Zhang Dai (Chinese: 張岱; pinyin: Zhāng Dài; 5 October 1597 – 1684), courtesy names Zongzi and Shigong, pseudonyms Tao'an and Die'an Jushi, was a Chinese essayist, historian, memoirist, and connoisseur active during the late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty. A native of Shanyin County in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, he was born into a distinguished scholarly family that had produced three consecutive generations of jinshi degree-holders. Enjoying considerable wealth and cultural privilege in his youth, Zhang cultivated refined tastes in theatre, tea, antiquities, travel, food, music, and urban leisure, although he repeatedly failed the provincial imperial examinations.
Following the collapse of…

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