Checking In to Life in the Yuan Dynasty

Name: Checking In to Life in the Yuan Dynasty
ISBN: 9787518085859

徐德亮 / 胡岳潭China Textile & Apparel Press · ChinaJun 2022

3.4

Word count: 97K words
Chapters: 65
ISBN: 9787518085859

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Summary

Part of the "Ancient History Your Textbook Never Had Time to Tell You" series, this book paints the many facets of everyday life in the Yuan dynasty in a lively, accessible narrative. It vividly brings to life the daily food and drink, summer cooling and winter warmth, transport, housing, occupations, travel, and sports and entertainment of the Yuan people, like a "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in words. What exactly was ordinary life like in the Yuan dynasty, and what special customs did it have? The modern reader's curiosity about how Yuan people lived is answered one by one in these pages. The book also features numerous fine illustrations that vividly recreate the everyday world of the Yuan dynasty.

The "Ancient History Your Textbook Never Had Time to Tell You" series covers the everyday life of ordinary people across every period of Chinese history. Written by authors steeped in historical scholarship and grounded in official histories, it recreates the distinctive social character of each dynasty through a humorous, entertaining, and highly readable storytelling style, vividly presenting the changes and continuities in the daily life of ordinary people in ancient China.

Editor's review

"Clock In to Life in the Yuan Dynasty" is not a serious scholarly monograph but a popular history book with a distinctive angle. Xu Deliang, a crosstalk performer and researcher of traditional culture, opens a delightful window onto everyday life in the Yuan dynasty. The book's greatest value lies in how it deftly sidesteps grand dynastic narratives and accounts of war to focus instead on the food, clothing, housing, and transport of ordinary people in the Yuan, the life of the streets, and the spirit of the age. With a light, humorous touch, it brings distant history within easy reach. Its depiction of the blending of diverse cultures in the Yuan is especially vivid: whether the bustling streets of Dadu, the dining customs of Mongol nobles, or the spiritual steadfastness of Han literati, all come alive under the author's pen. This approach through 'daily life history' turns history from a series of cold events into a collection of stories full of the warmth of everyday life and human feeling. For readers who want to see 'another side' of history, this book offers a low-threshold, high-fun reading option. Of course, readers should be clear about what it is: more a carefully arranged 'historical travelogue' or 'guide to living,' meant to spark interest rather than provide rigorous verification, and its narrative necessarily includes reasonable imagination and literary treatment grounded in historical fact.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General history enthusiasts curious about social and cultural life in the Yuan dynasty who want to look beyond emperors and generals
Readers who enjoy light, humorous, story-driven nonfiction and do not require deep academic analysis
People in cultural and creative industries, screenwriting, or related fields who need inspiration from details of historical daily life
Parents looking for lively history primers for their children (parents should read and screen it first)

Not a good fit for

Professional historians seeking rigorous academic verification and expecting in-depth historical analysis
Readers with a single, fixed view of Yuan history who find it hard to accept pluralistic, everyday-life interpretations

Reading tips

Read it in the spirit of 'wandering' and 'experiencing'; do not chase a systematic thread of knowledge—jump between chapters as interest takes you
While reading, look up images of Yuan artifacts (such as porcelain and murals) or classical literary works (such as Yuan drama) related to the content to enhance the immersive experience
After finishing each scene of daily life, pause to think about how it differs from modern life; this comparison across time and space brings extra pleasure

About the publisher

China Textile & Apparel Press China · Founded in 1953

China Textile & Apparel Press is a publisher traditionally known for its strengths in textiles and apparel, while also expanding into social science, psychology, and humanities reading for general audiences. Its library of about 211 titles covers categories such as essays and miscellaneous writings, applied psychology, inspirational growth, social psychology, social culture, and social science. Representative books include classic popular works such as the illustrated edition of Guwen Guanzhi, as well as psychology and social science titles such as Antonio Damasio's When Feeling Happens and Looking for Spinoza, Kathryn Mannix's When We Must Talk About Death and Separation, The Anxious Generation, Life Is No Big Deal, and The Intelligent Structure. Its authors include Wu Chucai, Wu Diaohou, Zhou Renlai, Yan Yan, and Zhang Xi. Public information is limited; based on the titles in its library, the press emphasizes a combination of classic texts with psychology and social-issues reading, balancing its professional identity with the needs of general readers.

