Life of the Ancients (2 Volumes)
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Summary
The World of Ancient Daily Life: Did people in ancient times also have out-of-season vegetables and fruit and greenhouse cultivation? How did they view their stomachs and figures? How did they scratch an itch? What did they do about nearsightedness? How did they keep pets? How did they get through the heat of summer? How did they take afternoon naps? ...
This book touches on every aspect of daily life in ancient times. The author offers a comprehensive scan and presentation of clothing, food, housing, transport, play, and utensils. More importantly, the author teases out the details and topics that spark widespread interest among modern readers, bringing history vividly to life.
Tradition in Food and Desire: Eating well and looking at beautiful things are human nature, the great desires of men and women, and “food and desire” are precisely the stuff of everyday life. Starting from the details of daily life in ancient times, this book discusses such topics as food and drink, clothing, travel, plants, seasonal festivals, variety performances, and songs, encompassing the relationship between humanity and nature, imaginings of time and space, religious beliefs, ethics and morals, habits of thought, ideas of governance, views on health, seasonal customs, aesthetic trends, and entertainment and leisure. Within a tradition in which “the material and the spiritual are fused into one,” the reader encounters the most ordinary human nature and the simplest emotions. Written in the style of familiar essays—fresh, natural, and delightful to read, with lingering resonance—the book is both “trustworthy” and “lovable.”
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers curious about the details of daily life in ancient China who want an easy introduction to history and culture
- Office workers and commuters who enjoy the familiar-essay style and prefer fragmented reading
- Enthusiasts of history, folklore, and food culture, for whom it can serve as supplementary thematic reading
- Middle-school Chinese and history teachers, who can draw lively material from it for classroom introductions
Not a good fit for
- Professional researchers seeking rigorous academic argumentation and a systematic theoretical framework of historiography
- Readers expecting in-depth monographic studies and unwilling to read essayistic short chapters
Reading tips
- Start with the table of contents and pick the topics that interest you most; there is no need to read volume by volume from beginning to end.
- Read the two volumes in parallel: for the same theme (such as food), see how each book handles it and appreciate the difference in perspective.
- When you come across a detail that interests you, verify it or take notes, turning curiosity into knowledge.
- Read one or two pieces at bedtime or on your commute, keeping a relaxed attitude and not forcing yourself to keep to a schedule.
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
- 食色里的传统
- 序 传统的细节和脉络
- 饮食
- 饮食小道
- 味道的通感
- 文吃与武吃
- 如鬼饮食
- 座次移转
- 鲜味的秘密
- 栈养：善乎？恶乎？
- 食素为心
- 秋补与食补
- 豆腐四兄弟
- 腌菜：小菜还是大菜？
- 服饰
- 华夏衣冠
- 发如韭，剪复生
- 首饰
- 脂粉
- 男角女羁
- 长袖善舞
- 葱绿配桃红
- 君子无故，玉不去身
- 服妖
- 头巾
- 缠足
- 行旅
- 世界：想象的？行走的？
- 出行宜忌
- 折柳涕泣
- 死亡也是出行
- 春游的巧立名目
- 途中遇虎
- 徒步与骑驴
- 负笈游学
- 何以多“客愁”？
- 题壁
- 接风洗尘
- 草木
- 春韭
- 香椿
- 野菜与救荒
- 豆话
- 瓜的命名
- 见过世面的土豆和红薯
- 菘葵当家
- 松公与柏伯
- 毒草为药
- 梅的形神
- 蒿子的文艺范儿
- 节令
- 节气：大自然的脉搏
- 立春物候
- 寒食与改火
- 小满苦菜秀
- 端午人物
