Zhang Dai
Encyclopedia
Zhang Dai (1597–1689) was a Ming Dynasty
Chinese
writer. He was a gentleman essayist who was a biographer of his own privileged aritocratic family, a historian
of the Ming Dynasty, and a biographer of notable virtuous figures. He wrote his own obituary
which included the lines : He loved pretty maidservants, he loved handsome serving boys . . . he loved perfect food . . . he loved paintings of flowers and birds.
Zhang was a prolific writer, having penned more than thirty books covering literature and history; however only a few of Zang's numerous works remain extant today.
Zhang Dai's most famous books are:
25th year (1597 AD) in Shanyin (山陰), now Shaoxing
of Zhejiang
province, China
.
Zhang Dai never passed the Imperial examination
s which led to the Ming civil service, instead he becoming a private scholar and aesthete. His family's wealth allowed him to develop his aesthetic tastes in such pursuits as Moon watching festivals, Chinese lantern
design , the sponsorship of dramatic troupes, appreciation of tea
, and garden
and landscape aesthetics. His writing tries to convey the sensuality and subtlety of these pursuits.
His inwardly focused mind did not see the coming collapse of the Ming in 1644-1645. When anarchy and war broke over his beloved landscape in the Yangtze delta
he was forced to flee to the mountains where he hid as a Buddhist monk
. When he returned in 1649 all his property was gone and he lived as a tenant in the ruins of one of his beloved gardens. It was here he completed his history of the Ming Dynasty, in part to explain its collapse.
He died in Qing Dynasty
Kangxi
28th year (1689 AD) at age 93.
Full list
Poems
From Book III, "Dream and Remininscence of Tao An" , translated by Gisling
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
writer. He was a gentleman essayist who was a biographer of his own privileged aritocratic family, a historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of the Ming Dynasty, and a biographer of notable virtuous figures. He wrote his own obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
which included the lines : He loved pretty maidservants, he loved handsome serving boys . . . he loved perfect food . . . he loved paintings of flowers and birds.
Zhang was a prolific writer, having penned more than thirty books covering literature and history; however only a few of Zang's numerous works remain extant today.
Zhang Dai's most famous books are:
- Tao An Meng Yi (陶庵梦忆 Reminiscences in Dreams of Tao An), written ca. 1665.
- Xi Hu Meng Xun (西湖梦寻 Search The West LakeWest LakeXī Hú is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Tí , Bái Tí , and Yánggōng Tí...
in Dreams)
Life
Zhang Dai was born in Ming Dynasty WanliWanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor was emperor of China between 1572 and 1620. His era name means "Ten thousand calendars". Born Zhu Yijun, he was the Longqing Emperor's third son...
25th year (1597 AD) in Shanyin (山陰), now Shaoxing
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
of Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Zhang Dai never passed the Imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s which led to the Ming civil service, instead he becoming a private scholar and aesthete. His family's wealth allowed him to develop his aesthetic tastes in such pursuits as Moon watching festivals, Chinese lantern
Chinese lantern
A Chinese lantern can refer to the following:*A collapsible paper lantern or sky lantern in bright colours used for decorative purposes, commonly painted with Chinese art and calligraphy motifs.*The shrub Abutilon x hybridum...
design , the sponsorship of dramatic troupes, appreciation of tea
Chinese tea
The practice of drinking tea has had a long history in China, having originated there. The Chinese drink tea during many parts of the day such as during meals for good health or for simple pleasure.-History:...
, and garden
Chinese garden
The Chinese garden, also known as a Chinese classical garden, is a style of landscape garden which has evolved for more than three thousand years, and which is inspired by Chinese literature, Chinese painting and Chinese philosophy...
and landscape aesthetics. His writing tries to convey the sensuality and subtlety of these pursuits.
His inwardly focused mind did not see the coming collapse of the Ming in 1644-1645. When anarchy and war broke over his beloved landscape in the Yangtze delta
Yangtze River Delta
The Yangtze River Delta, Yangtze Delta or YRD, also called Yangzi, or Chang Jiang Delta, Rive Chang Delta Tai Lake Region or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze, generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu-speaking Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of...
he was forced to flee to the mountains where he hid as a Buddhist monk
Buddhism in China
Chinese Buddhism refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China since ancient times. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and medicine.At the peak of the...
. When he returned in 1649 all his property was gone and he lived as a tenant in the ruins of one of his beloved gardens. It was here he completed his history of the Ming Dynasty, in part to explain its collapse.
He died in Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
Kangxi
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
28th year (1689 AD) at age 93.
Works by Zhang Dai
Notable works- 张岱 Zhang Dai: 陶庵梦忆 Tao An Meng Yi, 1986 edition, Golden Maple Publishing House, Taiwan
- 张岱 Zhang Dai: 西湖梦寻 Xi Hu Meng Xun, Search The West Lake in Dreams. ISBN 957-763-132-0
Full list
- The Biographies of Five Unusual People - Eight biographies of distant family members.
- Book of the Stone Casket - History of the Ming Dynasty completed in the 1670s.
- Historical Gaps - Study of deliberate omissions in Chinese history
- The Night Ferry - A Compendium of Knowledge to aid conversations between strangers
- Portraits with Commentary of the Imperishable Worthies of the Shaoxing Region in the Ming - (with Xu Quin) Collection of portraits of worthy figures - incomplete.
