"This book, presented here with a new preface, examines the history of material culture in early modern China. Craig Clunas analyzes "superfluous things"--The paintings, calligraphy, bronzes, ceramics, carved jade, and other objects owned by the elites of Ming China - and describes contemporary attitudes toward them. He informs his discussions with references to both socio-cultural theory and current debates on eighteenth-century England concerning luxury, conspicuous consumption, and the growth of the consumer society."--Jacket.