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Summary
Editor's review
The editors believe the book's distinctive value lies in its dual perspective. Father Yu Zhifa, as a firsthand witness, provides a wealth of solid primary sources—family archives, letters, contractual documents—in plain and richly detailed prose that builds the history's flesh and bone. Son Yu Muming, with a broader vision and reflective spirit, organizes, interprets, and interrogates these materials, probing the institutional and cultural logic beneath historical surfaces and giving the text its intellectual sinews. This father-and-son collaboration interweaves private narrative with public history, emotional memory with rational analysis, steering clear of mere nostalgia.
The book's penetrating analysis of "property rights in housing" is particularly compelling. From traditional clan-held communal property to modern divisions and disputes over title, and on to contemporary urbanization and demolition, the fate of a single old house is almost a miniature specimen of changing Chinese conceptions of property and legal institutions. Readers can see that a house is not merely a physical shelter but a repository of emotional belonging, social status, family cohesion, and historical trauma. For readers seeking to understand the complexities of Chinese social relations, family ethics, and notions of property, this book offers an exceptionally vivid and profound case study.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in family history, oral history, and narrative nonfiction
- Researchers and enthusiasts who wish to understand modern and contemporary Chinese social change through a micro-level case
- Observers concerned with real estate, property institutions, and their social and cultural implications
- Those interested in Shanghai local history, especially the development of Pudong
Not a good fit for
- Readers of fiction seeking fast-paced plots or invented stories
- Readers expecting pure personal success strategies or wealth-management experience
Reading tips
- Readers may extend their background knowledge by consulting works on the historical landmarks mentioned in the book—land reform, the joint public-private ownership of enterprises, Pudong's development—to deepen their understanding.
- As you read, pay attention to the facsimiles of documents and contracts, and feel the authentic texture of historical detail.
- The book can be read alongside micro-histories such as Wang Di's "The Teahouse" and Jonathan Spence's "The Death of Woman Wang," to consider the strengths and weaknesses of different narrative approaches.
About the publisher
China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序一
- 序二
- 序三
- 自序
- 第一部 从哪里来
- 第一集 鲤鱼穴的传说
- 第二集 黄金和黄酱的故事
- 第三集 郁氏积善堂及其牌匾钩沉
- 第四集 三房之斗实是两房之争
- 第五集 木行桥郁家新新宅的悲哀
- 第六集 郁西庭告御状明胜而实败
- 第七集 房高一尺引发兄弟阋墙百年
- 第八集 又一位小夫人
- 第九集 三次火宅两次成灾
- 第十集 七龄童与西良公的一生纠葛
- 第十一集 木行桥郁家东宅破产记
- 第二部 大厦倾塌之谜
- 第十二集 理工男错当造楼者收获爱情
- 第十三集 刘十四圆了郁海发的房之梦
- 第十四集 地震房里的敬上之举
- 第十五集 民康科研楼对决民康住宿楼
- 第十六集 筷子商店和征地盖房的互补
- 第十七集 刘十四来了是好事还是坏事
- 第十八集 五枚金戒指
- 第十九集 祖屋里的当代新家训
- 第二十集 临建房里的奇葩事
- 第二十一集 大厦再次倾塌之因
- 第二十二集 雷永刚暴富之谜
- 第二十三集 一份自吹自擂的应聘书
- 第二十四集 路边卡拉OK歌厅覆灭记
- 第二十五集 樱花园之恋
- 第三部 到了这里
- 第二十六集 故乡留间房为了啥
- 第二十七集 阴谋？阳策
- 第二十八集 郁力回国创业风波
- 第二十九集 见先和黑心
- 第三十集 三国九方关系中的奇葩事
- 第三十一集 重建瓦6之新生
- 第三十二集 祭祖的风波
- 第三十三集 《郁氏文化》微刊砥砺前行
- 第三十四集 特等奖风波
- 第三十五集 三枚公章之解
- 第三十六集 金秋十月海门桂花遍地香
- 第三十七集 郁氏宗亲活动中三国N方的形成
- 第三十八集 《郁氏文化草根作者语丝集》出版风云
- 第三十九集 多彩的重建瓦6
- 第四十集 铭记保存重建瓦6的喜与悲
- 第四十一集 众目一瞥《中华郁氏通谱》
- 第四十二集 永固永存（大结局）
- 附录 《房》之补遗
- 特别致谢
FAQ
The author Yu Muming is a political figure in Taiwan. Does this affect the book's perspective?
Is this book mainly historical research, or is it memory writing full of personal emotion?
Will readers unfamiliar with Shanghai or modern Chinese history find the book difficult?
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About the author
Yu Zhifa is an author about whom limited public information is available. The only work currently confirmed is the novel Fang (House), which is classified as a social novel. Judging from this category, the book is likely to center on housing issues and, through them, on the everyday lives, family relationships, and social realities of ordinary people. Housing is a topic of great concern in contemporary Chinese society, and a novel titled after it often suggests that the author seeks to present a broader social picture through the specific circumstances of its characters. Because the database contains only one work and does not record his dates of birth and death, nationality, or English name, his personal background, creative development, and writing style cannot yet be fully outlined, nor is it possible to determine whether he has other books or literary activities. Readers who wish to learn more about Yu Zhifa will need to rely on further published works and authoritative sources. On the available evidence, Yu Zhifa comes to readers' attention through the social novel Fang, and his writing leans toward realistic subject matter, making him worth noting for readers interested in contemporary Chinese social fiction.
Yu Muming is a Chinese-language book author. At present, the library holds only one work by him, the social novel Fang (House). Public information about his nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and professional experience is limited, and no reliable details can be added. Judging from the available work, Yu Muming turns to realistic social themes, using “house,” a topic closely tied to ordinary people’s daily lives, as an entry point to examine the social relationships and human circumstances behind housing issues. The work is classified as a social novel, suggesting a realistic concern and a tendency to show how social structures affect individuals through concrete scenes of everyday life. Because verifiable information about the author is scarce, a full assessment of his writing is difficult at present; readers may gain a further sense of his style and concerns from the text of Fang.
