Street Culture in Chengdu Public Space, Urban Commoners, and Local Politics, 1870-1930

"Overall, the book is well researched, carefully documented, and masterfully crafted." - Asian Studies Review "The descriptive power of the book (aided by carefully chosen drawings and photographs) helps us visualize an important city in transition. Sharp analyses throughout make sense of practices and institutions otherwise obscure to many of us, such as 'bamboo-branch poetry,' 'chicken-feathers inns,' the 'Climbing High to Escape Disease Festival,'...to name a few examples covered in this encyclopedic and engaging work." - Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies "This is an engaging and wonderfully readable account of everyday life and popular culture in an indigenous Chinese city at the time of social transition and political turmoil. The book is a fine example of how China's national politics affected the lives of the common people in a particular region. Wang is passionate about his subject, discerning in his analysis, and robus in his presentation. Dozens of photos and drawings, carefully selected from early twentieth century local pictorials, missionary books, and personal collections, provide good allies for the text. Students of Chinese urban history will find this book both riveting and edifying." - American Historical Review "...the book offers a wealth of information about local customs and traditions in inland China and never fails to keep one engaged." - Journal of Chinese Political Science "This carefully researched study is a fine example of the kind of fine-grained social history being produced by the new generation of young Chinese historians." - The China Quarterly "This well-researched book paints a colorful tapestry of street life in a major metropolis in southwestern China." - Journal of Interdisciplinary History