"As food writing emerges around the globe as a burgeoning field of critical inquiry from multiple perspectives--culinary, literary, social, and ecological--this edited volume of essays comes as a timely contribution from the Chinese world. As a much-needed

"An erudite and timely examination of the centrality of food and drink as both substance and symbol in imperial China. The authors definitively establish gastronomy's long-standing connections to moral, social and political discourse in Chinese literature

"What shines through every one of the eight papers is a loving commitment to the subject of food and drink in literature, and the result is a charming and readable volume which punches above its weight in giving pleasure to the reader regardless of the ex

"This collection of stimulating essays explores the centrality of food and foodways as a core theme in Chinese literary culture from Qin through Qing. Its focus on literary treatments of alcohol and tea across poetry and prose will be valuable to speciali

Isaac Yue is assistant professor of Chinese in the University of Hong Kong. His research interest falls into two broad areas nineteenth-century China-West studies and imperial Chinese literature since the Song dynasty. He has published in these fields in such journals as Victorian Literature and Culture, Journal of Oriental Studies, and �tudes Chinoises. Siufu Tang is assistant professor in the School of Chinese, the University of Hong Kong. His research focuses mainly on early Confucianism and its relevance to the modern world. He has published papers on various aspects of the thought of the early Confucian thinker Xunzi, and also on Confucianism and liberalism. He is currently working on a project about the understanding of self and authenticity in the Xunzi.