This lecture invites Professor Luo Xiumei to discuss ‘Re-enacting and Translating Chinese Culture through Food: The Culinary Writings of Female Physician Yang Buwei (1889-1981)’. Professor Luo begins by noting that female cookery books only emerged after the Song Dynasty, while the ancient concept of ‘medicine and food sharing the same origin’ has meant studies encompassing both women's literature and culinary literature remain exceedingly rare. Thus, in this lecture, Professor Luo traces the life journey of Yang Buwei, a female physician during the Republican era. She focuses on the content of Yang's work Chinese Recipes, supplemented by other writings such as How to Order Chinese Food and Miscellaneous Notes on the Zhao Family. Drawing on examples from The Rites of Zhou's ‘Six Physicians’ and Yuan Mei's Suyuan Shidan. Beyond demonstrating scholarly methodology in source utilisation and argumentation, the lecture explores how Yang navigated the fluid identities of ‘female physician’ and ‘housewife/cook.’ It argues that Yang Buwei's culinary writings transcend mere personal culinary narratives, instead employing a medical lens to examine dietary regulations and the recreation of Chinese culinary culture and ethnic identity in foreign lands.

Implemented by Department of Chinese Language & Literature Studies
Date: 2025/10/18