BOUCHOT, Jean. Scènes de la vie des Hutungs. Croquis des mœurs pékinoises. Préface d’Albert Nachbaur. Pekin, Albert Nachbaur, 1922. 12mo, traditional chinese double leaves, collation: 2, a–f, i–vi, 219 pp.; very good copy, slight wear to wrappers
Second edition of this evocative early work on popular life in Beijing by the archivist and paleographer Jean Bouchot (1886-1932), drawn from the author’s direct experience during his residence in China in the early 1920s. Bouchot offers a lively, observant, and often humorous portrayal of the city’s alleyways (hutongs) and their inhabitants, combining ethnographic insight with an elegant literary style. Illustrated with numerous croquis depicting scenes of everyday life in the hutongs of Peking. Text in French.
