The Golden Peaches of Samarkand - Softcover

Edward H. Schafer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520011449 ISBN 13: 9780520011441

Publisher: University of California Press, 1985

Synopsis

In the seventh century the kingdom of Samarkand sent formal gifts of fancy yellow peaches, large as goose eggs and with a color like gold, to the Chinese court at Ch'ang-an. What kind of fruit these golden peaches really were cannot now be guessed, but they have the glamour of mystery, and they symbolize all the exotic things longed for, and unknown things hoped for, by the people of the T'ang empire.This book examines the exotics imported into China during the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907), and depicts their influence on Chinese life.Into the land during the three centuries of T'ang came the natives of almost every nation of Asia, all bringing exotic wares either as gifts or as goods to be sold. Ivory, rare woods, drugs, diamonds, magicians, dancing girls—the author covers all classes of unusual imports, their places of origin, their lore, their effort on costume, dwellings, diet, and on painting, sculpture, music, and poetry.This book is not a statistical record of commercial imports and medieval trade, but rather a "humanistic essay, however material its subject matter."

About this title

About the Author

Edward H. Schafer, until his untimely death in 1991, was Agassiz Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of California, Berkeley. His scholarship was devoted to the T'ang dynasty, from the 8th to the 10th centuries, which saw the greatest cultural flowering in Chinese history. Relying on the literature of that period written by the Chinese themselves. Professor Schafer tried to reconstruct how they thought, dreamed, and regarded the world around them. His books, including The Vermilion Bird, Shore of Pearls, The Divine Woman, and Pacing the Void, brought the era to life for scholars, students, and general readers alike. With the reprinting of the titles below, Floating World Editions inaugurates the reissue of all the out-of-print works of this great smologist. When possible, the reprinted works will incorporate the corrigenda compiled by Professor Schafer, and the series will include a complete bibliography of his published work.

Review

"Probably the most informative, most scholarly, and most delightfully written book on China that has appeared in our time."--"Journal of Asian Studies

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520011449
• ISBN 13: 9780520011441
• Binding: Paperback