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Author Information:
Edward Hetzel Schafer (1913-1991), born in Washington, received his B.A. from the University of California in 1938, his M.A. from the University of Hawaii in 1940, and his Ph.D. in Oriental Languages from Harvard University in 1947. Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of California, Berkeley since 1958, Chair Professor in 1969, and Berkeley Highest Honor Award from 1983-1984, retiring in 1984. He is the main founder of the Western Chapter of the American Oriental Society, and has served as secretary-general, treasurer, vice president, president, and editor-in-chief of the journal of the American Oriental Society (JAOS). From 1940 to 1985, he published more than 10 monographs, more than 110 papers, and more than 40 translations and book reviews. He is familiar with ancient Chinese culture, especially in Tang Dynasty poetry and Taoism, and studies the role of Taoism in Tang Dynasty culture.
Translator: Wu Yugui, born in 1956, from Qitai County, Xinjiang. In 1981, he graduated from the Department of History of Lanzhou University with a bachelor's degree. In 1985, he graduated from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with a master's degree. He has worked in the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and has served as assistant researcher, associate researcher, researcher, doctoral supervisor, deputy director of the Research Office of the History of Sino-Foreign Relations, deputy director of the Social History Research Office, and director of the Research Office of the History of Historical Literature and Historiography. His research interests include Sui and Tang Dynasty history, Turkic history, history of Sino-foreign relations (Sui and Tang dynasties), and historical philology.
Publisher: Social Sciences Academic Press
Published: April 1, 2016
Brief introduction of the work
This book is a masterpiece of Western Sinology and is regarded as a must-read for Western scholars studying ancient Chinese society and culture. This book selects the Tang Dynasty, the proudest dynasty of the Chinese nation, as the research object, and studies in detail the world cultural exchanges and the introduction of civilization at that time. The content covers all aspects of life in the Tang Dynasty, including livestock, wild beasts, birds, plants, wood, food, spices, medicines, textiles, pigments, ores, metal products, secular utensils, religious utensils, books, etc., a total of 18 categories and more than 170 kinds, all the necessities of life, daily use, almost everything. This book not only shows a vivid picture of the social, cultural and material life of the Tang Dynasty, but also provides a valuable reference for understanding the social life and cultural history of the Tang Dynasty, and is also a must-read book for understanding the history of Chinese civilization and civilization exchanges.
Reason for recommendation:
The Golden Peach of Samarkand: A Study of Imported Products from the Tang Dynasty is a masterpiece of Sinology by the American sinologist Xue Aihua, and is regarded as a must-read for Western scholars to understand and study Chinese culture and civilization. The author's bibliography includes 187 original Chinese materials, 40 Chinese research treatises, and hundreds of foreign language materials. The main body of the book is clearly styled, clearly classified, and rich in content. Xue Aihua writes history with great excellence, and one-third of the book is a commentary on historical facts, and almost every sentence has a source. This work has detailed historical materials and vivid details, and has an encyclopedic effect, such as the "copper fish" issued by the Tang Dynasty to foreign envoys who came to see the court, and the preservation method of long-distance transportation of peonies.
In the book, Mr. Xue Aihua takes Samarkand, an ancient city known as the "crossroads of world civilizations", as the background, and uses the symbolic "golden peach" as a clue to explore the Tang Dynasty people's desire and pursuit of the unknown outside. These imported products, which originated from a country full of mysteries at that time, were endowed with rich imagination in the process of dissemination, and were displayed through various literary forms, profoundly influencing the society and culture of the Tang Dynasty. In the introduction, Xue Aihua clearly pointed out that the reason why "Golden Peach" was chosen as the title of the book is because it can inspire people's endless reverie, just like the golden apple in Western legends. In addition, the "peach" itself is also a very important image in Chinese culture. In the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", there is "Jiaguo, in fact, it is like a peach, its leaves are like jujubes, yellow and red, and it is not hard to eat"; In the Book of Songs, there are descriptions of peach orchards and peach blossoms such as "there are peaches in the garden, in fact, they are dishes", "peaches are dying, scorching their flowers"; Tao Yuanming's "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring", Bai Juyi's "Song of Planting Peach", Li Bai's "Questions and Answers in the Mountains", Zhang Zhihe's "Fisherman's Song" and other poems all present rich and colorful peach blossom imagery. Although the true appearance of the "Golden Peach" is impossible to verify, the wonderful legends it carries have become a symbol of the Tang Dynasty people's desire and longing for foreign objects and the unknown world.
Although this work is a history book, it is full of epic charm and style. Mr. Xue Aihua's writing is smooth and beautiful, which makes the reader feel happy in the process of reading. In an epic way, he tells the story of those imported products full of legends. These novelty imports, whether they are real or not, have had a profound impact on the thinking and imagination of the people at that time.
The book is more than 400 pages thick, but it is a fascinating and not boring read. Precise and rigorous exposition, frustrated prose, and expressive language all contribute to the work an epic, operatic quality. Mr. Xue Aihua's historical research style is unique and interesting, and he perfectly combines the authenticity of history with the artistry of poetry to create a work with an epic style. Through vivid description, this book vividly reproduces the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, and people can't help but yearn for the prosperous Tang Dynasty full of auspicious clouds and poetry.
END
Producer: Zhang Yongjiang
Author: Li Yuan, 2022 master's degree student in law (law) at Xiangtan University
Editor: Li Yuan
Editor-in-charge: Chen Jia
Review: Wang Yi
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