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