1 • Introduction
abstract
This book can be described as a study in social history concerned with the case of Tongbai Palace. Yet, the aim is not simply to retrace the history of the temple, but to read its history – and especially the period between the 17th century and the first half of the 19th – as a cultural product of the social actors who interacted with this institution. To achieve this aim, the Author focused on two aspects that he considers fundamental: the cultural and the social spheres.