The Art of Living

I. The Pleasures of Life

Knowing a nation requires understanding its pleasures, mirroring how understanding a person requires observing their leisure activities. A person's character shines when they engage in activities they enjoy, free from societal pressures and ambition. The true self is revealed during leisure, representing the inner person. Public life, influenced by harsh realities like politics and commerce, can be misleading. The Chinese, often perceived as ridiculous in politics or childish in society, are at their best during leisure, displaying geniality. Their leisurely joviality is an open invitation to those who wish to understand their culture. The Chinese engage in many activities such as eating crabs, drinking tea, singing operatic airs, and playing mahjong.

The Chinese possess a natural geniality, joviality, taste and finesse. However, educated Chinese individuals are often bad-tempered and pessimistic, and have lost their sense of values. Taste develops through tradition and social example, and modern China's pursuit of Western ideals has led to a decline in taste. Shanghai exemplifies this shift, with its Westernized aesthetics replacing traditional Chinese gardens. This departure from tradition is jarring, akin to Western cream-cakes made with pigs' lard or Chinese brass bands playing "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" in a funeral march. Tradition and taste require time to develop.

Ancient China was known for its taste, seen in old bookbindings, letter-papers, porcelain, and paintings. These artifacts reflect an understanding of tone, harmony, and mellow colors. The ancient geniality is reflected in the Chinese familiar essay, hsiaop'inwen, which focuses on the pleasures of a leisurely life. The themes include the art of drinking tea, carving of seals, training of pot-flowers, boating on the lake, composing poetry, all written in a leisurely, chatty style. These essays embody a spirit of happiness, worldly wisdom, and contentment. The Preface to All Men Are Brothers, attributed to Ch'in Shengt'an, exemplifies this spirit, reading like an essay on Leisure, and acting as a preface to a novel.

China emphasizes the art of living, viewing human happiness as the ultimate goal of knowledge. An old civilization values the durable pleasures of life such as food, drink, house, garden, women, and friendship. Cities like Paris and Vienna prioritize these pleasures. Nations that do not appreciate eating and enjoying life are considered uncouth. Li Liweng's work details the Chinese art of living, covering house and garden design, women's fashion, cooking, and ways to secure pleasure for both rich and poor. He divides medicine into categories: "medicine that one likes by temperament," "medicine that is needed by the moment," and "medicine that one loves and longs for."

Li Liweng's writings on willows highlight the importance of their hanging branches, which provide shade and attract birds. He emphasizes that planting trees should please both the eye and the ear, and that the most lovely notes of the birds are not heard when we are sitting but when we are lying down. He appreciates the happiness of birds and advises allowing a corner of the sky to be shown behind trees to wait for the rising and setting of the moon. Regarding women's dress, Li Liweng values neatness, elegance, and harmony with the wearer's face over fineness of material or family standing. He notes the evolution of color preferences in women's clothing and praises the virtue of black, his favorite color, for its versatility and ability to conceal dirt or reveal beautiful colors underneath.

Li Liweng praises the pleasure of an afternoon nap, recommending it in summer. He advises against trying too hard to sleep, suggesting one should wait until drowsiness overcomes them. He references a line from an old verse: "My hands when weary throw the book away and the afternoon nap is long." Mastering the art of sleeping, as described by Li Liweng, equates to being truly civilized.

II. House and Garden

The Chinese house and garden are interconnected, forming an organic whole known as yüancheh, or