs, and its rhythms and moods, capturing those aspects of Peking that today exist merely as memories. Kates' rare understanding of China's cultural heritage enables him to convey to the reader his admiration for the Chinese sense of harmony and proportion in all things. This edition of Kates' book, which first appeared in 1952, includes an introduction by Pamela Atwell, the author of British Mandarins and Chinese Reformers: The British Administration of Weihaiwei (1898-1930) and the Territory's Return to Chinese Rule.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the cultural landscape and daily rhythms of Peking during the final years of the Republican era, questioning how a Western observer might authentically integrate into a traditional Chinese social structure. George N. Kates, an American scholar, utilizes his seven-year residency in a traditional Imperial City home to document a vanishing way of life. He argues that the Chinese sense of harmony and proportion, as expressed through architecture and social custom, represents a sophisticated cultural heritage that was rapidly disappearing during the mid-twentieth century.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed observations of Peking architecture and urban layout in the 1930s
- Ethnographic descriptions of the scholar class lifestyle and customs
- Analysis of the social rhythms and moods of pre-war Chinese society
- Historical context regarding the transition of Peking before the mid-century political shifts
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and historians frequently cite this work as a primary source for understanding the aesthetic and social atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Peking. Readers often note the descriptive density of the prose, which serves as a preservationist account of a city that underwent significant transformation shortly after the author's departure.
Page Count:
284
Publication Date:
1989-03-17
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0195827090
ISBN-13:
9780195827095
History
Memoir
Travel
China
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