This article is a study of the writings on food, cooking, and dining by the eighteenth-century poet, essayist, and gourmet Yuan Mei （1716-98） as found in his recipe book Suiyuan shidan. Starting with an overview of ...This article is a study of the writings on food, cooking, and dining by the eighteenth-century poet, essayist, and gourmet Yuan Mei （1716-98） as found in his recipe book Suiyuan shidan. Starting with an overview of the organization and content of Suiyuan shidan, the article offers an analysis of Yuan Mei＇s cultural attitudes reflected there and in his works in other genres. The value underlying Suiyuan shidan exemplifies Yuan＇s personal response to the Chinese intellectual environment at the end of the eighteenth century. Building a connection between the recipe book and Yuan Mei＇s controversial reputation in the literati community, the article explores the changing meaning of culture in eighteenth-century China and Yuan＇s way of surviving the intense competition for voice and influence among the cultural elites of the time.展开更多
Beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) is one of the important categories in classical Chinese aesthetics. Essentially, the philosophical meaning of “roundness" refers to orbicularity, ripeness and thoroughness, w...Beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) is one of the important categories in classical Chinese aesthetics. Essentially, the philosophical meaning of “roundness" refers to orbicularity, ripeness and thoroughness, with its endlessly comprehensive and diversified characteristics. In its aesthetic and poetic senses, the category of “beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) is more extensive and complicated. “Beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) possesses abundant connotations and is able to form its own system of aesthetic thoughts. The basic connotations of “beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) includes: obicularity, perfectness and naturalness; maturity, speeding-up and super-naturalness; fluxion, vividness and agility.展开更多
文摘This article is a study of the writings on food, cooking, and dining by the eighteenth-century poet, essayist, and gourmet Yuan Mei （1716-98） as found in his recipe book Suiyuan shidan. Starting with an overview of the organization and content of Suiyuan shidan, the article offers an analysis of Yuan Mei＇s cultural attitudes reflected there and in his works in other genres. The value underlying Suiyuan shidan exemplifies Yuan＇s personal response to the Chinese intellectual environment at the end of the eighteenth century. Building a connection between the recipe book and Yuan Mei＇s controversial reputation in the literati community, the article explores the changing meaning of culture in eighteenth-century China and Yuan＇s way of surviving the intense competition for voice and influence among the cultural elites of the time.
文摘Beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) is one of the important categories in classical Chinese aesthetics. Essentially, the philosophical meaning of “roundness" refers to orbicularity, ripeness and thoroughness, with its endlessly comprehensive and diversified characteristics. In its aesthetic and poetic senses, the category of “beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) is more extensive and complicated. “Beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) possesses abundant connotations and is able to form its own system of aesthetic thoughts. The basic connotations of “beauty of roundness" (yuan mei) includes: obicularity, perfectness and naturalness; maturity, speeding-up and super-naturalness; fluxion, vividness and agility.
