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First Published in 2005. This is the most complete and detailed account of the traditional domestic and daily life of the Chinese in the mid-nineteenth century. Writing in the 1860's, Doolittle concentrates on social and religious customs, revealing the people through their practices and material culture which he observed for over fourteen years. Colourful, exotic and compelling, this is a more telling portrait than any history or encyclopedia, an innovative tour de force of popular culture, and a classic ahead of its time. Doolittle lived midway between Shanghai and Canton, the origin of the overseas Chinese diaspora. The world he describes here may have vanished in mainland China, but endures in Chinatowns and Chinese homes around the world.