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Wang Shixiang (1914-2009) is known for his wide range of hobbies and his even wider range of academic knowledge of his hobbies. He was from a family of high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republic of China (1911-1949) and grew up in wealth and with excellent education. During his long and fruitful career as an antique expert, collector and connoisseur, Wang was practically a walking encyclopedia about almost every plaything that once attracted good-for-nothing descendents of wealthy families in the capital of the country. His hobbies included crickets, doves, eagles, dogs, bamboo carving, furniture of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), ancient architecture, and cuisine. During his legendary lifetime, he published more than fifty academic books on the playthings that were the foundation of his hobbies.
He is regarded as an unprecedented scholar who had great hobbies and studied the objects of his hobbies systematically and academically. There has never been a scholar like him. Some scholars even go so far as to say there will never be a scholar like him.
In 2003, Wang Shixiang was chosen as the laureate for the principal award for the 2003 Prince Claus Awards. That year, the theme of the awards was “The Survival and Innovation of Crafts”. Wang donated the prize money of 100,000 Euro and set up a primary school in his home province of Fujian in southern China. The school is called China-Netherlands Friendship School.
Wang Shixiang had a liking for cuisine as a boy. In his evening years, he once recalled his fascination with cooking as a boy. One of the great pastimes in his boyhood years was watching chefs work at the kitchen after school. As his was a wealthy family, chefs were highly skillful. He learned cooking from these chefs and was able to prepare dishes of various cuisines. As he grew up, he made friends with a lot of chefs. When he went to a restaurant where a chef friend was working, Wang was allowed to make dishes in the kitchen. Many of his chef friends thought he was a professional chef and they did not have the inkling that Wang worked in the Palace Museum as an expert of ancient treasures and that cooking was one of his many hobbies.
Many friends remember how Wang Shixiang would go to food markets and choose the best food and then carry all the choice materials to cook at a friend’s house. At a get-together party, Wang Shixiang invited every friend to cook a dish, challenging them to make the best show of their cooking skills. His friends chose expensive food, but Wang surprised them all by making a dish of scallions, which is frequently used for seasoning in Chinese cooking. Wang’s offer became the best dish at the get-together and many friends wrote about this dish in their memoirs.
In 1998, Wang was engaged to write a preface for “A Collection of Writings about Louwailou Restaurant by Celebrities”, a literary project put together by the Louwailou Restaurant in Hangzhou. When the CEO of Louwailou came to Beijing and visited him, Wang Shixiang invited the CEO to dine at his home the next time and promised to surprise the CEO with his cooking.
In the preface, Wang recalled his visits to the restaurant over a period of more than 70 years. When he was eight, Wang Shixiang lived in Hangzhou for a while. In his memory, the best dishes at the Louwailou were Fried Tofu Dumpling and West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy. His second visit to the restaurant was in 1955 when he enjoyed the two famous dishes again. In 1985, he visited Louwailou again. In 1996, he and his wife journeyed all the way from Beijing to see antique furniture in Ningbo and Cixi, two cities in eastern Zhejiang. They stopped over in Hangzhou on their way to and from the furniture studies. And they dined and wined at Louwailou twice. Wang and his wife enjoyed the yummy food and fond memory. Now, their joy and their memory are part of Louwailou’s history.
He is regarded as an unprecedented scholar who had great hobbies and studied the objects of his hobbies systematically and academically. There has never been a scholar like him. Some scholars even go so far as to say there will never be a scholar like him.
In 2003, Wang Shixiang was chosen as the laureate for the principal award for the 2003 Prince Claus Awards. That year, the theme of the awards was “The Survival and Innovation of Crafts”. Wang donated the prize money of 100,000 Euro and set up a primary school in his home province of Fujian in southern China. The school is called China-Netherlands Friendship School.
Wang Shixiang had a liking for cuisine as a boy. In his evening years, he once recalled his fascination with cooking as a boy. One of the great pastimes in his boyhood years was watching chefs work at the kitchen after school. As his was a wealthy family, chefs were highly skillful. He learned cooking from these chefs and was able to prepare dishes of various cuisines. As he grew up, he made friends with a lot of chefs. When he went to a restaurant where a chef friend was working, Wang was allowed to make dishes in the kitchen. Many of his chef friends thought he was a professional chef and they did not have the inkling that Wang worked in the Palace Museum as an expert of ancient treasures and that cooking was one of his many hobbies.
Many friends remember how Wang Shixiang would go to food markets and choose the best food and then carry all the choice materials to cook at a friend’s house. At a get-together party, Wang Shixiang invited every friend to cook a dish, challenging them to make the best show of their cooking skills. His friends chose expensive food, but Wang surprised them all by making a dish of scallions, which is frequently used for seasoning in Chinese cooking. Wang’s offer became the best dish at the get-together and many friends wrote about this dish in their memoirs.
In 1998, Wang was engaged to write a preface for “A Collection of Writings about Louwailou Restaurant by Celebrities”, a literary project put together by the Louwailou Restaurant in Hangzhou. When the CEO of Louwailou came to Beijing and visited him, Wang Shixiang invited the CEO to dine at his home the next time and promised to surprise the CEO with his cooking.
In the preface, Wang recalled his visits to the restaurant over a period of more than 70 years. When he was eight, Wang Shixiang lived in Hangzhou for a while. In his memory, the best dishes at the Louwailou were Fried Tofu Dumpling and West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy. His second visit to the restaurant was in 1955 when he enjoyed the two famous dishes again. In 1985, he visited Louwailou again. In 1996, he and his wife journeyed all the way from Beijing to see antique furniture in Ningbo and Cixi, two cities in eastern Zhejiang. They stopped over in Hangzhou on their way to and from the furniture studies. And they dined and wined at Louwailou twice. Wang and his wife enjoyed the yummy food and fond memory. Now, their joy and their memory are part of Louwailou’s history.