The Middle Empire. A Golden Guide to Chinese Culture

The proud and self-sufficient China has always attracted the attention of nearby and distant neighbors. In the era of the Roman Empire, the Chinese were already using irons, while the relationships of "master - slave" persisted in Chinese society until... the mid-20th century. China manages to combine opposites: the fleeting, elusive beauty of the moment, captured in painting and poetry, and millennia of glorious, at times brutal history; refined art for the sake of art and innovative technologies in all spheres of human life; spiritual and material. Thanks to its contradictions, China never ceases to amaze, but at the same time never changes its essence. With this unique cultural guide, you will learn everything that is important to know about Chinese civilization in the first place. You will begin to understand historical eras and dynasties, traditional Chinese art and key traditions, without which it is impossible to understand the Celestial Empire and its people. The book is divided into thematic chapters dedicated to different spheres of life and culture: a brief history of China, art, music, theater, way of life, worldview, national cuisine, and more. Magnificently selected illustrations and authorial photographs will show the true Middle Empire, as the Chinese still proudly call their country. The story of China is presented in a popular and engaging way by Tatyana Romanova - a certified sinologist, a graduate of the Oriental Studies Faculty of HSE, Shenyang and Nankai universities, a teacher, a popularizer of Chinese culture, and the author of several blogs about China.