The Asian Food Study Conference

by Wang Si

Awards

Summer Volume: 2019 Issue: 26(2) pages: 5 to 7

The Asian Food Study Conference held in Beijing (October 2018) did give awards to forty books about food studies. This was the first time China awarded recognition to books about Chinese food published in China. Selected by a committee of three professors and five young scholars recently receiving their own Doctoral degrees, in different majors, all focusing on this topic of Food Studies. The Committee sorted through and read nearly one thousand books on related topics that were published since 1978. Why that year, because China began reform and opening up then, so it is an appropriate time to do so.

Originally, they selected fifty, but after three months of serious discussion, forty made it to the final list, and that is one book for each year since 1978. This was a massive task, and we thank these hard-working committee members for their excellent work. Now, we advise that in the future, an awards committee will choose only one book on the topic of: ‘Food History and Food Culture” every year, the best book on this topic published in China the year before it will to be awarded.

For those that ask why are these awards named Suiyuan? That is the name of Yuan Mei’s home garden and the name of his well-known cookbook. This poet, Yuan Mei (1716 - 1798), wrote Suiyuan Shidan which is an excellent and well-known Chinese cookbook published in the late 18th century. Since, it has been translated into German, French, Japanese, Korean, and Italian, and most recently into English, used and appreciated by many chefs, China scholars, linguists, historians, anthropologists, and others. Yuan Mei’s birthday is March 25th, and that day has been selected in China as ‘International Chinese Food Day’.

This magazine has discussed and introduced ‘Suiyuan Shidan’ in Volumes 14(4), 16(3), and 17(1). Because of his book, he has been referred to as ‘China’s Brilliat- Savarin’ and called the best known food writer of early China. English readers can now read this bilingual Chinese-English edition titled: Recipes from the Garden of Contentment: Yuan Mei’s Manual of Gastronomy. Translated into English by a Chinese Canadian biomedical researcher, Sean Chen, we thank E.N. Anderson, an American historical anthropologist who found it on Chen’s blog, and thank help and encouragement Anderson received from Jeffrey K. Riegel, a Chinese literature professor, and Nicole Mones, a Chinese food writer, and Berkshire Books of Great Barrington MA; they published it in Fall 2018. Below are the awarded Suiyuan Book titles in alphabetical order, then their English titles, author(s), Chinese city, publisher’s name, publication date, and ISBN number:

(1) 1358 - 1840 ZHONGGUO YINSHI SHENGHUO: CHENGSHU JIAYAO DE WENMING,
its English title: CHINA’S FOOD LIFE (1368 - 1840– CIVILIZATION OF A MATURE CUISINE.
Yongwen Yi, Beijing, Tsinghua University Press, 2014. ISBN 978-7302364405.

(2) CHAGUAN: CHENGDU DE GONGGONG SHENGHUO HE WEIGUAN SHIJIE (1900 - 1950),
THE TEAHOUSE: SMALL BUSINESS, EVERYDAY CULTURE, AND PUBLIC POLITICS: IN CHENGDU (1900 - 1950).
Di Wang. Beijing: Social Science Academic Press, 2010. ISBN 978-7509712498.

(3) CHA YU ZHONGGUO WENHUA.
TEA AND CHINESE COUTURE.
Jianping Guan. Beijing: People’s Publishing House, 2001. ISBN 978-7101009581.

(4) HAN WEI YINSHI KAO.
RESEARCH ON FOOD IN THE HAN AND WEI DYNASTIES.
Meng Zhang. Lanzhou: University Press, 1988. ISBN 978-7311000868.

(5) HUAXIA YINSHI WENHUA.
CHINA’S FOOD CULTURE.
Xuetai Wang. Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 1994. ISBN 978-7532626212.

(6) INDAI SHANGHAI FANDIAN YU CAICHANG.
RESTAURANTS AND FOOD MARKETS IN MODERN SHANGHAI.
Yanxiang Tang and Xiaoqi Chu. Shanghai: Lexicographical Publishing House, 2008. ISBN 978- 7532626212.

