Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250–1276

DAILY LIFE IN CHINA ON THE EVE OF THE MONGOL INVASION, 1250-1276

The book, Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276 was written by Professor Gernet Jacques and was first published in 1962. The book was initially written in French during a period when China was the wealthiest and the most influential empire in the world; it has since been translated into several languages and acts as a great resource in relation to Chinese history and civilization. The author explores the nature of the country at the time, how it gained its wealth and how the wealth was distributed. There was a huge gap between the rich and the poor and this unequal distribution of resources eventually weakened the economy. The author further gives the details of the Mongol invasion in 1276 and how it disrupted the peace within the nation. The main focus of the book is in the changes that occurred after the invasion of the Mongols, hence the title of the book. The author talks more of the city of Hangzhou, which was the most populous and affluent city in the world at the time. Details of the city life, both high and low have been well depicted in the book. For instance, the author talks about the high-flying bridges that were highly organized and the bath houses that provided hot water for foreigners and cold water for the locals. He also talks about the overpopulation in the city; entertainers, prostitutes and servant moved to the city to entertain the rich while the poor had to sell their children during bad times.

Gernet uses a wealth of information from other sources to give a detailed explanation of the city life, housing, social classes, personal grooming and cooking; these are covered in the first several chapters. The later chapters give accounts of the Chinese life cycle which includes birth, death rituals and marriages. The yearly cycles such as religious observances and festivals have also been addressed in the book. From the description of the book, one can clearly tell the main theme the author highlights is that of change. It can be clearly seen that change is dominant and that China as a nation has changed over time, not only because of the invasion, but also due to internal forces. The invasion of the Mongol is one of the reasons for the change in the Southern Dynasty. The Chinese empire was viewed as immobile and this aspect of the empire aided the invasion of the Mongols which introduced new aspects to the Chinese culture which eventually gave birth to the modern China. When it comes to comparing Old China to the modern China, one can see a lot of similarities between the two. For instance, the increase in rural-urban migrations, growth in mercantilism, the great rift between the poor and the rich and the prominence of promiscuous behaviour and prostitution. In my opinion, I believe the book would have been written differently if it was written in China today; the influence of the West and Asians would have been great as it is currently on modern China. The Chinese were structured differently and their societies were not the same as they are in the modern world.

Thesis

The main theme the author highlights in the book is that of change. Following this, it is justified to say that the invasion of the Mongols disrupted the ancient Chinese society and introduced aspects of the West which resulted to the modern age China. This invasion brought change in the Chinese society thus creating a modern China. The author’s underlying message is that, the invasion of the Mongols caused great changes in China and these changes have affected the way the country is run to date.

Argument and Evidence

1. Scholarly Work

The arguments and the evidence presented in the book are mainly derived from scholarly articles that were written during the time. The author provides references for all external sources used and combines both primary and secondary sources of data to present his claims. Most of the claims that have been addressed in the book can be traced back to their origin, since most of them are historical books and scrolls based on Chinese history and civilization. The writer’s style of writing is reflective. He reflects on the ancient Chinese culture and looks at it from a retrospective angle. The tone and the language used suggest that the author preferred China before the invasion, since he finds it more peaceful. Other than the changes addressed in the thesis, the glimpse of life in Southern China before the invasion introduces the informative aspect of the book. The author pays attention to how the Chinese lived, their culture, rules, institutions and traditions. The book can be used as a great resource for Chinese history analysis before the invasion of the Mongols. The Mongols disrupted the peace that thrived in China and ignored their culture and institutions. They brought changes in the dynasty that was not previously envisioned. This makes the book a great resource for comparison of what happened in China before and after the invasion of the Mongols. However, the book fails to provide the reasons China was helpless during the invasion and the reason for defeat.

2. Literature

The author is trying to portray the superiority of the Chinese culture and how peaceful the country was before the invasion. The book is written using a fun loving and relaxed tone to give an illusion of the happiness and tranquillity that prevailed in traditional China. It also elaborates on the nature of humans regardless of whether they are from royalty or not. The author further detailed how the rich, middle class, the poor and the emperor enjoyed life, and how they found happiness and joy regardless of their position in life. Gernet uses vivid description to give a sneak peak of the details of the lives of people, their dances, their dressing, and food only to mention a few. He looks into the Chinese culture and narrates its intriguing aspects. The author’s voice is appealing which shows he had great admiration for the culture in question. He, however, shuns from giving his opinions on matters such as cultural preferences. The plot is however not developed chronologically. The language in use is the third person. When it comes to images and the use of imagery, the author vividly describes the dances, tools, practices and other aspects of the culture to make them more interesting to the reader and makes one glued to the text.

