Lingering Charm of Ancient Capitals

Name: Lingering Charm of Ancient Capitals
ISBN: 9787514322927

Xiao Dongfa / Zhang XueliangModern Press · ChinaJun 2022

3.7

Word count: 56K words
Chapters: 35
ISBN: 9787514322927

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Summary

This book is divided into several sections: the ancient capital of six dynasties—Shangqiu; the capital of thirteen dynasties—Luoyang; the capital of five dynasties—Zhengzhou; the capital of seven dynasties—Anyang; the capital of seven dynasties—Kaifeng; and the capital of two dynasties—Hangzhou. Its main contents include the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors founding China's ancient civilization, and Tang of Shang making Bo its founding capital.

Editor's review

Legacy of Ancient Capitals is a cultural history co-authored by Xiao Dongfa and Zhang Xueliang that explores the historical development and cultural significance of China's ancient capitals. Professor Xiao Dongfa, a well-known scholar at Peking University's School of Journalism and Communication, has long devoted himself to the history of Chinese publishing and cultural communication, and his scholarship provides the book with a rigorous evidentiary foundation; Zhang Xueliang has distinguished himself in popular history writing, and the combination of the two gives the book both academic depth and readability. Rather than simply listing capitals, the book adopts a distinctive perspective, treating capitals as spatiotemporal coordinates of Chinese civilizational development and analyzing the political ideas, philosophical thought, and aesthetic sensibilities embodied in their site selection, planning, architecture, institutions, and even daily life. From the Yin ruins at Anyang to Ming-Qing Beijing, readers follow the authors' narrative to appreciate not only the grandeur and wisdom of ancient urban construction but also the inheritance and transformation of cultural genes through dynastic change. The selection and interpretation of historical sources reflect the editorial team's care: archaeological findings and documentary records are extensively cited, and carefully chosen illustrations make the distant past tangible. For readers who want a systematic understanding of China's ancient capital culture rather than mere scenic-spot introductions, this is an excellent work that offers a profound upgrade in understanding. It helps readers build a three-dimensional, dynamic framework for understanding ancient capitals and grasp why the "capital" became a spiritual vessel of Chinese civilization.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Deep readers with a strong interest in ancient Chinese history and traditional culture
Readers who enjoy cultural tourism and want to build knowledge before or after visiting sites
Students and enthusiasts in university programs such as history, archaeology, architecture, and urban planning
Content creators seeking writing material and hoping to understand Chinese urban development from a historical perspective

Not a good fit for

Readers of fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong plotting
Pragmatists who only want simple attraction guides or travel-handbook information

Reading tips

Read in chapter order to build a clear historical and temporal framework
Consult maps or modern satellite imagery while reading to compare changes in urban layout past and present
Mark capitals or historical details of interest and read related monographs or papers for deeper topic-based study

About the publisher

Modern Press China · Founded in 1982

Founded in 1982, Modern Press is a Chinese publisher that serves general readers across a diverse range of subjects. Judging from its catalog, its publishing focuses on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, psychological research and application, popular science, and modern poetry, along with history, biography, and children's books. The Book of Songs, the illustrated vernacular edition of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, The Complete Poems of Dai Wangshu, and Buddhism in the Vegetable Roots reflect efforts to make traditional culture and poetry accessible; works by Carl Gustav Jung such as The Development of Personality and Understanding Your Psychological Type, together with titles from the Ivy International Education Alliance, show sustained attention to psychology and educational reading; and Stephen Hawking's works and the illustrated two-volume Brief History of Everything and A Brief History of Time indicate a commitment to popular science. Its authors include figures such as Qu Wanli, Xu Ke, Dai Wangshu, and Jung, and its publishing emphasizes retelling classics and accessible, illustrated presentation. Because public information is limited, this summary is based only on the titles in our catalog.

