Livio Zanini's paper "'The Brush-Rest and the Tea Stove': Xu Cishi's Biography" deals with the biography of Xu Cishu (1547-1604), a scholar from Hangzhou who wrote Chashu (Treatise on Tea, 1597). The first part consist of an introductory survey of all available sources concerning this author, on the basis of which it has been possible to compile his biographical profile. Son of an official and talented in letters, Xu Cishu never pursued a civil service career, perhaps because of a physical handicap. He often ran into financial difficulties and had to carry put irregular jobs requiring him to travel from his hometown. Xu Cishu was a good friend of Feng Mengzhen and was also an acquaintance of Tu Long and many other eminent scholars of the Jiangnan area. The second part of this paper dedicated to Xu Cishu's works offer an outline of his Chashu and an attempt to shed light on its genesis. Tea, and the particular way it was consumed, were distinctive elements of the literati and became a subject of great interest in the literature on "things" proper to the elite lifestyle characterizing the late Ming dynasty. Xu's text, completely dedicated to this beverage, is based mainly on his personal experience and that of his friends and other tea expert. The last part of this paper is the translation of Xu's epitaph and the two prefaces to his treatise.

L'articolo "'The Brush-Rest and the Tea Stove': Xu Cishu's Biography" di Livio Zanini tratta la biografia di Xu Cishu (1547-1604), letterato di Hangzhou autore del Chashu (Trattato sul tè, 1597). La prima parte raccoglie le informazioni introduttive sulle fonti relative a tale autore disponibili, sulla base delle quali è stato possibile tracciare la sua biografia. Figlio di un funzionario e dotato per le lettere, Xu Cishu non intraprese la carriera amministrativa, forse a causa di un suo handicap fisico. Nel corso della sua vita si trovò spesso in difficoltà economiche fu costretto a svolgere diversi lavori che lo portarono a viaggiare lontano dalla sua città natale. Xu Cishu era buon amico di Feng Mengzhen e conosceva Tu Long e altri eminenti letterati dell'area del Jiangnan. Nella parte dedicata alle opere di Xu Cishu viene offerta una descrizione del suo Chashu e si cerca di fare luce sulla sua origine. Il tè il particolare modo in cui veniva consumato era un elemento distintivo dei letterati e divenne oggetto di grande interesse all'interno della letteratura dedicata propri dello stile di vita dell'élite che caratterizza l'ultima parte della dinastia Ming. Il testo di Xu è interamente dedicato a tale bevanda ed è basato prevalentemente sulla sua esperienza personale e su quella di suoi amici e altri esperti di tè. L'ultima parte dell'articolo offre la traduzione integrale del necrologio dedicato a Xu Cishu e delle due prefazioni al suo trattato.

"The Brush-rest and the Tea Stove." Xu Cishu's Biography

ZANINI, Livio
2002-01-01

Abstract

Livio Zanini's paper "'The Brush-Rest and the Tea Stove': Xu Cishi's Biography" deals with the biography of Xu Cishu (1547-1604), a scholar from Hangzhou who wrote Chashu (Treatise on Tea, 1597). The first part consist of an introductory survey of all available sources concerning this author, on the basis of which it has been possible to compile his biographical profile. Son of an official and talented in letters, Xu Cishu never pursued a civil service career, perhaps because of a physical handicap. He often ran into financial difficulties and had to carry put irregular jobs requiring him to travel from his hometown. Xu Cishu was a good friend of Feng Mengzhen and was also an acquaintance of Tu Long and many other eminent scholars of the Jiangnan area. The second part of this paper dedicated to Xu Cishu's works offer an outline of his Chashu and an attempt to shed light on its genesis. Tea, and the particular way it was consumed, were distinctive elements of the literati and became a subject of great interest in the literature on "things" proper to the elite lifestyle characterizing the late Ming dynasty. Xu's text, completely dedicated to this beverage, is based mainly on his personal experience and that of his friends and other tea expert. The last part of this paper is the translation of Xu's epitaph and the two prefaces to his treatise.
2002
11
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10278/3605470
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