China: In a Series of Views, Displaying the Scenery, Architecture, and Social Habits, of that Ancient Empire Year: 1843 Call Number: RBK1800-040 This book introduces China’s political institutions, legal systems, social structures, religious practices, and customs, containing 167 engravings executed in Western pictorial style. Depictions range from sacred mountains to urban architecture, festival rituals to elite banquets, presenting European audiences with visions of the Chinese Empire’s prosperity and cultural refinement. These images offer a unique perspective that reflects the complexity of late imperial Chinese society. Illustrator Thomas Allom (1804-1872), though never having visited China, synthesized existing European depictions with artistic imagination, combining diverse stylistic sources into cohesive compositions. Upon publication, it became Britain’s and Europe’s most renowned illustrated textbook on Chinese history. 111 21
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