Qingming
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Summary
The book features nearly 60 high-definition ancient paintings in full color, reproducing a distant yet radiant Qingming; amid the fullness of spring, readers may glimpse beyond the boundary between memory and reality and appreciate the traditional time aesthetics of the enduring rhythm of Chinese life.
Editor's review
In terms of reading value, the book's greatest strength lies in its accessible yet substantive approach. It is not a dry academic treatise but combines rigorous historical research, folklore fieldwork, and lively cultural interpretation. The book not only traces Qingming's evolution from a solar term to a festival and analyzes in detail the cultural psychology and social functions behind customs such as tomb sweeping, ancestor worship, spring outings, and willow planting, but also discusses intriguing topics such as the merging of the Cold Food Festival and Qingming and the imagery of Qingming in poetry. For readers who wish to go beyond the literary impression of "a drizzling Qingming" and truly understand why this festival has endured for thousands of years and still profoundly shapes Chinese people's emotions and behavior, this book offers an excellent window. What it helps us see is not merely the form of a festival but a miniature spiritual history of Chinese culture.
The editor believes that the book's binding design is highly consistent with its content—understated and elegant—enhancing the immersive reading experience. Although the book cites a large number of ancient texts, the author's writing is restrained and clear, avoiding overly academic expression, so that general readers can read smoothly and gain much. This is a book that requires quiet reading; it offers not fast-food information but a deep decoding of a cultural DNA.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with a strong interest in traditional Chinese festival culture who wish to understand the underlying reasons
- Beginners or enthusiasts in fields such as folklore, sociology, and history
- Parents who wish to systematically explain traditional culture to the next generation in family education
- Readers who like to read books on related themes at particular times (such as around Qingming) to deepen their contextual experience
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or fiction
- Readers hoping to quickly obtain practical guides (such as travel guides)
- Readers strongly averse to academic content
Reading tips
- It is suggested to read in chapter order, first building an overall framework of the historical evolution of Qingming and then delving into specific customs
- While reading, reflect on your own Qingming experiences or observations and compare them with the book to appreciate the connection between tradition and the present
- The book mentions many classical poems and documents; pausing to savor the highlights can better convey the festival's humanistic atmosphere
About the publisher
Tianjin People's Publishing House publishes across such fields as classic works, foreign literature, architecture, social culture and social sciences, with 749 relevant titles in the collection. In the areas of classics and scholarship, works such as Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua and Fei Xiaotong's From the Soil and Fertility and Reproduction reflect a sustained attention to social culture and classic texts of thought. Architectural books are represented by Liang Sicheng's Annotated Yingzao Fashi and A History of Chinese Architecture, showing an emphasis on architectural heritage and building traditions. In foreign literature, translations of Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don and Tolstoy's War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, through the work of translators such as Li Gang and Yu Dawei, form a substantial series of translated works. Overall, the press combines classic texts, scholarly works and fine translations, with a publishing character oriented toward humanistic depth and the dissemination of knowledge.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 前言
- 壹 清明节的起源与流变
- 清明节溯源
- 清明节的兴起
- 贰 香毂辚辚拜扫归——扫墓
- 墓祭的由来
- 扫墓仪式流变
- 对生命的缅怀
- 叁 报本崇初祖——人文始祖祭拜
- 肆 梨花风起正清明——踏青
- 伍 人隔垂杨听笑声——荡秋千
- 中原秋千的历史
- 各民族的秋千
- 女子与秋千
- 陆 剑心一动碎花冠——斗鸡
- 柒 忙趁东风放纸鸢——风筝
- 风筝的起源
- 风筝与寒食清明的渊源
- 捌 万人同向青霄望——清明蹴鞠
- 玖 清明不戴柳，红颜成皓首——戴柳与插
- 清明戴柳的起源
- 插戴柳枝的用途
- 拾 岂无青精饭，使我颜色好——清明食俗
- 清明常见的食物
- 食俗中蕴含的祈盼
- 拾壹 布谷声声劝早耕——清明农事忙
- 与养蚕相关的习俗活动
- 清明茶
- 饭牛
- 清明农谚
- 拾贰 清明节——将生死并置
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About the author
Zhang Bo is an author focused on traditional Chinese culture and classical poetry; publicly available information about him is limited, and his biographical details remain incomplete. Judging from the five works held in the collection, his writing centers largely on seasonal festivals and classical poetic imagery. The five-volume Festivals in China traces the cultural threads of traditional Chinese festivals, while Qingming examines the customs and meanings of a single solar term. Bai Juyi's Festivals: Seasonal Life in Tang Poetry sets Tang poems against the seasonal life of the era, reconstructing scenes of celebration from the works of Bai Juyi and other poets. Sweeping Snow and Meeting Immortals and Flowers Blooming as Desired further show his attempts at art and narrative subjects. Overall, Zhang Bo's writing balances informative content with readability, drawing details of daily life from poetic and documentary sources and building a bridge between cultural popularization and classical literature. His books suit readers interested in traditional festivals and Tang poetry.
Xiao Fang is an author about whom limited public information is available. What is known is that the works collected here focus on Chinese culture, with five titles in the library, including Spring Festival, Festivals in China (five volumes), The Twenty-Four Solar Terms in Jiangnan, Qingming, and Dragon Boat Festival. These works show that Xiao Fang has long been concerned with traditional Chinese festivals and solar-term culture, writing on seasonal customs, folk life, and regional traditions, with particular attention to the seasonal heritage of the Jiangnan region. The writing tends toward informative exposition and cultural interpretation, linking the origins and customs of festivals to everyday experience while balancing readability with reference value. The works mostly appear as thematic volumes or series, suitable for general readers seeking an overall picture of traditional festivals and offering a fairly systematic introduction to festival culture.
