Lifestyle and entertainment in Yangzhou / edited by Lucie B. Olivová and Vibeke Børdahl

Yangzhou, once the central place of literati and urban culture, is still one of the most important centers of traditional culture in China today. Over the years particular regional forms of art and entertainment have arisen here, some surviving into the present time. This richly illustrated volume celebrates Yangzhou's rich cultural tradition through a well-balanced spectrum of topics spanning the period from the late 17th century to modern times. These are grouped into four thematic parts: Yangzhou's cultural heritage during historic downfalls and revivals; regional literature and book production; local theatre and storytelling; and various artists of the 18th-century Yangzhou School of Painting. Within each thematic part, descriptions and evaluations of cultural phenomena are supplemented with reflections on lifestyle and customs, weaving a virtual dialogue that binds the topical richness of the collection tightly together. Contents 8 Preface 16 Contributors 20 Introduction 22 1. Building History and the Preservation of Yangzhou 28 2. Gathering in a Ruined City 62 3. The Fashionable City? 87 4. The Culture of Yangzhou Residential Gardens 100 5. A Traveler’s Tale of Two Cities 112 6. Yangzhou Printing and Book Culture in the Qing Period 134 7. Pleasures of a Man of Letters 156 8. Early Qing Yangzhou in Shi Chengjin’s Vernacular Vignettes 174 9. Local Fiction of the Yangzhou Region 202 10. Yangzhou Local Theatre in the Second Half of the Qing 232 11. Kunqu in Yangzhou 250 12. Written Scripts in the Oral Tradition of Yangzhou Storytelling 270 13. The Traditional Style of Storyhouses in Yangzhou 296 14. Life in the Green Lofts of the Lower Yangzi Region 311 15. The Study of Forgeries of Paintings by the Yangzhou Eccentrics 342 16. Traveling to the Frontier 372 17. The Landscape Albums of Huang Shen 401 18. Illustrious Icons and Flower Garlands 427 References 466 Index 501 Presents the history, literature, and performing and visual arts of Yangzhou. This volume celebrates Yangzhou's cultural tradition with a range of topics spanning the period from the late 17th century to modern times. This richly illustrated volume celebrates Yangzhous cultural tradition with a well-balanced range of topics spanning the period from the late seventeenth century to modern times. Brings together the history, literature, performing and visual arts of this traditional Chinese cultural centre.