This unusual and interesting book is a fascinating account of the world of Chinese writing. It examines Chinese space and the political and social use of writing as propaganda, a publicity booster and as a ladder for social climbing.
Acknowledgements Introduction: The Abode of Calligraphic Inscriptions 1. Dances with Power: Public Calligraphy and its Social Effects 2. Becoming a Person Through Wen 3. Handwriting and Personhood 4. Body-Person Engineering: Brush Techniques and Calligraphic Composition 5. Brush Work: Alternative Bodybuilding 6. Ideograms and Knowledge 7. Characters Reloaded Bibliography Glossary
'This is a very good book. Yen is both insightful in her analysis of the sources and implications of the aura of Chinese writing and careful in her discussions of how people think about characters.' - China Journal
Jan Van Bremen, Eyal Ben-Ari, Syed Farid Alatas, The Netherlands) Van Bremen, Jan (Formerly of Leiden University, Israel) Ben-Ari, Eyal (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Singapore) Farid Alatas, Syed (National University of Singapore, Jan van Bremen
Jan Van Bremen, Eyal Ben-Ari, Syed Farid Alatas, The Netherlands) Van Bremen, Jan (Formerly of Leiden University, Israel) Ben-Ari, Eyal (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Singapore) Farid Alatas, Syed (National University of Singapore, Jan van Bremen