A Literary Feast: Food in Early Chinese Literature

Knechtges, David R.

doi:10.2307/602363

Cited by 32 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Bear parts have been used throughout Asia for thousands of years [10, 11]. Bear paws were recorded as being found on imperial banquet tables as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) [12], and they have maintained their role as a high-status dish in Chinese society [13, 14]. Bear gallbladder and bear bile are components of traditional medicine (TM), and are used to treat a variety of ailments [15], including fever, toothache, and stomach ailments [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the prevalence of bear part consumption in Cambodia: A comparison of specialised questioning techniques

et al. 2019

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The trade in bear parts for medicine and for status is a conservation challenge throughout Asia. The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) are endemic to this region, and populations are estimated to have declined throughout their ranges due to widespread illegal killing of bears and trade in parts, combined with loss of habitat. Previous studies have indicated that legislation alone is insufficient to prevent illegal hunting and trade, indicating instead a need to address demand for bear parts and products. We conducted mixed-method surveys in Cambodia to understand the key motivators for individuals to consume bear parts, and to understand whether specialised questioning techniques are applicable in this context. Bear part use is illegal in Cambodia and may therefore be considered a sensitive behaviour, in that individuals may be reluctant to admit to it. To counteract possible biases, four specialised questioning techniques were used in this study: randomised response technique (RRT), unmatched count technique (UCT), nominative technique (NT), and false consensus bias (FCB). All four methods serve to shield a respondent’s admittance of a sensitive behaviour from the interviewer. The results presented here show that great variability exists in anonymous methods’ efficacy in certain contexts. However, the results overall indicate that individuals in Cambodia are under-reporting their consumption of bear parts when directly asked, and that the prevalence of bear part use in Cambodia may be as high as 15% of the population, representing a significant conservation challenge.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the prevalence of bear part consumption in Cambodia: A comparison of specialised questioning techniques

et al. 2019

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“…Therefore, the Han ethnic group regarded themselves as being superior to surrounding ethnicities with rudimentary knowledge of agronomy and gastronomy (Forster 2000). The preponderant status of food and culinary prowess was elaborated in 周礼 [Zhou Li] "Zhou Ritual" that was a compendium recounting the idealised administration of the Zhou (circa 1066-771 BC) dynasty during the 5 th century BC (Knechtges 1986: 49, Boileau 1998. Therefore, farming served to encapsulate Chinese people"s spiritual aspirations, exemplified by the educated elite and aristocracy in the imperial society, who deployed gardening as a leisurely way of self-cultivation (Xiang 2010, Ma 2017).…”

Section: Obsession With Farmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Farming Writing’: An Innovative Subgenre of Internet Literature

Wang

2021

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As an innovative subgenre of Internet literature, ‘farming writing’ has attained popularity in contemporary China’s cyberspace, which, in a narrow sense, denotes narratives pertaining to agronomic theories and agrarian practices. Disparate from cliché-ridden web romances that deploy authorial ‘golden finger’ to equip protagonists with impeccable demeanour and prowess, ‘farming’ fiction is characterised by reality-oriented, detail-enriched depictions, notwithstanding its essence as ‘feel-good writing’. Furthermore, ‘farming’ works are marked by a slow pace, peaceful setting and plain theme, enabling readers to identify with characters and escape from reality. In this article, I scrutinise a ‘farming’ novel under the genre of danmei (aka Boys Love), and further posit that the popularity of ‘farming writing’ is also attributed to the Chinese ethnicity’s devotion to agriculture since time immemorial.

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“…Textual sources of ancient China's Eastern Zhou dynasty 东周 (770–220 BC ) record that numerous aquatic and terrestrial species were consumed by nobles in substantial quantities (for review see Chang, ; Knechtges, ; Zhang, ). This could be seen as reflecting a prosperous animal husbandry economy, as could the archaeological recovery of a large number of faunal remains, most of which were animal sacrifices in noble burials (e.g., Cai, Liang, & Zhang, ; Song, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal husbandry strategies in Eastern Zhou China: An isotopic study on faunal remains from the Central Plains

Zhou

Hou

Wang

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Textual records and archaeological evidence reflect prosperous animal farming in the Eastern Zhou of ancient China (770–220 BC), but knowledge of how these animals were fed is limited. Here, we present the first stable isotopic study investigating animal husbandry strategies of this period. Isotopic features of faunal remains of 5 species discovered in Songzhuang cemetery suggest that pigs and dogs were fed on mixed diets with substantial internal variation, and cattle were fed mainly on a C4‐based diet. This is similar to the situation found in another Eastern Zhou cemetery, Tianli. Evidence from the 2 sites demonstrates that domesticated omnivores were raised in quite flexible ways, but cattle raising practices show consistency in different areas of China's Central Plains. Inter‐burial analysis of isotopic data suggests a very small scale of cattle farming during this period. Temporal comparison reveals that early Bronze Age people on the Plains had already established practices of provisioning cattle with C4 plants, and that these practices were inherited by Eastern Zhou people without significant change. However, manuring practices of the historical period likely elevated stable nitrogen isotope values of cattle slightly relative to Bronze Age values. This study sheds light on animal management practices on the plains during early historical times, and also provides faunal isotopic values for reference in studies of contemporary human diets.

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A Literary Feast: Food in Early Chinese Literature

Cited by 32 publications

References 0 publications

Understanding the prevalence of bear part consumption in Cambodia: A comparison of specialised questioning techniques

Understanding the prevalence of bear part consumption in Cambodia: A comparison of specialised questioning techniques

‘Farming Writing’: An Innovative Subgenre of Internet Literature

Animal husbandry strategies in Eastern Zhou China: An isotopic study on faunal remains from the Central Plains

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