• Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China
  • Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China
  • Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China
  • Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China
  • Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China
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Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China

Chinese Stuff (English Edition): 117 Everyday Objects That Explain Life in China

From Tiger Balm and Split Pants to Mahjong, the Xinhua Dictionary and the Thermos — A Visual Inventory of the Things Chinese People Actually Use, Organized by Daily Life
This is not a history of China, and it is not a travel guide. It is a collection of 117 ordinary objects—the things Chinese people actually touch, use, and live with every day. You find Tiger Balm in a medicine cabinet, split pants on a toddler, a thermos on a desk, a Xinhua Dictionary in a schoolbag, mahjong tiles on a table, and a red lantern hanging outside a door. The book groups them into seven sections: study and etiquette, food and drink, home and street, play and leisure, clothing, medicine and cosmetics, and decoration. Each object comes with a photograph and a short explanation, so the book reads like a visual diary of daily life in China—not a list of museum pieces, but the stuff of the present. If you want to understand China through the objects people actually live with—rather than through grand historical narratives or tourist landmarks—this is it.
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Detail

Discover the China You Won't Find in Guidebooks

Why does a simple cabbage represent prosperity? How does a folding stool reflect Chinese adaptability? In Chinese Stuff, professor Wu Xuefu and his team turn their lens on the mundane objects of daily Chinese life—the things so common they often go unnoticed.

Through 117 short, insightful entries and vivid full-color photography, this book decodes the cultural DNA embedded in everyday items. From the Huarongdao puzzle to the Candied Haws on a Stick, each object is presented as a fragment of a larger social fabric. The book doesn't just describe what these things are; it explains why they matter, revealing the improvisation, pragmatism, and aesthetic preferences that shape modern Chinese life.

What You'll Find Inside:

  • Visual Encyclopedia: A meticulously curated collection of 117 objects, from traditional tools to modern conveniences, each captured in clear, high-quality photographs.

  • Cultural Insight: Concise, engaging texts that unpack the symbolic meaning, historical legacy, and social habits behind each item.

  • Authentic Perspective: Written for an international audience by Chinese scholars, offering a genuine look at the "live and animated" China rather than just grand narratives.

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