Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools: The History of Travel

Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools: The History of Travel Literature in Imperial China

First-hand accounts of travel provide windows into places unknown to the reader, or new ways of seeing familiar places. In Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools, the first book-length treatment in English of Chinese travel literature (youji), James M. Hargett identifies and examines core works in the genre, from the Six Dynasties period (220â€“581), when its essential characteristics emerged, to its florescence in the late Ming dynasty (1368â€“1644). He traces the dynamic process through which the genre, most of which was written by scholars and officials, developed, and shows that key features include a journey toward an identifiable place; essay or diary format; description of places, phenomena, and conditions, accompanied by authorial observations, comments, and even personal feelings; inclusion of sensory details; and narration of movement through space and time.

Travel literature's inclusion of a variety of writing styles and purposes has made it hard to delineate. Hargett finds, however, that classic pieces of Chinese travel literature reveal much about the author, his values, and his view of the world, which in turn tells us about the author's society, making travel literature a rich source of historical information.
Country USA
Brand University of Washington Press
Manufacturer University of Washington Press
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780295744476
ReleaseDate 2018-12-28
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9780295744476

Country	USA
Brand	University of Washington Press
Manufacturer	University of Washington Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780295744476
ReleaseDate	2018-12-28
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9780295744476

Jade Mountains and Cinnabar Pools: The History of Travel Literature in Imperial China

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