This memoir offers a rare insight into everyday life during the first year of the reform movement that created the China of the twenty-first century. The book interweaves personal encounters with records of the democracy movement in Shanghai, revealing a vast outpouring of grievances by ordinary people at a time of dramatic social change.
The Intimate and the Local in Chinese Regional Culture
Focusing on the folk epics of the Han Chinese, this study explores how these narratives shaped regional identities in pre-contemporary China. It highlights the significance of local culture, particularly among rice-growing communities, in understanding their relationship with the environment and social dynamics. As the first comprehensive examination of its kind in the West, it offers valuable insights into the cultural fabric of the majority population and the role of storytelling in fostering a sense of place and identity.