The admittedly rather obscure title of this Website/Blog refers to a linguistic shift on a short piece of prose written by Ouyang Xiu called ‘The Roadside Hut of the Old Drunkard’ (醉翁亭記). This sounds like jui yung ting kei, however in the case of my blog yung which means ‘old man’ has been changed to ‘young’, making it the roadside hut of a young drunkard. Here is why: the work describes an aged man, who lives in the idyllically depicted district of Chu, the spectacular natural beauty of which is compellingly described. Next to a stream in this valley lies a hut, which actually belongs to the governor of the region, the eponymous ‘Old Drunkard’ himself. Here the governor resides, revelling in nature and hosting feasts for the local passers-by, with each new season conferring its blessings upon the area.
Now the purpose of this tale is neither to trace one elderly gentleman’s descent into substance abuse and cirrhosis, nor as a commentary on the failings of local government, rather it is to demonstrate how the enjoyment the protagonist finds in his natural surroundings, in human company, and indeed in food, is enhanced through his affinity for his cups. However not only does this particular personality trait ensure the governor’s popularity, elevate his natural conviviality and heighten his appreciation of nature, but it also strengthens his powers of observation and reflection.
At the end of the piece the author reveals that the ‘Old Drunkard’ is in fact Ouyang Xiu himself. A tale in which alcohol is said to heighten the author’s individual mental and social faculties therefore take on more than an autobiographical significance when we know that the author/protagonist was also a famed historian and poet, and heavily involved in government at both the court and the provincial level.
Unlike Ouyang Xiu I sadly cannot claim to be among the foremost artistic, literary and aesthetic minds of my day, however I too enjoy sociability and conviviality in many forms, am partial to reasonable amounts of high quality alcoholic beverages, and believe that if approached with the right attitude, a good wine makes me think and prompts me to reflect on myself and on the world as I perceive it. It is for this reason that a short story in which a man synthesises his experience in the world in such a way not only coincided with my own personal and professional interests, but also seemed a novel idea for my first website/blog. The ‘Roadside Hut’, and my blogsite therefore, in this way are not a retreat from the world, but a place where the subjectively best things in life are brought together to enhance the meaning of that life.
What I am trying to achieve with such a thing is something, if not wholly unique, nonetheless represents or indeed creates what can only be described as my own world view. It is an exercise to recreate in the form of a website and blog, a process of thought and reflection, covering my academic interests and my thoughts on world events, and of course united by my own professional and personal interest in the Wine and Spirits industry. It is an attempt at self definition, to find a modern day and youthful equivalent of Ouyang Xiu’s unifying concept, and I hope that what I write will prove useful, interesting or at least distracting to others.
Disclaimer:
Both paintings that form the background image are by Lee-Ki-Chi (李耆慈). The text for the banner is taken from an electronic book entitled 「醉翁亭记」(Jui Yung Ting Kei), published in China by 安徽美术出版社, 1983.
jytk.wordpress.com 