 |
|
|
Item Details
| Title:
|
THINGS MODERN
MATERIAL CULTURE AND EVERYDAY LIFE IN CHINA |
| By: |
Frank Dikotter |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| List price:
|
£20.00 |
| Our price: |
£17.00 |
| Discount: |
|
| You save:
|
£3.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ISBN 10: |
1850658153 |
| ISBN 13: |
9781850658153 |
| Availability: |
Reprinting. This item may be subject to delays or cancellation.
 Delivery
rates
|
| Stock: |
Currently 0 available |
| Publisher: |
C HURST & CO PUBLISHERS LTD |
| Pages: |
397 |
| Description: |
Maps many changes in the material landscape of China from the mid nineteenth century to the advent of communism in 1949. This book analyses how a very pragmatic attitude towards material goods prevailed, as most consumers bought the new and discarded the old without misgivings. |
| Synopsis: |
How do people relate to things? Much has been written about social movements in modern China, but next to nothing is known about the revolution which transformed the texture of everyday life. This is the first book to map the many changes in the material landscape of China from the mid nineteenth century to the advent of communism in 1949. In the late nineteenth century anything local was increasingly rejected as a signifier of backwardness, while imported goods were embraced as prestige symbols. Modernity had to be brought home to propel the country into the world of 'civilised' nations and join a universal march towards progress. But contrary to other parts of the world, for instance Africa and Latin America, the material goods and technological innovations associated with foreign modernity were not merely imported for elite consumption; they were copied locally and rapidly made available to much larger sections of the population. Debunking the myth of 'hostility toward alien things' which is claimed to have slowed down China's inclusion in the global economy, Dikotter in this richly illustrated book analyses how a very pragmatic attitude towards material goods prevailed, as most consumers bought the new and discarded the old without misgivings. They not only embraced new commodities, but rapidly started producing them for an export market in the twentieth century: cheap goods made in China can be found everywhere today, just as porcelain made in China pervaded the world several centuries ago. If an essential element of a rapidly changing world is the capacity to innovate, could China be more in tune with modernity than Europe? |
| Illustrations: |
Illustrations, unspecified |
| Publication: |
UK |
| Imprint: |
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd |
| Returns: |
Returnable |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Little Worried Caterpillar (PB)
Little Green knows she''s about to make a big change - transformingfrom a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. Everyone is VERYexcited! But Little Green is VERY worried. What if being a butterflyisn''t as brilliant as everyone says?Join Little Green as she finds her own path ... with just a littlehelp from her friends.
|
|
All the Things We Carry PB
What can you carry?A pebble? A teddy? A bright red balloon? A painting you''ve made?A hope or a dream?This gorgeous, reassuring picture book celebrates all the preciousthings we can carry, from toys and treasures to love and hope. With comforting rhymes and fabulous illustrations, this is a warmhug of a picture book.
|
|
|
|