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