Brendan Smith

Hist 410 Presentation

I. Song Dynasty: Northern (960-1127 capital: Kaifeng)

Southern (1127-1279 capital: Hangzhou)

- Time of advancement: technology, cultural values, civilization Urbanization: consumerism in the capital of Kaifeng

- Community was coming together: Shops, houses, theaters, food stalls

- Urbanization led to increased interest in food, performance, and the mixture of both

II. Peformance:

- wide variety of forms of entertainment: theater, prostitution, etc.

- didn’t only mean acting alone, but also meant presentation

Example: Markets presented goods and talents of merchants

- acting in markets: merchants created songs and dances to attract customers

- theater remained major part of festival culture

- performance was seen as an art form

III. Food:

- what was eaten, when it was eaten, how it was presented

- diversification of food, preparation styles and presentation

- Kaifeng was center of consumption

- Food was used for nourishment, medicinal value, social enhancer

- Increase in food imports for expanding population: military, civilian

- Food used to bring people together: celebrations and festivals

- Rise of restaurants: promoted performance in place of food

IV. Food and Performance together:

1.) close proximity: brothels, etc. placed close to restaurants

2.) elements of theater in restaurants: dress, actions, entertainers

3.) elements of theater in markets: merchant chants

4.) celebration/festival: weddings, funerals, ancestor worship

5.) food impact on consumerism: consumption, merchant/food mix

V. Artificiality of food: Southern Song Dynasty

- mock foods created due to decreased interest in food quality and increasing interest in food presentation/art value

- artificiality doesn’t mean “fake”

- presents a challenge to cooks

- artificiality began to take over drama

VI. Conclusion