Colloquia

Feasts and the rituals of food have played an important role in the cultures of China from the ancient period to the present day. In Bronze Age China (2nd and 1st millennium bce), elites directed tremendous resources toward the production of elaborate vessels for food and drink, that served feasts for the living and rituals for the afterlife. Throughout the imperial period, dining practices continued to have a profound impact on artistic traditions in a range of mediums, both in the creation of accoutrements for banquets and as subject matter in pictorial art. This interdisciplinary panel focuses on feasting in China, examining the multi-faceted ways in which food and banqueting shaped the visual cultures of societies in China and the Chinese diaspora. Speakers will address the material culture of feasting and its connections to the afterlife, the history of cuisine, and food in contemporary film.

Speakers

Zoe S. Kwok, Princeton University Art Museum

The Art of the Feast

Jeehee Hong, McGill University

Feasting at the Threshold

François Louis, Bard Graduate Center

Otherworldly Wine Cups of the Tang Dynasty

Joanna Waley-Cohen, NYU Shanghai

Serving the Empire: Food and the Qing Imperial Project

Anne Anlin Cheng, Princeton University

Wedding Banquets: The Invitation and Coercion of Belonging