China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty

By Charles Benn

Book Overview

The Tang Dynasty (618-907), traditionally regarded as the golden age of China, was a time of patricians and intellectuals, Buddhist monks and Taoist priests, poetry and music, song and dance. In China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty, Charles Benn paints a vivid picture of the lifestyle behind the grandeur of the Tang culture.
All aspects of day-to-day life are presented, including crime, entertainment, fashion, marriage, food, hygiene, dwellings, and transportation. Attend an ancient feast to celebrate an imperial birthday, where ale was served in elaborate pitchers before a meal of fourteen hors d'oeuvres and twenty-three courses. Learn which colors concubines used for their eye makeup and beauty marks, and what jealous wives did to discourage such enhancement. See the similarities between today's pubs and the Tang alehouses, where women were hired to dance and sing to encourage patrons to stay longer and spend more money. Decide for yourself why Yangzhou, a city on the Grand Canal close to the Yangtze River, was considered one of the greatest cities in the Tang Dynasty.
Benn translates and paraphrases his classical Chinese sources from the Tang era with fresh and polished prose. He also includes his own illustrations of everything from tools and hairstyles to musical instruments and courtyard dwellings. A history of the rise and fall of the dynasty is presented, as is a look at the societal structure of the aristocracy, bureaucracy, eunuchs, clergy, peasants, artisans, merchants, and slaves. This thorough explanation provides fascinating insight into a culture and time that is often misunderstood by Westerners and brings alive both the everyday routine and the timeless splendor of this intellectually and artistically powerful epoch. Enjoy your journey in China's Golden Age, and come back to the present with a greater understanding of this amazing time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195176650
• ISBN13: 9780195176650
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 217 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great History Book, Quite Enjoyable

If ancient Chinese history is more in your interest, I suggest reading this book. Benn does a thorough investigation of Tang Dynasty life, encompassing religion, household life, and the aristocracy. This is a must read if you find this era of Chinese history fascinating... I enjoyed his section about how the Daoist and Buddhist were constantly trying to lure people into their churches, and also how positions within the Buddhist church could be bought- and people think Catholics were bad!

Easy, informative reading

A light, easy to read rendition of Tang history. Focuses on the everyday aspects of Tang society. The subject matter is neatly presented in chapters labeled Society; Cities and Urban Life; Clothes and Hygiene; Food and Feasts; or Leisure and Entertainment. I appreciated the book's drawings, especially of Tang hairstyles and clothing, which heavily influenced Japanese traditional clothing thereafter. Overall, a peek into Tang commoners' daily life is a refreshing change from usual history material. Unfortunately, I have to deduct 1 star here because the author, for unknown reason, kept referring to sixth Tang emperor Xuanzong by his anglicized moniker "Illustrious August", which casts a fortune cookie feel over an otherwise enjoyable read.

China's Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty

A very informative publication of life in the Tang dynasty. Well written (although sometimes meandering) and an easy read.