Peking : temples and city life, 1400-1900 / Susan Naquin.

"Philip E. Lilienthal imprint."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 721-782) and index.

Peking and its temples. Introducing Peking ; Gods and clerics ; Communities and public space -- Ming Peking. A new capital ; Imperial Peking ; Urban communities ; Late Ming associations ; Seeing the sights -- Qing Peking. 1644: partition and transition ; The imperial world ; New divisions ; Reintegration ; The sights of Qing Peking ; Religious associations ; Temples and private purposes ; Temples and public purposes ; In search of Old Peking.

"This study shows how modern Beijing's glittering image as China's great and ancient capital came into being and reveals the shifting identities of a much more complex past, one whose rich social and cultural history Naquin splendidly evokes. Temples, by providing a place where diverse groups could gather without the imprimatur of family or state, made possible a surprising assortment of community-building and identity-defining activities. By revealing how religious establishments of all kinds were used for fairs, markets, charity, tourism, politics, and leisured sociability, Naquin shows their decisive impact on Peking and, at the same time, illuminates their little-appreciated role in Chinese cities generally. Lacking most of the conventional sources for urban history, she has relied particularly on a trove of commemorative inscriptions that expressed ideas about the relationship between human beings and gods, about community service and public responsibility, about remembering and being remembered. The result is a book that will be essential reading in the field of Chinese studies for years to come."--BOOK JACKET.