Context of the Author

It is interesting to note that the author did not live during the time; this means that he did not have a firsthand experience of the events that took place and merely gathered information from reliable sources to come up with his review. Jacques Gerent was a French sinologist who devoted his time to study the Chinese history, language and literature. He was born in Algiers on the 22 ^nd of December 1921 and obtained his first degree in classics in Algiers in 1942. He participated in the world war between 1942 and 1945 and two years later graduated with a degree in Chinese he obtained from the National School of Oriental Languages. He was popular during the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote several books on Chinese history and civilization; his book, The Chinese Civilization is one of his best writings which has been translated to several languages. He was a professor teaching Chinese history and language and he headed several other organizations. Gernet wrote the book in question in 1962, he also has other books and several publications. His books can be read with other books such as; the Encyclopaedia of China: History and Culture by Dorothy Perkins, China History and Culture by Scott Morton and Charlton Lewis to mention but a few. A study of these books gives one a more insight on the Chinese culture and history. In my opinion, this book compares well to other books on Chinese history and culture and can be used in many classes. I do not feel the book would have been written any different since it is a narrative of what happened in China at the time, and this is history which cannot be changed or rather tampered with.

Evaluation

In my opinion, the author achieves the desired effect. The aim of the author is to give a description of the Chinese culture in the 12 ^th and 13 ^th centuries and how the invasion of the Mongols disrupted the society. The author intended for the audience to learn more of the Chinese culture before the change that occurred, and this is exactly what I have achieved. I have learnt different elements of the Chinese traditional culture and picked a few elements that have been maintained in China today. For instance, the segregation between the poor and the rich still existed in the early centuries and is still maintained to date. Gernet concludes that the Mongols interrupted the tranquillity and the order in Chinese culture and that a lot has changed ever since. Contrary to these, I believe some elements have remained constant despite the changes that were previously introduced. The book is perfect when it comes to giving a narration of the traditional culture of the Chinese; however, I feel the title is misleading. From the title, one looks forward to reading the events that took place before the Mongols invaded the country and what happened afterwards. The book, however, goes into the details of the history of the Chinese, their traditions and what their culture entails. Other than this, it is a great book and I believe it provides a wealth of information on the culture and the tradition of the Chinese before they were ruled by an outsider for the first time in their history.

Personal Reaction

This book made me feel like the Mongols did not have the right to be greedy and take over the Chinese the way they pleased. I am a strong activist for authenticity and independence. I felt angry after reading the book when I thought about the peace the Mongols disrupted. The Chinese society was well organized and structured and I believed they valued their peace and organization. The Mongols on the other hand were cruel and barbaric and ruled with an iron hand. They disregarded the Chinese culture and felt their culture was more superior to that of the Chinese. This is the part that aggravated me most since I do not consider it human for people who are egoistic and self-centred to rule over others. To the Mongols, China was just like any other country they had conquered and this meant that the centralized system of governance was initiated. Most centralized governments that oversee many countries tend to have a disrupted kind of management. This explains why the structured in ancient China was done away with and their old ways eliminated after the invasion. The organization of the nation was generally disrupted and this affected the nation for a very long time. To add on this, the Mongols viewed the Chinese as servants and this disrupted the organization in the society.

Recommendation

Another reader will get the history of the Chinese and appreciate their culture. However, one needs to integrate the book with other sources or rather books to be in a good position to understand the details and the effects of the invasion of the Mongols. The book is perfect in the sense that it highlights the culture of the Chinese and all its aspects. Other than this, I find the book shallow when it comes to giving the details of the Mongol invasion especially from the political point of view. I would recommend this book to a fellow student who is interested in the traditional culture of the Chinese. I would also recommend it to anyone else because it is an interesting read and perfect for people who are interested in history.