Understanding Canton
Rethinking Popular Culture in the Republican Period
ISBN13: 9780199282715ISBN10: 0199282714
Hardback,
520 pages
Jan 2006,
In Stock
Price:
$155.00 (06)See more from the series
Description
This book broadens our understanding of the culture and society of Canton, the largest metroplois in South China, in the period between the two World Wars. It redresses serious misconceptions of the extent of damage inflicted by gambling, prostitution and opium consumption on the Cantonese society and its people. There is abundant evidence that common Cantonese were more receptive to a pro-Western mentality, despite their reputation for being jingoistic and anti-foreign. Tracing the rise of Cantonese opera as a major form of mass entertainment, and the emergence among the citizens a strong sense of pride in being a part of the modern city, help us learn more about the transformation of social and cultural life in this city in the modern era.Features
- Revises conventional wisdom on some aspects of popular culture in the city of Canton in the first three decades of the Republican Era
- Broadens our knowledge of six specific aspects of urban life in South China in this period
- Highlights the contrast between official rhetoric and reality
Reviews
"This is a very rich picture of the making of modern Canton, in all its complexity."--American Historical Review
About the Author(s)
Dr. Vergil Ho was a Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology, University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, before joining the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology where he now teaches modern Chinese history.
