The Writing Of Weddings In Middle-period China: Text And Ritual Practice In The Eighth Through Fourteenth Centuries

摘要

In many ways this is a remarkable book. It is replete with detailed and interesting data that relate to the celebration of weddings in the 'middle-period' of China's history-the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties. The time span covered is thus one of about five hundred years, years of dramatic changes and at times political upheaval. However, the theme of the book does not directly reflect eventful disorder. Rather, what is conveyed are glimpses of a general ideological progression, in a sense reflecting counterpoint attempts at creating a kind of timeless stability by idealising the past.