Fighting Roosters and Chinese Culture: A Collection of World Sinology

Author: Gao Deyao and Zhang Zhenjun (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This book studies the cockfighting activity in traditional Chinese culture using historical, literary, and other materials. Some may find the topic a bit strange, but I believe that if we want to learn more about a society's past, sometimes we must study phenomena that have not received much attention before. Knowledge of such daily life and leisure activities can give us a deeper impression of traditional Chinese culture. More importantly, as a literary theme and social phenomenon, cockfighting can reveal certain literary, historical characteristics, and trends. Poetry about cockfighting not only has literary value but also, along with other materials about cockfighting competitions, helps us better understand cultural trends and the norms of the times. In books like the Zhuangzi and Liezi, cockfighting also serves a philosophical debate purpose. In other words, cockfighting is a worthwhile subject to explore. In a sense, this book is exploratory. That is to say, readers should view it partly as an effort to study the relationship between humans and nature. While some excellent studies have already been made on plants and animals in Chinese culture, there are still many issues left to explore. Although I am not an expert in anthropology and sociology, I hope scholars of Chinese literature, history, anthropology, and sociology will find it interesting and useful.