"This book delves into the daily lives of people in the Qing Dynasty, covering topics such as family clans, social structures, hierarchical systems, and population changes, as well as clothing, food, housing, transportation, weddings, funerals, seasonal festivals, cultural entertainment, and social assistance.
The trivial matters of daily life such as clothing and hairstyles seem unrelated to the grand principles of historical development, while the history of the Qing Dynasty, especially the early Qing Dynasty, proves its significant role in the historical process. However, traditional customs and consciousness such as respecting ancestors and ancestors, male superiority and female inferiority, and the status of master and servant tightly bound people's thoughts and were difficult to change, resulting in the slow development of Qing society. The fact shows that social life and political life are integrated and work together, reflecting both the face of history and the driving force of historical evolution.
本书从家庭宗族、社会结构、等级制度、人口变迁，到衣食住行、婚嫁丧葬、时令节日、文化娱乐、社会救济，走进清代人的日常 生活。
冠服、发型等生活小事，似乎无关历史发展的宏旨，而清代，尤其是清初的历史证明了它在历史进程中的重大作用。而尊祖敬宗、男尊女卑、主仆名分等传统习惯和意识，紧紧地束缚人们的思想而难于改变，致使清代社会只能缓慢地向前发展。事实说明，社会生活与政治生活融为一体，共同起作用，既体现历史的面貌，又是历史演变的动因。