This revealing book paints a vivid picture of life in the Tang Dynasty’s capital city Chang’an, plus the key cities of Luoyang and Yangzhou. To understand Chinese history and society the eye must be focused on the cities not just the rural areas, and this new book draws a panoramic picture of the urban politics, economy, culture, religion and customs to help the reader better understand ancient and modern China.

It provides an insight into the four fundamental characteristics of Chinese life in this historical period: openness; knowledge and skills; internationalization; and bold and unrestrained lifestyles led by certain sections of society within these key urban centres.

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