PLAY IT AGAIN
| Author: Edith J. Frankel |
| Among the doctrines of Confucianism that have played a seminal role in the evolution of Chinese culture and society over the centuries is the prescription of a comprehensive program of self-cultivation on the part of the “gentleman” (junzi ßg §l). This ethic, transposed as the guiding principle of the traditional Chinese scholar (wenren §Â §H), became the source of a wide range of literati practices and interests. And because the scholarly elite was the arbiters of propriety and aesthetics atop the Chinese social hierarchy, they also set trends that were eventually emulated by members of other classes. Thus, even though the lower classes of traditional Chinese society certainly evolved their own customs and pastimes quite apart from the activities of the elite, the habits and hobbies of the literati nevertheless remained the fountainhead of culture in a system where most ideas largely flowed from the top down.
An integral part of the gentlemanly pursuit of self-cultivation was the scholar’s refinement of his senses in order to be able to discern and experience the subtleties of nature, and to re-create them in the environment he made for himself. This pursuit governed not only his professional conduct, but was intended to inform all of his conduct, including his enjoyment of leisure activities....
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