Ancient Chinese Culture (3 Volumes)
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Summary
Common Knowledge of Ancient Culture is a concise primer on ancient Chinese culture, compiled by the renowned scholar Wang Li together with a group of experts. It is the most important and most comprehensive foundational work for a systematic understanding of ancient Chinese culture. In the more than half a century since its publication, it has undergone several major revisions and reprints. In this edition, besides correcting misprinted characters in some cited sources, we have sectioned part of the content and supplied new section titles to help readers use the book more conveniently; we have also cited numerous archaeological discoveries to correct misconceptions held by the general public and even by scholars. To help readers understand the relevant knowledge more intuitively, the book includes 265 exquisite related illustrations.
Common Knowledge of Ancient Chinese Culture is an edited edition of the first volume of Mr. Lü Simian's famous work A General History of China by Lü, which systematically discusses, by category, the origins and evolution of many aspects of ancient Chinese society, including marriage, the clan system, government, the official system, taxes, the military system, criminal law, clothing, food, housing and transport, education, religion, and culture and scholarship. With a historian's eye, Mr. Lü Simian provides a coherent exposition of each topic, often with original views. Gu Jiegang therefore evaluated the book thus: "It discusses cultural phenomena by category, combining narrative with commentary; purely from the standpoint of social science, it criticizes Chinese culture and institutions and offers a great many startlingly new theories."
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Chinese and history students who need systematic study of ancient Chinese culture
- Middle-school Chinese and history teachers who need material for lesson preparation
- General enthusiasts who wish to build a framework of traditional cultural common knowledge
- Editors, writers, and museum and cultural-heritage workers who need to verify details at any time
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining stories and averse to systematic knowledge
- Readers who only want to browse pictures quickly and are unwilling to read institutional analysis
- Specialist researchers expecting a deep dive into a single topic rather than a multi-volume juxtaposition
Reading tips
- First read Wang Li straight through to establish basic concepts, then use Lü Simian to trace causes by institutional topic, and finally read Chinese Incense to adjust the pace.
- Place the three tables of contents side by side and select overlapping themes such as marriage, clothing and food, and the official system for connected thematic reading.
- When reading Lü Simian, jot down key nodes in institutional evolution for later reference.
- For details of artifacts and ritual customs, look at the illustrations before reading the text to lower the threshold for beginners.
About the publisher
Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 古代文化常识
- 作者简介
- 第一章 天文
- 七政
- 四象二十八宿
- 三垣
- 十二次
- 分野
- 第二章 历法
- 日、月、年、置闰
- 二十四节气
- 干支纪年
- 干支纪时
- 月建
- 星岁纪年
- 三正
- 节日
- 第三章 乐律
- 五音六律
- 乐调
- 律中
- 第四章 地理
- 第五章 职官
- 中央官制
- 地方官制
- 品阶勋爵
- 第六章 科举
- 察举、策问
- 明经、进士
- 清代科举
- 第七章 姓名
- 姓与氏
- 名与字
- 谥号
- 年号
- 避讳
- 第八章 礼俗
- 阶级、阶层
- 冠礼
- 婚姻
- 丧葬
- 第九章 宗法
- 族、昭、穆
- 大宗、小宗
- 亲属
- 丧服
- 第十章 宫室
- 宫室、台观
- 建筑材料和建筑技术
- 第十一章 车马
- 第十二章 饮食
- 粮食作物
- 肉食
- 饮品
- 第十三章 衣饰
- 头衣
- 服饰
- 鞋袜
- 第十四章 什物
- 席、床、几、案
- 日用工具
- 饮食器具
- 附录：插图目录
- 中国古代文化常识（珍藏版）
- 出版说明
- 自序
- 绪论
- 第一章 婚姻