(7) LINGNAN YINSHI WENHUA.
LINGNAN FOOD CUTURE.
Naisen Lin and Jianmin Xian. Guangzhou: Guangdong Higher Education Press, 2010. ISBN 978-7536138209

(8) MAN HAN QUANXI YUAN KAOSHU
ON SOURCE OF MAN-HAN OVERALL FEAST.
Rongguang Zhao. Beijing: Kulun Press, 2003. ISBN 978- 7800406652.

(9) MEIZHOU ZUOWU ZAI ZHONGGUO DE CHUANBO JIQI YINGXIANG YANJIU.
ON DIFFUSION AND INFLUENCE OF AMERICA’S CROPS TO CHINA.
Siming Wang. Beijing: China Three Gorges Press, w2010. ISBN 978-7807586814.

(10) MINGGUO HANGZHOU YINSHI.
HANGZHOU FOOD CULTURE 1921 - 1948.
Hong He. Hangzhou Publishing House, 2012. ISBN 978- 7513401210.

(11) SHI, WEI, DAO: HUAREN DE YINSHI QILU YU WENHUA YICAI.
FOOD, FLAVOR & PHILOSOPHY: ON CHINESE FOOD HISTORY AND CULTURE.
Chengyuan Gao. Beijing: Forbidden City Press, 2010. ISBN 978-7513401210.

(12) TANG SONG YINSHI WENHUA BIJIAO YAJIU.
COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON DUNHUANG FOOD CULTURE IN TANG AND SONG DYNASTIES.
Pubing Liu. Beijng: China Social Sciences Publishing House, 2010. ISBN 978-7500491469.

(13) TANG WUDAI DUNHUANG YINSHI WENHUA YANJIU.
DUNHUANG FOOD CULTURE IN TANG AND FIVE DYNASTIES.
Qi’an Gao. Beijing: Minzu Press, 2004. ISBN 978- 7105067626.

(14) TIAOCAI - NANJIAN YIZU DE XIANGYAN LIYI.
“SERVING DANCE” RURAL BANQUET ETIQUETTE OF THE YI NATIONALITY IN NANJIAN.
Yang Qin. Kunming: Yunnan People’s Publishing House, 2010. ISBN 978-7500491460.

(15) WEI YAN DAA YI: YUNNAN NUODENG YANYE DE LISHI RENLIEXUE KAOCHA.
SALT BUSINESS IN NUODENG YUNNAN: PERSPECTIVE OF HISTORICAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
Yu Shu. Beijing: World Publishing Corporation, 2010. ISBN 978-7510018077.

(16) WEI YU WEIDAO.
TASTE AND ITS PHILOSOPHY.
Huanan Gong, Shanghai: Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 2008.

(17) WENHUA JIAOLIU DE GUIJI ZHONGHUA ZHETANG SHI.
TRACKS OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE: HISTORY OF SUGAR IN CHINA.
Xianlin Ji. Beijing: Economic Daily Press, 1997. ISBN 978-7801272846.

(18) XIYU YINSHI WENHUA SHI.
FOOD CULTURAL HISTORY OF WESTERN REGKONS.
Iarafil Yusuf. Urumchi: Xinjiang People’s Publishing House, 2012. ISBN 978-7228151448.

(19) YANSHENGGONG FU DANG’AN SHISHI YANJIU.
FOOD RESEARCH ON ACHIEVEMENT OF CONFUCIUS FAMILY RESIDENCE.
Rangguang Zhao. Jinan: Shandong Pictorial Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7807135265.

(20) YINCANG MINZU LINGHUN DE FUHAO: THEORY OF CHINESE SYMBOLISM. Ming’an Qu.
Kunming: Yunnan University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-7810682886.

(21) YINSHI KAOGU CHUJI.
PAPER COLLECTIONS ON FOOD ARCHEOLOGY.
Renxiang Wang. Beijing: China Business Press, 1994. ISBN 978-7504416460.

(22) YOU RONG NAI DA: LIAO SONG JIN YUAN SHIQI DE YINSHI QIJU YANJIU.
RESEARCH ON FOOD UTENSILS IN LIAO, SONG, JIN AND YAN DYNASTIES.
Rong Han. Zhenjian: Jiangsu University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-7811302912.

