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Zhang Dai
Zhang Dai (Chinese: 張岱; pinyin: Zhāng Dài; 1597–1684), courtesy name Zongzi (宗子) and pseudonym Tao'an (陶庵), was a Chinese essayist and historian. He was a gentleman essayist who was a biographer of his own privileged aristocratic 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 Zhang's numerous works remain extant today. His most famous books are:
Zhang Dai was born in Ming Dynasty Wanli 25th year (1597 AD) in Shanyin (山陰), now Shaoxing of Zhejiang province, China. His ancestors came from Sichuan.
Zhang Dai never passed the Imperial examinations which led to the Ming civil service, instead he became 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.
He 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.
For a period of time, he was the sole source of income for more than 20 of his family members. Hard physical work became part of his daily routine. The culmination of his literary production overlapped with this time period.
He died in 1684 around the age of 88.
Zhang Dai was a prolific writer/author. By the age of 50, he had completed more than ten literary works. During his later years, nothing prevented him from writing more on what he found to be a worthy subject. He was a notable author of the xiaopin, a form of short literary essay.
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Zhang Dai
Zhang Dai (Chinese: 張岱; pinyin: Zhāng Dài; 1597–1684), courtesy name Zongzi (宗子) and pseudonym Tao'an (陶庵), was a Chinese essayist and historian. He was a gentleman essayist who was a biographer of his own privileged aristocratic 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 Zhang's numerous works remain extant today. His most famous books are:
Zhang Dai was born in Ming Dynasty Wanli 25th year (1597 AD) in Shanyin (山陰), now Shaoxing of Zhejiang province, China. His ancestors came from Sichuan.
Zhang Dai never passed the Imperial examinations which led to the Ming civil service, instead he became 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.
He 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.
For a period of time, he was the sole source of income for more than 20 of his family members. Hard physical work became part of his daily routine. The culmination of his literary production overlapped with this time period.
He died in 1684 around the age of 88.
Zhang Dai was a prolific writer/author. By the age of 50, he had completed more than ten literary works. During his later years, nothing prevented him from writing more on what he found to be a worthy subject. He was a notable author of the xiaopin, a form of short literary essay.