Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276 by Jacques GernetMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A great peek into life in Hangzhou toward the end of the Song dynasty. I enjoy these types of books immensely. This book, however, was written in the 1950's, so I can't help wondering if someone should write an updated version of this.
One thing that bothered me was how much the author relied on Marco Polo's writings. Granted, he traveled there just a few decades into the Yuan dynasty, but it was still a different time, with different laws and new customs, and Hangzhou was no longer the capital. That's probably petty of me, though, especially considering how few sources we have to work from.
Also, at a certain point it says: "A victim was sacrificed on the Small adjacent altar to the God of the Soil." - Is this talking about human sacrifice? There is no follow-up, so I'm not sure.
Otherwise it's a great overview of many different aspects of life, from home life, to religion, to business, to festivals, all the way to the various ways charlatans and scammers would trick people out of their money.
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