Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture (Encyclopedias of Contemporary Culture) [Library Binding]

Edward L. Davis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Encyclopedias of Contemporary Culture | Publication Date: August 1, 2004

This is the first reference book to digest this vast cultural output and make it accessible to the English-speaking world. It contains nearly 1,200 entries written by an international team of specialists, to enable readers to explore a range of diverse and fascinating cultural subjects from prisons to rock groups, underground Christian churches to TV talk shows and radio hotlines. Experimental artists with names such as 'Big-Tailed Elephants' and 'The North-Pole Group' nestle between the covers alongside entries on lotteries, gay cinema, political jokes, sex shops, theme parks, 'New Authoritarians' and 'Little Emperors'.

While the focus of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture is on mainland China since 1980, it also includes longer, specially commissioned entries on various aspects of contemporary culture in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Including full and up-to-date references for further reading, this is an indispensable reference tool for all teachers and students of contemporary Chinese culture. It will also be warmly embraced as an invaluable source of cultural context by tourists, journalists, business people and others who visit China.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The astounding pace of change in China presents a daunting obstacle to any attempt to present an overview of its contemporary culture. The easier of his two preliminary tasks, notes editor Davis, was to justify 1979 as a starting point for "contemporary" China. This date coincides roughly with the beginning of the post-Mao, post-Cultural Revolution, or "reform era," which continues to the present. The more difficult task, for purposes of this encyclopedia, was to define Chinese. Davis's decision was to focus on the People's Republic of China while still including "long entries on aspects of the culture of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore" and shorter ones on native Chinese cultural producers who now live abroad.

Entries range from a long paragraph (Literary awards, Recreational associations, the actress Pan Hong) to several pages (Cars and taxis, Cinema in Taiwan, Tiananmen Square). More than 200 contributors have provided nearly 1,200 articles on architecture, education, ethnic identity, food and drink, language, performing arts, political culture, religion, sports, and more. The literally hundreds of entries for individuals begin with year and place of birth and, if appropriate, year of death. Many entries are followed by see also references and a list of English--language sources for further reading. Some Web sites and non-English-language sources are also cited. Main entry terms within other entries are boldfaced, as are page numbers of main entries in the thorough index.

Writers were encouraged, beyond simply stating the basic facts, "to analyze, to make judgments, and even to editorialize." Thus, for instance, contributor Lionel M. Jensen writes eloquently on the joyful and tragic history of Tiananmen Square and its evolution into the planned site of beach volleyball in the 2008 Olympics. Highly recommended for the reference sections of academic and larger public libraries, and a pleasure for the curious to dip into at random. Craig Bunch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

'It will serve as a welcome introduction to all facets of Chinese studies. Highly recommended.' - Library Journal

'Highly recommended for the reference sections of academic and larger public libraries, and a pleasure for the curious to dip into at random.' - Booklist

'An excellent reference work for anyone with an interest in contemporary Chinese culture.' - The China Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 824 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415241294
• ISBN-13: 978-0415241298
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,460,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars C for China, December 19, 2009

By 

Mauri G. Gronroos "Mauri G Gronroos, Ph.D., a... (Tampere, Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture (Encyclopedias of Contemporary Culture) (Paperback)

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture (edited by Edward L. Davis) is a book containing
plenty of historical information, but more importantly, it gives the reader a view to modern China. Besides having a plethora of information on culture, the book also has insight on a few major cities, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Each topic in this encyclopedia is covered briefly, giving the reader a general view of the subject. Some topics were explained more in depth, while the encyclopedia covered others more briefly. However, if a reader feels that some topic was covered too briefly and wishes to know more, the book suggests sources for more reading material. This link to outside sources supports the reader in gaining more insight on the subject at hand.

Illustrations could have been informative in some cases, for example, when describing a certain art style. Therefore, the lack of illustrations makes the encyclopedia a bit less appealing; which might cause some people hesitation to start reading it. The layout of the text was rather informal for an encyclopedia which may oppose to the readers liking and expectations.

Overall the book is a well written, informative package with a refreshing variety of topics. I would recommend this to people who are interested in China and wish to gain a better understanding of their culture and way of life. Without a doubt there is something interesting for everyone, and the variety is truly impressive.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buyer beware, February 3, 2009

By 

A. J. Sutter (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture (Encyclopedias of Contemporary Culture) (Paperback)

The revised edition shown on this page (released in 2008, copyright date 2009) appears to have been substantially revised, perhaps for the better, from the 1st edition, which is the only version available for on view on Amazon as of the date of this review. However, I've examined a copy of the 2009 edition, and some of its "features" include:

@ use throughout of a pseudo-pinyin transliteration without tone markings
@ no Chinese characters anywhere (whether in the encyclopedia entries, in a separate index, etc.), including no Chinese characters for any names
@ no illustrations.

The first "feature" means you're not given adequate guidance as to correct pronunciation -- expect puzzled looks if you try to discuss what you've read with Chinese friends. The second means you're not given any guidance as to how to find references in Chinese-language material, or how to distinguish the name from homonyms -- of which there are lots in Chinese, even assuming you already know the correct pronunciation. Together, these reduce the book's usefulness to anyone with a scholarly or practical interest in China, unless you already know precisely whom and what the article you're reading is about. The lack of illustrations diminishes the book's interest to the casual reader.