- 夏至消暑
- 中秋：嫦娥与蟾蜍
- 重阳与长寿
- 十月一，送寒衣
- 大雪小雪
- 腊八食粥
- 百戏
- 角抵为戏
- 幻术西来
- 鼠戏、蚁戏及其他
- 射者，男子之事
- 口技与隔壁戏
- 手技：弄丸与跳剑
- 蹴鞠为欢
- 斗鸡
- 走狗
- 傀儡戏，鬼也怕
- “浪”秧歌
- 歌谣
- 歌谣的产生
- 巫咒歌谣
- 徒歌
- “奔迸”的表情法
- 击壤歌
- 弹歌
- 沧浪歌
- 歌谣里的“秘密”
- 童谣的破译
- 《越人歌》
- 原版后记
- 新版后记
- 古人的生活世界
- 前言
- 第一章 饮食：五谷、肉食与蔬果
- 一 青菘绿韭古嘉蔬：中国人的饮食追求
- 二 烹羊宰牛且为乐：主副食、餐馆及其他
- 三 青蒿黄韭试春盘：岁时饮馔
- 四 桑下春蔬绿满畦：古代的蔬菜
- 五 一骑红尘妃子笑：古代的水果
- 六 二月中旬已进瓜：黄瓜及反季果蔬
- 七 何家笼饼须十字：市肆中的食品
- 第二章 逸兴：品茗、饮酒与抽烟
- 一 与君剪烛夜烹茶：古人茶生活
- 二 惟有饮者留其名：古人酒生活
- 三 水村山郭酒旗风：古代的酒肆
- 四 却餐一炷淡巴菰：抽烟
- 第三章 姿态：形体、感觉与时尚
- 一 短长肥瘦各有态：古代的身体美学
- 二 楚腰纤细掌中轻：肚子的审美
- 三 似倩麻姑痒处搔：虱子、搔痒及其雅致化
- 四 温泉水滑洗凝脂：古人的沐浴
- 五 叆叇斜窥红粉妆：古代的眼镜
- 第四章 娱乐：运动、游戏与休闲
- 一 翻身向天仰射云：射箭与投壶
- 二 名园蹴鞠称春游：球类运动
- 三 力拔山兮气盖世：角力类运动
- 四 梦中犹记水秋千：水上与冰上运动
- 五 棋罢不知人世换：棋类游戏
- 六 六博争雄好彩来：赌博类游戏
- 七 乐意相关禽对语：古人生活中的宠物
- 第五章 游逸：交通、旅行与游乐
- 一 春风得意马蹄疾：古代的交通方式
- 二 一生好入名山游：古人的旅游
- 三 画舫寻春载酒行：游船与逸乐
- 四 旅馆寒灯独不眠：古代的宾馆
- 第六章 身份：文人、女性与儿童
- 一 幸有良朋同雅集：文人的休闲与交游
- 二 长安水边多丽人：古代女性的出游
- 三 挑灯闲看《牡丹亭》：女性的娱乐与文化生活
- 四 忙趁东风放纸鸢：古代儿童的玩具
- 第七章 时间：假日、岁时与节庆
- 一 九日驰驱一日闲：古代的放休假制度
- 二 四时佳兴与人同：四季与古人的生活
- 三 不知人间有尘暑：古人的消夏
- 四 一派笙歌夜未央：夜间的欢愉
- 五 炼药燃灯清昼同：花灯与烟火
- 六 花竹幽窗午梦长：睡眠及午睡
- 第八章 空间：自然、乡村与城市
- 一 山水之中足可娱：山水与自然
- 二 莫将城市比山林：城市与乡村
- 三 竹篱茅屋真吾家：居住空间与生活理想
- 四 箫管迎龙水庙前：庙会与集市
- 五 北陌东阡看戏场：看戏与戏台
- 附录 现代：西潮、都市与摩登
- 一 申江自是繁华地：现代都市与日常生活
- 二 竿灯千盏路西东：城市中的照明
- 三 歌楼舞馆销魂地：舞厅与城市娱乐
- 四 海上风行请大餐：西餐厅与咖啡馆
- 五 鬼工拍照妙入神：电影、照相及视觉娱乐
- 后记
FAQ
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Do the two volumes overlap in content?
Can I understand it without a background in history?
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About the author
Wang Hongchao is an author who focuses on daily life in ancient China. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life are not yet clear. Three of his works are included in the collection: The Life of the Ancients (2 volumes), The World of Ancient Life, and Little Creatures of the Human World: Lice, Mosquitoes, and Fireflies, most of which fall under history and social culture. Judging from his subjects, he is skilled at reconstructing the concrete texture of ancient life through everyday details such as food, housing, objects, and customs. Little Creatures of the Human World uses tiny organisms—lice, mosquitoes, and fireflies—as threads connecting humans and nature, literary imagery, and lived experience, showing a writing approach that reveals the large through the small and balances knowledge with readability. His books are aimed at general readers, written in plain language with attention to detail and interest, and are suitable for readers curious about traditional Chinese life and culture.
Xi Wenqian is a Chinese book author about whom limited public information is available, and no confirmed biographical details are known. Two of her works are included here: The Tradition in Food and Sensuality and The Life of the Ancients (2 volumes), commonly categorized as food writing and history books. Judging from these titles, her interests center on daily life and food culture in ancient China, and she tends to place concrete details of food and custom back into their historical context, helping readers understand traditional society through everyday subjects such as food and sensuality. Her writing balances information with readability, addresses general readers interested in traditional culture and ancient life, and has developed a distinctive niche where food writing and history books overlap. Due to limited sources, her education, professional positions, and research focus cannot be confirmed.
