Sign-In
Cart
Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital (東京夢華錄): The First Illustrated English Edition
Paperback
Series: The Ming-Qing Masterworks, Book 24
General FictionHistorical Fiction
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jan 7 2026
Pages: 176
Weight: 0.54
Height: 0.38 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Step into the lantern-lit nights, festival rhythms, and bustling markets of Song dynasty Kaifeng, the dazzling capital of 12th-century China. Written by Meng Yuanlao, Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital (東京夢華錄) is one of history's most vivid portraits of urban life - part memoir, part festival calendar, part guide to a vanished world.
This First Illustrated English Edition, translated and introduced by Valentin Saric, brings Kaifeng to life with 26 carefully crafted illustrations by Mistral AI, each designed to visually complement specific sections of the text. From the glow of lantern pavilions to the clamor of market bridges and riverside festivities, these images illuminate the sensory richness of a city at its cultural zenith.
Inside you'll find:
A month-by-month account of Kaifeng's rituals, festivals, and entertainments
Descriptions of its markets, bridges, gardens, wine shops, and temples
Vivid depictions of street food, shadow plays, equestrian shows, and water puppetry
A glossary and footnotes to illuminate rare terms and forgotten traditions
26 evocative black-and-white illustrations carefully aligned with the text
Why it matters?
More than a chronicle, Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital is a time capsule of one of the world's great medieval cities. Long valued by historians of Song China, it now appears in full for English readers as both a scholarly resource and a literary journey - an invitation to walk through a thousand-year-old city in your imagination.
Note on this translation:
Valentin Saric developed this English edition through a layered translation process - first rendering the text with modern machine learning assistance, then refining it in Croatian (his native language), and finally shaping it into polished, idiomatic English. This tri-stage method preserves the precision of the original while restoring its rhythm and readability, bridging a millennium of cultural distance with clarity and care.
Also from
Saric, Valentin
The Cases of Magistrate Shi - Volume One: The Scholar's Petition (English Edition)
Anonymous
Paperback
50 Phrases in 50 Languages: Boldly Learning Languages from Croatian to Thai
Saric, Valentin
Paperback
From Black Light to Vacuum Rebirth: Theories of Everything crafted by AI-Human Synergy
Saric, Valentin
Paperback
The Sobering Stone / 醉醒石, Zuì Xǐng Shí (First English Edition)
Donglugukuangsheng, Donglugukuangsheng
Paperback
Strange Tales / 括異志 (Kuo Yi Zhi): First English Edition
Zhang, Shizheng
Paperback
Prince Dan of Yan: The First Assassin's Tale / 燕丹子 (English Edition)
Anonymous
Paperback
Tales of the Tang Dynasty (說唐): The First Complete English Translation of a Classic Chinese Novel
Guanzhong, Luo
Paperback
The Song of the Five Phoenixes / 五鳳吟 (First Complete English Translation)
Yunyangchichidaoren, Yunyangchichidao
Paperback
Eight Pieces of Brocade (八段錦): Tales of Passion from the Master Who Awakens the World (English Edition)
Xingshijushi, Xingshijushi
Paperback
Also in
Historical Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales Vol. 1 (Loa #26): The Pioneers / The Last of the Mohicans / The Prairie
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Anniversaries, Volume 2: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl, April 1968-August 1968
Johnson, Uwe
Paperback
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover
The Moonlight Runner: A Gripping Historical Novel of Survival, Bravery, and Romance
Robards, Karen
Hardcover
The Amalfi Curse: A Bewitching Tale of Sunken Treasure, Forbidden Love, and Ancient Magic on the Amalfi Coast
Penner, Sarah
Paperback
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River (Large Print Edition)
Lawhon, Ariel
Paperback
A Pair of Aces: Reese's Book Club (Large Print Edition)
Benedict, Marie
Murray, Victoria Christopher
Paperback
Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Christie, Agatha
Paperback