版权信息
内容提要
序言翻云覆雨数兴亡，百年身世细思量
第一章衣
马上民族？元朝皇帝一样自认“龙的传人”
大放异彩的汉化蒙服：你没见过的时尚混搭
帽子和头一样重要
时尚发型，元朝Style是娃娃头
一个罟罟冠，半部草原史
“戴绿帽”是国家规定
第二章食
网红奶茶，元朝时候就有了
涮羊肉，冰激凌，都是元朝人的发明
元朝皇帝不识货，胡萝卜当人参
《老乞大》：“外国人”眼中的元代饮食文化
草原民族都海量？那是因为度数低
葡萄酒硬通货，立大功才赏两壶
老人食，元代饮食很“养生”
第三章住
元代北京什么样？
完全想不到，元朝皇帝住“白宫”
黄金家族，真的住“金屋”
元朝的城市没有城墙
元朝有几个一线城市
楠木紫檀，元朝的奢华家具
能住就行，元朝人住房不讲究
第四章行
元朝骑兵，出门要带零食包
元代的“急递铺”和今天的“快递公司”一样吗
马车不够威风，象车才是最爱
有身份的人出行，那得请仪仗队
成吉思汗不征印度是因为怕热吗
丘处机也写过《西游记》
第五章工
商业税超过农业税，元朝的创举
工匠第一，元朝为什么青睐工匠
为什么媒人也被称为“红娘”
元朝公务员最没幸福感
忽必烈上朝用“翻译官”吗
银行不是万能的：“通货膨胀”要了元朝的命
第六章学
官方文字，蒙古人自己都不爱用
元朝人办教育，官员也有KPI
元朝学校里面讲什么语言
元朝读书人的待遇是好还是坏
元朝是怎么修史的
元朝皇帝为何不喜欢开科举
元曲居然是“蛤蜊味”
第七章礼
元朝就有婚前协议
元朝的“收继婚制”是怎么回事
帖木儿、不花……元朝人的名字都一样
元朝人怎么过年过节
元朝人不爱洗澡还怕打雷
蒙古族人有着什么样的丧葬习俗
第八章乐
郭德纲的《单刀会》，原作者其实是关汉卿
包公成为黑脸是从元朝开始的
象棋、围棋，元朝人的各种博弈之乐
让外国人震惊的元代青楼业
没饭局？那这事就没得谈
城市生活异常繁荣
附录1 元朝纪元表
附录2 元朝科技文化成就一览
后记

FAQ

What is this book's Douban rating and how authoritative is it?

A check shows that the book has few ratings on Douban, so no widely meaningful score has formed. Its authority rests mainly on author Xu Deliang's ability to research and interpret traditional culture, not on academic authority in the field of history. The book is better used as an introduction to historical interest than as a basis for research.

How closely does the content match real history?

The book is based on historical records and artifact research, but the details are reasonably literary constructed to enhance readability and sense of scene. It is faithful to the overall character of Yuan social life and known historical facts, but there is an element of invention in fine details such as specific dialogue and inner thoughts. Readers should treat it as 'grounded historical imagination.'

Is this book suitable for middle school students?

The language is accessible and the storytelling is strong, which can effectively spark young people's interest in history. However, when the book touches on certain social systems unique to the Yuan (such as the four-class system) and cultural customs, parents or teachers are advised to provide appropriate background and guidance to help children form a more comprehensive and dialectical view of history.

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About the author

徐德亮 Author

Public information about Xu Deliang is limited. What is known is that his work consists mainly of history books, with five titles in the collection: Clocking In to Life in the Song Dynasty, Clocking In to Life in the Qing Dynasty, Clocking In to Life in the Ming Dynasty, Clocking In to Life in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and Clocking In to Life in the Yuan Dynasty. Judging from their titles, these books use the idea of “clocking in” as an entry point to bring readers into different historical periods—the Song, Qing, Ming, Sui-Tang, and Yuan dynasties—and are history titles intended for general readers. The writing stresses an accessible, everyday approach to presenting life in ancient times, using clear period labels to help readers form an intuitive sense of historical settings, giving the series a certain distinctiveness within popular history publishing. Because information such as birth and death dates, nationality, education, and personal experience remains unclear, no speculation is made here; this note summarizes only the direction and subject matter of his writing based on the available works.

胡岳潭 Author

Hu Yuetan is an author about whom little public information is currently available. All that is known from the library records is that the author has one work, Clocking In to Life in the Yuan Dynasty, which is classified as a popular history title. Judging from the subject and title of this book, the author takes the approach of popular history writing for a general readership, using everyday life in the Yuan Dynasty as a point of entry to bring readers into concrete historical settings. Writing of this kind usually does not aim at rigorous academic research but rather values readability and a sense of immersion, allowing ordinary readers to encounter historical knowledge and experience the atmosphere of the era through accessible reading. Based on the information currently available, Hu Yuetan's writing centers on making history accessible to a broad audience; the number of works is small, but the direction is clear, and the book should appeal to readers interested in Yuan Dynasty society and daily life. Further details about the author's life and creative background await more public sources.