- 第二章 族制
- 第三章 政体
- 第四章 阶级
- 第五章 财产
- 第六章 官制
- 第七章 选举
- 第八章 赋税
- 第九章 兵制
- 第十章 刑法
- 第十一章 实业
- 第十二章 货币
- 第十三章 衣食
- 第十四章 住行
- 第十五章 教育
- 第十六章 语文
- 第十七章 学术
- 第十八章 宗教
- 中国香
- 作者简介
- 前言
- 香事篇
- 一、中国使用香物的始源
- 二、中国的“香”为何物
- 三、中国香料贸易的始源
- 四、汉武帝用香传说与汉宫香方
- 五、乱世三国的风流香事与权谋礼物
- 六、两晋用香之奢与佛香渐盛
- 七、南朝兴佛道与北朝的胡饭
- 八、隋炀帝的元日大朝会
- 九、唐代香国和洛阳南市有香行
- 十、宋代官售香药与宋徽宗的香烛
- 十一、元代文人的《西厢记》与登峰造极的香药应用
- 十二、明代郑和下西洋与文人们的“好香苦茗”
- 十三、清代的闭关锁国与清宫的用香生活
- 十四、儒家德馨
- 十五、释门香国
- 另附《翻译名义集》中梵文香料解析
- 十六、道门香传
- 十七、医家香药
- 十八、日本“香道”
- 香物篇
- 一、沉香
- 二、檀香
- 三、龙涎香
- 四、麝香
- 五、树脂类香料
- 六、根茎类香料
- 七、草叶类香料
- 八、花及花蕾类香料
- 九、其他类香料
- 香器篇
- 一、香炉
- 二、香盒
- 三、箸瓶
- 四、匙箸
- 五、炉瓶三事
- 香之唯用篇
- 一、细说中国香的用途
- 二、香印法
- 三、线香
- 四、合香与熏香法
- 五、现代用香礼仪——香席与品香
- 后记
FAQ
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About the author
Wang Li (1900–1986), courtesy name Liaoyi, was a native of Bobai, Guangxi, and one of the founders of modern Chinese linguistics as well as a professor at Peking University. He devoted his life to the teaching and study of Chinese, making outstanding contributions to phonology, grammar, lexicology, the history of the Chinese language, prosody, and script reform. His works include A Modern Chinese Grammar, A Draft History of the Chinese Language, and A History of Chinese Linguistics, and he was editor-in-chief of Ancient Chinese. His writings combine scholarly depth with readability. More than thirty of his titles are held in this collection, covering textbooks on ancient Chinese, the history of Chinese grammar, and common knowledge of ancient Chinese culture. They are often found in categories such as literary appreciation, culture, language and writing, and examinations, and are suitable for language learners and readers interested in literature and history.
Xiao Mu is an author about whom little public information is available. Three works under this name are held in the collection, spanning categories such as culture and biography. Judging from the representative titles Ancient Chinese Culture (3 volumes), Soong Mei-ling's Own Account, and Chinese Incense, Xiao Mu's writing touches on several distinct areas: a survey of ancient Chinese culture, a narrative of a modern historical figure, and a thematic study of incense culture. The range of subjects suggests both popular cultural writing and the presentation of biographical texts. Ancient Chinese Culture, in three volumes, shows an ability to organize traditional cultural knowledge systematically, while Chinese Incense focuses on a single cultural theme. As no clear records of birth and death dates, nationality, or personal experience are available, this introduction offers no biographical speculation and merely outlines the author's writing profile based on the works in the collection, pending further information.
Lü Simian (1884–1957), courtesy name Chengzhi, was a native of Wujin (present-day Changzhou), Jiangsu, and a renowned modern historian and educator. He taught for many years at Guanghua University and East China Normal University, and is known, together with Chen Yinke, Chen Yuan and Qian Mu, as one of the "Four Masters of Modern Historiography." His scholarship spanned ancient and modern times: he wrote general histories such as A Vernacular History of China and Lü's General History of China, dynastic histories including Pre-Qin History, Qin and Han History, Sui-Tang and Five Dynasties History, and History of the Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, as well as reading notes such as Lü Simian's Notes on Reading History. His works cover historical reading, Eastern philosophy and literary appreciation, and are valued for their rigorous argument, solid textual research and plain, accessible style.
