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- Panel 1-4 Diets, Jades, Rites: Reconstructing Shanhaijing through Diets and Rituals/YI SEOK GU
Panel 1-4 Diets, Jades, Rites: Reconstructing Shanhaijing through Diets and Rituals/YI SEOK GU
YI SEOK GU
Assistant Professor, Chonnam National University Department of Chinese language and Literature, Republic of Korea
The Shanhaijing is an ancient Chinese mythological text presented in the form of a geographical compendium. It compiles knowledge about the world from the ancient mythological cosmos, thereby offering insight into dietary concepts within the realm of ancient Chinese mythology. In this mythological world, diets were not merely means of sustaining life through nutrition; they constituted acts of communication with the entire universe. This understanding is also evident in the records of the Shanhaijing. Therefore, to explore the dietary concepts of the Shanhaijing, this study focuses on its records concerning food and ritual practices. The “eating” sentence patterns and the records related to “rites”(祠) in the Shanhaijing reveal aspects of its dietary philosophy. Furthermore, “jade”, as the sustenance of deities, manifests the text's unique dietary concepts. Thus, “foods”, “jades”, “rites” emerge as symbolic elements of the Shanhaijing’s dietary thoughts. Consequently, this study centers on the text’s accounts of “foods”, “jades”, “rites” to explore the dietary concepts reflected in ancient Chinese mythology.
Keywords: Foods, Jades, Rites, Shanhaijing, Dietary Thoughts
Assistant Professor, Chonnam National University Department of Chinese language and Literature, Republic of Korea
The Shanhaijing is an ancient Chinese mythological text presented in the form of a geographical compendium. It compiles knowledge about the world from the ancient mythological cosmos, thereby offering insight into dietary concepts within the realm of ancient Chinese mythology. In this mythological world, diets were not merely means of sustaining life through nutrition; they constituted acts of communication with the entire universe. This understanding is also evident in the records of the Shanhaijing. Therefore, to explore the dietary concepts of the Shanhaijing, this study focuses on its records concerning food and ritual practices. The “eating” sentence patterns and the records related to “rites”(祠) in the Shanhaijing reveal aspects of its dietary philosophy. Furthermore, “jade”, as the sustenance of deities, manifests the text's unique dietary concepts. Thus, “foods”, “jades”, “rites” emerge as symbolic elements of the Shanhaijing’s dietary thoughts. Consequently, this study centers on the text’s accounts of “foods”, “jades”, “rites” to explore the dietary concepts reflected in ancient Chinese mythology.
Keywords: Foods, Jades, Rites, Shanhaijing, Dietary Thoughts