Narrating liminality and transformation -- The lure of Chang'an -- Navigating the city interior -- Staging talent in urban arenas -- Negotiating the pleasure quarters
Summary
During the Tang dynasty, the imperial capital of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was unrivaled in its monumental scale. City of Marvel and Transformation brings this cityscape to life together with the mindscape of its sojourner-writers. By analyzing narratives of experience with a distinctive metropolitan consciousness, it retrieves lost connections between senses of the self and a sense of place