What defines the traditions and memories of a culture? Our second monthly selection looks at different sides of Chinese history and daily life.
These five books look at the smaller, quieter details of Chinese life. They reveal meaning in the patterns of ethnic dress and the old streets of Tianjin. They explore long-held New Year customs and the simple daily routines of cats. Even the threshold of a house has its own story.
China Adorned: Ritual and Custom of Ancient Cultures 《民族佩饰之美》
Anthropologist Deng Qiyao spent over thirty years conducting fieldwork among China’s ethnic minority communities. In China Adorned, he works with British photographer Cat Vinton to record the clothing and jewellery of over thirty groups. The book offers a rich visual guide to cultures often missed by mainstream media.
The book is structured around four key life stages: birth, coming of age, marriage and death. It shows how textiles, jewellery and ceremonial dress mark each of these milestones. Rather than treating these items as decoration, Deng presents them as markers of identity, belief and social belonging. By pairing archival documentation with contemporary photography, the volume becomes both a cultural study and a visual record of how traditional craftsmanship continues to survive in a rapidly changing world. The Chinese edition of the work was published this year by Yilin Press.
Clear Streams: Life in the Five Great Avenues (1942–1966)《清流：五大道生活（1942—1966）》
Writer and cultural scholar Feng Jicai describes Clear Streams as a memoir of his childhood and youth in Tianjin’s Wudadao district (known as the Five Great Avenues). The title reflects both the emotional clarity of childhood under family protection and the distinctive urban layout of the Five Great Avenues themselves.
The book traces the area’s transformation from a British concession established in the nineteenth century into a lived-in neighbourhood shaped by ordinary residents. Feng captures the gradual change in everyday life as grand villas were subdivided into shared courtyards and the district shifted from colonial enclave to local community. Part personal memory, part urban history, the memoir offers an intimate portrait of how a city space evolves alongside those who grow up within it.
New Year Customs Chronicle《新年风俗志》
First published in 1932, New Year Customs Chronicle remains a landmark work in the study of Chinese folklore. Folklorist Lou Zikuang compiled the book after years of field research, documenting regional Chinese New Year traditions across China with remarkable detail.
Originally covering eleven provinces, the work expanded in later editions in 1935 and 1967. The final version records 464 distinct customs from regions ranging from Yunnan and Guizhou to Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia. Nearly a century on, the book continues to serve as a key reference for understanding Chinese festive traditions and has been translated into multiple languages for international readers interested in folk culture and seasonal ritual.
Bubble: The Story of a Good Cat《好猫八不》
In Bubble: The Story of a Good Cat, Wang Shuo, the ‘bad boy’ of Chinese literature, sets aside his trademark sharp satire in favour of a gentler, more reflective narrative. The story unfolds on the outskirts of Beijing, following a group of cats — including an American Shorthair named Bubble — and their elderly owner Wang Bing as they share an unremarkable yet quietly meaningful life together.
Told through parallel storylines, the novel explores both the social world of the cats and Wang Bing’s memories of youth, military service and later solitude. Illustrated with black-and-white line drawings, the book reflects on ageing, companionship and acceptance, offering a softer and more contemplative side of Wang Shuo’s writing.
Rituals and Worship of Door Gods《门祭与门神崇拜》
From taboos about sleeping with your head on the threshold to beliefs that medicine loses its power if passed over the door sill, doors have long held a special place in Chinese folk customs. Seasonal rituals, such as pasting pictures of chickens on New Year’s Day, burning paper door gods, or lighting cross-shaped fires at the doorway, show how doors were central to daily life, health, and fortune.
Wedding and funeral practices further highlight the significance of doors. Brides follow specific routes when entering their new home, and funerals involve hanging hemp cloth and white paper banners above doorways. In Rituals and Worship of Door Gods, historian Wang Zijin explores these customs, the evolution of traditional ideas about doorways, and the origins of door god worship. The book combines scholarly insight with accessible writing for both general readers and researchers.
Written by Estelle Tang, illustrated by Yuma Zhao.
If you liked this article, why not read: January Picks: Books on Chinese Life, History and Imagination
