Winner of the Urban History Association's 2005 Best Book in Non-North American Urban History Award.

In traditional Chinese cities, a lively street culture was an important part of popular culture, and street life was central to the daily lives of city dwellers, especially the lower classes. This book examines street culture in Chengdu, an under-studied inland city, during the transformative decades between 1870 and 1930, in order to explore various topics: the relationship between urban commoners and public space; the role that community and neighborhood played in public life; how...

This book casts doubt on many prevailing assumptions about the complex relationship between Japan and China. Based on ten years of research in the United States, China, and Japan, the author argues that the relationship is now more dispute-prone but manageable politically, and that the twto countries are more integrated economically than in prior years. Military uncertainty persists, however, and depsite increased contact between the two nations' governments, the relationship between China and Japan remains cool.