Lecture
Sense Embodied: Cloves and Olfactory Transitions in Middle Period China
- Date
- Friday 3 May 2024
- Time
- Address
-
- Room
- Vrieshof 1/0.06
Abstract
In Chinese olfactory history, there is a dominant narrative that emphasizes the ethereal and sublime, ideally delighting the disembodied mind of male literati, while casting aside sensual and bodily fragrances, especially those associated with femininity and appetites. Revisiting this narrative, this study delves into the history of a carnally important aromatic, cloves, whose scent holds prominence in the mainstream narrative of global history but is ostensibly overlooked in Chinese history. This study seeks to understand how and why cloves, originally the dried flower buds of the tropical tree Syzygium aromaticum, grown exclusively in select volcanic islands of eastern Indonesia, evolved from being a perfume for the body to an essential ingredient in a floral turn of Chinese incense culture and an important warming agent in Chinese medicine. Through this case study, we inquire into how an exotic aromatic like cloves interacted with Chinese smell-culture and, moving beyond the dominant literati discourse, reveal its own agency in shaping Chinese olfactory practices.