The Urban Life of the Ming Dynasty examines life in the big cities of the Ming Dynasty: Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Kaifeng. The coverage includes information on the clothing of urban officials and residents, their diet, utensils, ceremonies, festivals, the words and deeds of the residents, commercial activities, plus the contrasts between life within the royal houses and life within an ordinary house in the city.

This period of Chinese urban history is unique because although it developed from traditions of the Han and Tang dynasties, it also heralded a strong break with tradition. As the world started to modernise so did China, and this fascinating new book shows you how and where this first happened.

Now available in English outside of China for the very first time, the Insight on Ancient China Series is published by Paths International in association with China’s prestigious Hunan People’s Publishing House.

Translated by: Yihua Zhu, Ting Wang, Fei Yang