(Ebook) Daily Life for the Common People of China, 1850 to 1950: Understanding Chaoben Culture by Ronald Suleski ISBN 9789004361027, 9004361022

(Ebook) Daily Life for the Common People of China, 1850 to 1950: Understanding Chaoben Culture by Ronald Suleski ISBN 9789004361027, 9004361022

In this exciting book, Ronald Suleski introduces daily life for the common people of China in the century from 1850 to 1950. They were semi-literate, yet they have left us written accounts of their hopes, fears, and values. They have left us the hand-written manuscripts (chaoben抄本) now flooding the antiques markets in China. These documents represent a new and heretofore overlooked category of historical sources.Suleski gives a detailed explanation of the interaction ofchaobenwith the lives of the people. He offers examples of why they were so important to the poor laboring masses: people wanted horoscopes predicting their future, information about the ghosts causing them headaches, a few written words to help them trade in the rural markets, and many more examples are given. The book contains a special appendix giving the first complete translation into English of a chaoben describing the ghosts and goblins that bedeviled the poor working classes.