Daily life in ancient China

Introduction

The stage

Government organizations and elite ideology

Social structure and law

Country life

Cities and urban life

Production, consumption, and ideological constraints

Practical technology

Leisure and entertainment, games, and festivals

Glimpses of emotional life

Death, burial, and the hope for a happy afterlife

Conclusion: continuation and transformation of life experience

Introduction

1. The stage. The land ; The rivers ; Shang ; Bronze culture ; Divination ; Food and drink ; Dress ; Living space ; Zhou ; Confucian ideals ; The Dao and its proponents

2. Government organizations and elite ideology. The county and local government ; The commandery ; Central government ; Ideological foundation of the state ; The legalist approach to government ; The recruitment of government officials

3. Social structure and law. The social structure of the Shang and Zhou ; Han social structure ; Law and social life ; The development of household registration ; Household registration and freedom of movement ; Control of property ; Marriage, family, and gender relations ; Agricultural laws ; Activities outside of the farming context ; The impact of law on daily life

4. Country life. Geographic characteristics of an agricultural economy ; Agricultural cycle ; Farming technology ; Soil technology ; Irrigation ; Natural disasters: droughts and floods ; Agriculture and subsistence economy ; Farmers and commercial activities ; Artificial disasters: farmers and taxes

5. Cities and urban life. The physical layout of the capitals ; Ward, street, and residence ; The city as a commercial center ; The city as an education center ; The city as a military center ; The city as a ritual center ; The city as a stage for luxury and prosperity ; Cities in the provinces

6. Production, consumption, and ideological constraints. Weaving industry ; Lacquer wares ; Iron production ; Salt ; Wine ; Commodity prices ; Income and expenditure ; Ideological constraints

7. Practical technology. Measuring systems: weight, length, volume ; Time measurement ; Calendar system ; Transportation system ; Medicine

8. Leisure and entertainment, games, and festivals. Festivals related to the agricultural cycle ; Entertainment activities ; Daily pastimes

9. Glimpses of emotional life. The emperor ; The empress ; The princess ; The concubines and court ladies ; Gender relations ; The disillusioned literati ; A soldier's letter to his mother ; Filial bonds

10. Death, burial, and the hope for a happy afterlife. The soul ; Where have all the ghosts gone? ; House of eternity ; Lavish burial and social convention ; Funerary rituals and customs ; Hope for a happy afterlife ; Immortality

Conclusion: continuation and transformation of life experience. The rise and fall of the Han state ; The end of the Han and the beginning of the era of division ; The nomadic inroads and cultural transformation ; Continuation and transformation of life experience.