- Profiles of Righteous and Honorable People Through the Ages - Collection of 400 compact biographical studies of worthy people from the second millennium BC to the 1360s.
- Sequel to the Book of the Stone Casket - Describing the fall of the Ming dynasty and apportioning blame.
- Tracing Westlake in a Dream - Memories of his beloved West LakeWest LakeXī Hú is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Tí , Bái Tí , and Yánggōng Tí...
in the city of HangzhouHangzhouHangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. A beautiful lake surrounded by villas and gardens, later destroyed in the war following the fall of the Ming. - The Dream Recollections of Taoan - Flashes of memories of his earlier life that came to Zhang Dai whilst in hiding as a Taoist monk following the fall of the Ming.
- Langhuan Wenji - The Paradise of Langhuan. Description of an imagined landscape of gardens, lakes , rivers ,trees, mountain views, shrines, and halls.
- The Lean Nags of Yangzhou - On the concubine market in the town of YangzhouYangzhouYangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
. - On Matteo Ricco - Comments on the Chinese work of a westerner, the Jesuit Matteo RicciMatteo RicciMatteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
. - On Putuo Shrine - Essay on his journey to the island of PutuoMount PutuoMount Putuo is an island southeast of Shanghai, in Zhoushan prefecture of Zhejiang province, China. It is famous in Chinese Buddhism, and is considered the bodhimanda of Avalokitesvara , a revered Bodhisattva in many parts of East Asia...
, one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in China. - "Rhyme Mountain" - Reflections on the unpublished work of his grandfather.
- Letter to the Prince of Lu - Letter to the leader of the southern Ming known as the Prince of Lu following the fall of the dynasty, encouraging him to restore the dynasty to China.
- Ice Mountain - Operatic play about the rise and fall of the eunuch Wei ZhongxianWei ZhongxianWei Zhongxian is considered by most historians as the most powerful and notorious eunuch in Chinese history. Originally a hoodlum and gambler, his initial name was Wei Si . He took the step of becoming a eunuch and entering palace service to escape from his creditors, taking the name Li Jinzhong...
. - Self Written Obituary
Poems
- For Dr Lu
- For the Singer Courtesan Wang Yuesheng
- New Year's Day
- Pounding Rice
- For Qi Biaojia
- Rebuttal of Qi Biaojia
Books on Zhang Dai
- Spence, Jonathan D. (2007). Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man. Viking, 332 pages. ISBN 978-0-670-06357-4
- Kafalas, Phlip A. (2007). In Limpid Dream: Nostalgia and Zhang Dai's Reminiscences of the Ming. East Bridge, 286 pages. ISBN 978-1-891-93663-0
Translations
- Zhang Dai, Souvenirs rêvés de Tao'an, translated by Brigitte Teboul-Wang, 1995
- Vignettes from the Late Ming: A Hsiao-P'in Anthology, by Yang Ye, University of Washington Press; (March 1999) ISBN 0-295-97733-7
Excerpt
Elderly Min Tea
Chou Me-Nong bragged about Min Vin-sui's tea to me over and over. In the ninth month of 1638, I went to the City of Liu. After landing, I visited Min Vin-sui at Peach Leave Ferry. It was afternoon, and Vin-sui was out. He came back late, and I saw a grumpy old man. No sooner than introduction, he suddenly exclaimed "I forgot my cane at some one's home !" then out he went. I said to myself " I cannot afford to waste a whole day". I called again. When Vin-sui returned, it was already evening. He glanced at me, and said "Is the guest still here ? What are you here for?" "I have long heard your reputation, I will not leave here unless I get to drink Vin-sui tea" I replied.
Vin-sui was pleased, and set up stove and brew tea himself, as swiftly as wind and storm. He led me into a room with bright windows and clean desk and filled with Thorn Brook tea pots and Chen Shuen Kiln porcelainPorcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
cups. What an exquisite collection! Under the lamplight, the color of tea looked the same as the porcelain cups, but the tea had an aggressive aroma, I exclaimed with amazement and ask Vin-sui "Where do you obtained this tea?" "It was from the Garden of Liang" he replied. I sipped again, and said "Don't fool me, this tea was indeed made according to Liang Garden recipe, but it doesn't tasted so" "Do you know where the tea was from?" asked
Vin-sui, hiding his smile. I sipped again, and said "How come it tasted so much like Lu Gie tea?" "Odd, odd!" said Vin-sui, sticking out his tongue. I ask Vin-sui what kind of water he used. "Hui Spring water" "Don't fool me, Hui Spring water travelled thousands of miles how come the water moves but not the pebbles?" "I am not going to hide the truth any more. When one fetch Hui Spring water one must dig a well, and wait in a silent night for new water to arrive, then bucket it up quickly. Mountain pebbles would line the bottom of the jar. A boat will not move without the wind, so still water creates no pebbles......" " Odd, odd!" said he, sticking out his tongue. No sooner he uttered this words, out he went. He soon returned with a kettle and pour me a full cup of tea, and said "please try this" "It has an intense aroma and rich taste. Is this spring tea? The one I tasted before was Autumn pick" Vin-sui laughed heartily and said "In seventy years of my life, I have never met a single connoisseur like you!" We became friends.
From Book III, "Dream and Remininscence of Tao An" , translated by Gisling