Chinese Funerary Biographies

"[A]n innovative and important publication."—China Review International

"[A]n indispensable sourcebook for scholars, students, and general readers of Chinese history and culture."—Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews

"What an extraordinary collection of biographies! I can think of no better introduction to the Chinese way of commemorating the individual."—Peter Bol, Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilization, Harvard University

"An excellent compendium of funerary essays depicting the private lives of ordinary and extraordinary people throughout Chinese history, with insightful introductory matter."—Ann B. Waltner, professor of history, University of Minnesota

"The first collection of its kind in English, this anthology is a window onto lives in imperial China and the rich tradition of commemorating them in funerary biographies. These are private rather than official biographies, spread across eighteen centuries, and are all the more revealing for mostly having been written by close friends or relatives of the deceased. Of special interest are the wide range of social class and type of persons commemorated in this selection and the prominence given to women (both as biography subject and epitaph author). This volume brings forgotten lives vividly back to life, just as the epitaph writers intended to do centuries ago, but presented now in an admirably accessible way to a readership those writers never imagined."—Ronald Egan, Chair, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Stanford University

"Chinese Funerary Biographies: An Anthology of Remembered Lives is an essential addition to any scholar's library. The translations and introductions are lucid and approachable. They provide invaluable insight into family life between the Han and the end of the Qing. As such, the volume will open up new avenues of research and animate undergraduate teaching. A monumental achievement."—Miranda Brown, author of The Politics of Mourning in Early China