Memories of Peking

Memories of Peking is a serial of five books which unveil the mysterious yashmak of the ancient city of Beijing (Peking) in two aspects: the court life (in the Ch'ing dynasty) and the folklife during the Ch'ing(Qing) dynasty and the period of the Republic of China. What is noteworthy is that the authors of those books are all from the West; they had lived in Beijing for a time, long or short, and some had even served as government officials. Their personal experiences give the serial great historic significance and documentary values.

The serial includes five books: Sidelights on Peking Life, Twilight in the Forbidden City, Memoirs of Father Ripa, Peking: A Historical and Intimate Description of Its Chief Places of Interest, and Round about My Peking Garden.

Of the five books, Sidelights on Peking Life has already included in the application and is free for you to experience; the other four books are also available now.


Sidelights on Peking Life
by Robert W. Swallow

The book is based on a wealth of material regarding Beijing collected by the author, Mr. Swallow, in the 1920s, in terms of all social classes, street scenery, as well as folk customs. Apart from the fine and poetic wording, the book is also sumptuously furnished with original photographs numbering over 100. As Hardy Jowett commented in the introduction, "Mr. Swallow has made a very valuable contribution to our understanding of the Chinese. He has caught with photographic accuracy those aspects of Chinese life which are bound to pass or be modified by the impact of new ideas. It is quite possible that in future years his volume may be useful as a text-book on forgotten aspects of life, much in the same way as Dubois' is becoming for India."

Twilight in the Forbidden City
by Reginald F. Johnston

Twilight in the Forbidden City is an account of the period of "dusk" of the Ch'ing(Qing) dynasty which lasted for over two hundred years by the Imperial Tutor Reginald F. Johnston. With sincere feelings for China and Chinese people, the author portrays in detail the political infighting at the court, how he mediated it and also the profound friendship he and the Emperor Pu Yi fostered from his unique point of view.

Memoirs of Father Ripa
by Matteo Ripa

This is a memoir authored by the Italian priest Ma Guoxian (Matteo Ripa) about his 13-year experience at the Qing royal court. It is known as the 'foundation work',for it offers the first hand information about dissemination of western religions such as Catholicism and the Sino-western rites controversy at that historical period. The appendix of this book, "Kangxi and Roman envoys relations documents", is of high referential value.

Peking: A Historical and Intimate Description of Its Chief Places of Interest
by Juliet Bredon

This book presents an authentic Old Beijing in westerners' eyes. With her unique perspective of a western woman, the author Pei Lizhu's (Juliet Bredon) will lead you to visit the historical sites of Old Beijing(Peking) and touch the history marks in the depth of streets and alleys. The book scans Old Beijing panoramically, combining both the macro and the micro pictures; it is suitable for both historical researchers and average readers.

Round about my Peking Garden
by Mrs. Archibald Little

It's a memoir about the author's experience in Beijing (Peking), describing meticulously the historical sites, natural sceneries and local custom in Beijing and its surrounding areas. From her distinctive female viewpoint, Mrs. Archibald Little in this rare documentary travel notes restates the historical events taking place in the beginning of the 20th century, in this mysterious city of Beijing.

With online dictionary (support English, Chinese, Japanese) inside.

Please stay tuned for more quality products from 2U4U!

更新履歴
1. Universal version, now support iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad all,
2. Minor bug fix.