茶館

Overview & Synopsis

Every city has its unique public spaces, like a “microcosm,” allowing us to touch and re-examine the history and memories of a city. Professor Wang Di, a renowned microhistorian at the University of Macau, provides an excellent example of this through two decades of in-depth research. Teahouses are an integral part of Chengdu’s traditional culture and daily life, where locals gather to play mahjong, meet friends, watch performances, read, have their fortunes told, get their ears cleaned, and freely debate various political and social issues. In the latter half of the 20th century, this microcosm underwent unprecedented changes. This book meticulously examines this process, exploring the extensive connections between Chinese urban society and the evolution of socialist politics: How does state power transform public life? What kind of interplay exists between national and local cultures? How do people reclaim urban space?