(23) ZHONGGU HUABEI YINSHI WENHUA BIANQIAN.
FOOD CULTURE AND CHANGE IN MEDIAEVAL NORTH CHINA.
Lihua Wang. Beijing: China Social Sciences Publishing House, 2000. ISBN 978-7500428923.

(24) ZHONGGUO BEIFANG YOUMU MINZU YINSHI WENHUA YANJIU.
ON FOOD CULTURE OF NOMADS IN NORTHERN CHINA.
Jingming Zhang. Beijing: Cultural Relics Publishing House, 2008. ISBN 98-7501019922.

(25) ZHONGGUO CAIXI JI QI BOJIAO.
CHINESE CUISINE WITH COMPARATIVE STUDIES.
Changjiang Zheng. Beijing: China Financial and Economic Publishing House, 1992. ISBN 078-50051309.

(26) ZHONGGUO CHAUNTONG YINSHI LISU YANJIU.
CHINESE TRADITIONAL FOOD CUSTOMS AND MANNERS.
Weijun Yao. Wuhan: Central China Normal University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-562220367.

(27) ZHONGGUO DAOZUO WENHUA SHI.
CHINA’S RICE CULTURE AND HISTORY.
Xiulin You and Xiongsheng Zeng. Shanghai: Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 2010. ISBN 978-7208091856.

(28) ZHONGGUO LUCAI WENMAI.
CULTURE AND HISTORY OF SHANDONG CUISINE Jianmin Zhao and Junji Qu, editors.
Beijing: China Light Industry Press, 2016. ISBN 978-7518410330.

(29) ZHONGGUO MIANDIAN SHI.
HISTORY OF CHINESE PASTRIES.
Pangtong Qiu. Qingdao Press, 1995. ISBN 978- 7543662261.

(30) ZHONGGUO NANGUA SHI.
CHINESE SQUASH HISTORY.
Xinsheng Li. Beijing: China Agricultural Science and Technology Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-7511628251.

(31) ZHONGGUO PENGREN BAIKE QUANSHU.
CHINESE COOKING ENCYCLOPEDIA.
Xi Jiang, editor. Beijingh: Engyclopedia of China Publishing House, 1992. ISBN: 978-7500050704.

(32) ZHONGGUO PENGREN WENHUA DADIAN.
COLLECTION OF CHINESE CULINARY CULTURE, edited by Xuezhi Chen.
Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-7308088626.

(33) ZHONGGUO SHILIAO SHI.
HISTORY OF CHINESE INGREDIENTS.
Weijie Yu. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2011. ISBN 978-7532558605.

(34) ZHONGGUO YINSHI KEXUE JISHU SHI GAO.
HISTORY OF CHINA’S FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
Hongkun Ji. Hangzhou: Zhejiang Gongshang University Press 2015. ISBN 978-751781055.

(35) ZHONGGUO YINSHI MEIXUE SHI.
HISTORY OF CHINESE FOOD ASTHETICS.
Jianjun Zhao. Jinan: Qilu Press, 2014. ISBN 978- 7556501960.

(36) ZHONGGUO YINSHI SHI.
CHINESE FOOD HISTORY.
Hairong Xu, editor. Hangzhou: Hangzhou Press, 2014. ISBN 978-7556501960.

(37) ZHONGGUO YINSHI WENHUA SHI - CHANGJIAN ZHONGYOU DIQU JUAN.
CHINESE FOOD CULTURE AND HISTORY, VOLUME AREA OF MIDDLE YANGTSE RIVER.
Dingyaun Xie. Beijing: China Light Indistry Press, 2013. ISBN 978-7501994243.

(38) ZHONGGUO YINSHI WENHUA SHI - XI"/R"NAN DIQU JUAN.
CHINESE FOOD CULTURE AND HISTORY - AREA OF SOUTHWEST CHINA.
Tie Fang and Min Feng. Beijing: China Light Industry Press, 2013.

(39) ZHONGGUO ZHU WENHUA SHI.
CHOPSTICKS CULTURE AND HISTORY.
Yun Liu, editor. Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 2006. ISBN 978-7101052534.

(40) ZHOULI YINSHI ZHIDU YANJIU.
RESEARCH ON FOOD SYSTEM IN THE RITES OF ZHOU.
Xueping Wang. Yangzhou: Guangling Press, 2010. ISBN 978-7806946268.

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