版权信息
前言
六朝都城——古都商丘
三皇五帝开创中华远古文明
商汤把亳都作为开国之都
微子祠及汉代梁园和梁孝王墓
北朝时期在虞城始建木兰祠
宋代增修崇法寺塔和微子祠
明清时期商丘风水八卦古城
十三朝都城——古都洛阳
先秦时成为群雄必争之地
东汉时期成为政治经济中心
北魏至唐武周时期的京都
相继作为后梁后唐后晋的都城
五朝都城——古都郑州
从轩辕故里祠到商汤建都
春秋时期的郑韩故城遗址
从南北朝寺庙至北宋巩县八陵
从元代观星台到明初的城隍庙
七朝都城——古都安阳
武丁为纪念亡妻建成妇好墓
纣王命人修建首座国家监狱
古都内外寺院和佛塔的兴建
南宋时为纪念岳飞建岳飞庙
清末两广巡抚建成马氏庄园
七朝都城——古都开封
从储粮仓城演变而来的古都
北齐时期始建著名佛教寺院
历朝古都留下的“城摞城”
繁荣北宋留下的古迹与文化
金末时始建道教名观重阳观
清代富商集资修成山陕会馆
两朝都城——古都杭州
千古雷峰塔和名刹灵隐寺
五代以后成为历代繁华之都

FAQ

How is this book different from common travel-oriented introductions to ancient capitals?

The book focuses on tracing historical and cultural developments and offering in-depth interpretation, going far beyond scenic-spot introductions. It pays more attention to the functional evolution of capitals as political and cultural centers and their symbolic significance in the course of Chinese civilization, and it is more scholarly and intellectually substantive.

Is the content too specialized and difficult for ordinary readers?

While maintaining academic rigor, the authors keep the narrative fluent and vivid. Although some specialized concepts appear, they are explained in accessible terms and supported by concrete historical examples. Readers with at least a high school education, given patience and interest, can read it smoothly and benefit from it.

Which dynasties and capitals does the book mainly cover?

The book follows dynastic order and systematically discusses major capitals from the Xia-Shang-Zhou period through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing, such as Anyang, Xi'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Beijing, and also touches on some important secondary capitals and regional regime centers, constructing a relatively complete map of the evolution of China's ancient capitals.

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About the author

Xiao Dongfa Author · China · 1949–2016

Xiao Dongfa (1949–2016), whose ancestral home was Tianjin and who was born in Shenyang, was a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, and director of its Institute of Modern Publishing. An important scholar in editing and publishing studies, he focused on the history of Chinese books, publishing history, and yearbook studies. He edited the History of Chinese Editing and Publishing and Chinese Libraries of Book Collecting, and led the National Social Science Fund key project A General History of Chinese Publishing, laying a solid foundation for the organization and narration of Chinese publishing history. Beyond academic writing, he attended to Peking University's institutional history and humanistic traditions, writing works such as Character: From the Imperial University to Old Peking University, Exemplars: Former Residences and Anecdotes of Peking University Notables, and Scenes: Yanyuan Landscapes and Cultural Heritage, which recount campus memories and personal stories with warmth. His works also touch on the four treasures of the study, garden architecture, and academic writing standards. Some 491 of his titles are held in the library, spanning language and culture, biography, and architecture, and combining scholarly rigor with accessible readability.

Zhang Xueliang Author · China

Zhang Xueliang is a Chinese compiler and author of books, long engaged in writing accessible works on history and military subjects, and is one of the principal compilers of the "Stories of the Republic" series. His output is considerable, with one hundred titles held in the collection, covering a wide range of subjects including social culture, sports, architecture, and documentary literature. Representative works include *A Thousand-Year Achievement: Construction Begins on the Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project*, *A Grand View of Tiananmen Square*, *Chinese Kung Fu*, *The Great Northern Passes: Famous Ancient Frontier Fortresses*, *Clear Water from the Luan River: The Successful Completion of the Luan-to-Tianjin Water Diversion Project*, *A Grand View of Beijing's Scenic Spots*, *Lingering Charm of the Ancient Capital*, and *National Mobilization: The PLA Rushes to Earthquake Relief in Sichuan*. These works offer documentary accounts of major projects and historical events as well as popular surveys of ancient capitals, traditional martial arts, and regional culture. He has also compiled books such as *The Confucian Tradition of Qi and Lu* and *The Bronze Age*, and has written for a television military program. Public information on his dates of birth and death, native place, and education is limited and difficult to verify.