The Teahouse under Socialism: The Decline and Renewal of Public Life in Chengdu, 1950–2000

Awards:   Joint winner of Award for Best Book in Non-North American Urban History 2019 (United States)
Author:   Di Wang
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
ISBN:  

9781501715495


Pages:   330
Publication Date:   15 June 2018
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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The Teahouse under Socialism: The Decline and Renewal of Public Life in Chengdu, 1950–2000


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Awards

  • Joint winner of Award for Best Book in Non-North American Urban History 2019 (United States)

Overview

To understand a city fully, writes Di Wang, we must observe its most basic units of social life. In The Teahouse under Socialism, Wang does just that, arguing that the teahouses of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, are some of the most important public spaces-perfect sites for examining the social and economic activities of everyday Chinese. Wang looks at the transformation of these teahouses from private businesses to collective ownership and how state policy and the proprietors' response to it changed the overall economic and social structure of the city. He uses this transformation to illuminate broader trends in China's urban public life from 1950 through the end of the Cultural Revolution and into the post-Mao reform era. In doing so, The Teahouse under Socialism charts the fluctuations in fortune of this ancient cultural institution and analyzes how it survived, and even thrived, under bleak conditions. Throughout, Wang asks such questions as: Why and how did state power intervene in the operation of small businesses? How was ""socialist entertainment"" established in a local society? How did the well-known waves of political contestation and struggle in China change Chengdu's teahouses and public life? In the end, Wang argues, the answers to such questions enhance our understanding of public life and political culture in the Communist state.

Full Product Details

Author:   Di Wang
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Cornell University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9781501715495


ISBN 10:   1501715496
Pages:   330
Publication Date:   15 June 2018
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Adult education ,  Undergraduate ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Urban Political Transitions under Socialism Part I. The Decline of Public Life, 1950–1976 1. The Demise of the Chengdu Teahouse Guild and the Fall of Small Business 2. State Control and the Rise of Socialist Entertainment 3. The Decline of Public Life under Mao's Rule Part II. The Return of Public Life, 1977–2000 4. The Resurgence of Teahouses in the Reform Era 5. Urban Residents and Migrant Workers in Public Life 6. The Power of Mahjong Conclusion: The State, the Teahouse, and the Public Sphere

Reviews

The Teahouse Under Socialism is a captivating account of the way in which broad political changes are manifested in small urban spaces. [A] deeply-researched and trans-disciplinary study, [it] makes a valuable contribution not only to Chinese and global urban history but to our understanding of civil society and the public sphere in non-Western contexts. * awards citation from Urban History Association, co-winner of Best Book in Non-North American History, 2017-2018 * This book is clearly indispensable reading for anyone interested in modern Chinese social history, but given its accessibility and entertaining narrative style it will appeal to a general audience with concerns about the ways in which urban public space enhances everyday social and cultural experience. * China Review International * The Teahouse under Socialism is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand political and cultural change in Mao-era and post-Mao China. * History Reviews of New Books * Written in plain language, this book is easily accessible to non-professionals interested in Chinese urban culture. Meticulously researched, it also offers new material and insights to scholars in modern Chinese history, urban studies, cultural anthropology, and the sociology of leisure. * Journal of Interdisciplinary History * Anyone who studies or is interested in PRC history or modern Chinese society should not miss the chance to read this book. * China Review *


Written in plain language, this book is easily accessible to non-professionals interested in Chinese urban culture. Meticulously researched, it also offers new material and insights to scholars in modern Chinese history, urban studies, cultural anthropology, and the sociology of leisure. * Journal of Interdisciplinary History * This book is clearly indispensable reading for anyone interested in modern Chinese social history, but given its accessibility and entertaining narrative style it will appeal to a general audience with concerns about the ways in which urban public space enhances everyday social and cultural experience. * China Review International * The Teahouse Under Socialism is a captivating account of the way in which broad political changes are manifested in small urban spaces. [A] deeply-researched and trans-disciplinary study, [it] makes a valuable contribution not only to Chinese and global urban history but to our understanding of civil society and the public sphere in non-Western contexts. * awards citation from Urban History Association, co-winner of Best Book in Non-North American History, 2017-2018 * Anyone who studies or is interested in PRC history or modern Chinese society should not miss the chance to read this book. * China Review * The Teahouse under Socialism is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand political and cultural change in Mao-era and post-Mao China. * History Reviews of New Books *


The Teahouse under Socialism affirms Di Wang's position as an authority on China's social and cultural history. His book should be read by anyone studying modern Chinese history, anthropologists working on China, and urban historians working on cities around the world. --Aminda Smith, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University, and author of Thought Reform and China's Dangerous Classes: Reeducation, Resistance, and the People The Teahouse under Socialism affirms Di Wang's position as an authority on China's social and cultural history. His book should be read by anyone studying modern Chinese history, anthropologists working on China, and urban historians working on cities around the world. --Aminda Smith, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University, and author of Thought Reform and China's Dangerous Classes: Reeducation, Resistance, and the People Di Wang's latest book puts his exceptional research skills on display. The Teahouse under Socialism makes a vital contribution to PRC and urban history. Since Wang layers his narration with beautiful details and personal stories, it should be widely assigned in undergraduate and graduate classes. --Fabio Lanza, Associate Professor of History and East Asian Studies, University of Arizona, and author of The End of Concern: Maoist China, Activism, and Asian Studies


Author Information

Di Wang is Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of History, University of Macau. Among his many books are The Teahouse: Small Business, Everyday Culture, and Public Politics in Chengdu, 1900-1950 and Street Culture in Chengdu: Public Space, Urban Commoners, and Local Politics, 1870-1930.

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