The studio is an enclosed site specifically used for reading, writing and art creation. During the Song dynasty (960–1279), the studio became a significant cultural space for literati. This talk will analyze the attributes of this cultural space by going beyond the studio, in terms of its relationship with its natural surroundings. In Song literary and pictorial representations, this interplay between the studio and its surrounding scenery is represented as the "mise-en-abyme," through which nature and culture are continuously framed, transformed, and intertwined.

Yunshuang Zhang is currently a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Wayne State University. She received her Ph.D. in classical Chinese literature and culture from the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA in 2017. She obtained her M.A. and B.A. in Chinese Literature from Peking University, China. Her research interests center on the literature and literati culture during Middle Period China (800–1400). She is now working on her book project, entitled “Porous Privacy: The Literati Studio and Spatiality in Song China.” This project examines the privacy of the studio space and the way by which it works as a medium for the reproduction of literati culture.

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.

Image Caption: Liu Songnian, Reading Changes by the Autumn Window, album leaf, ink and color on silk, 25.7 × 26 cm. Liaoning Provincial Museum.