Why are there so many Gims (Kims), Yis (Lees) and Baks (Parks) in Korea? What was life like in Korea hundreds of years ago? What kinds of communities did the Korean people form? How did they celebrate their birthdays and holidays? What kinds of games did they play in their spare time? These are some of the questions Lee E-Wha answers in Korea's Pastimes and Customs: A Social History.
In this book, Lee makes Korean history more accessible and relevant to today's readers by bringing a contemporary and down-to-earth perspective to his historical interpretation. His discussion of Korean pastimes is laced with enlightening journeys into their origins and interesting episodes associated with them. His examination of the significance of clan affiliation and genealogy in traditional Korean society helps shed light on the general attitude modern-day Koreans have toward family. Through Lee's rendering of farmers' co-ops, mutual-aid societies, various ceremonies and rituals, superstitions and fortune telling, the reader can virtually reconstruct Korean communities of the distant past.