You might have never heard of Fu Pei-Mei but for many people throughout the world her name is synonymous with Chinese cuisine. Born in Dailan, China and evacuating to Taiwan with Nationalists after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War, Pei-Mei's life mirrored much of the uncertainty the Chinese people faced throughout the 20th century. Born under Japanese occupation Pei-Mei was fluent in Japanese which contributed to her popularity in Japan where Chinese culture is still acknowledged as a formative element of Japanese culture. After getting married Pei-Mei learned how to cook and eventually got a television cooking show in Taiwan which became one of the most-watched programs on the island. Her contributions to "de-mystifying" Chinese cooking are well documented and she really is a remarkable woman of the 20th century, up there with the likes of Julia Child. However, what I would like to discuss is Pei-Mei's place in the cultural legitimization(or attempt at legitimization) of the Republic of China which found itself ousted from the mainland by communist forces in 1949.
Militarily out maneuvered President Chiang Kai-shek had to establish the legitimacy of his exiled government. This involved the imprisonment and execution of possible sympathizers to communism and the second longest period of martial law in the world (only recently beaten by Syria) lasting from 1940-1987. With their authority established on the island there was a need for legitimization among the international community. With a specific racial culture being such a central part of China, what better way to establish this than emphasizing Taiwan as the capital of Chinese culture. The collection of Chinese art and artifacts which became the National Palace Museum( a great topic for another post) became a cornerstone in this claim to legitimacy. To imagine the strength of this legitimization one must remember that while these policies were being enforced in Taiwan the communist regime in mainland China was spurring on the cultural revolution, which involved the destruction of cultural artifacts, suppression of traditional arts and music, and the eventual simplification of Chinese calligraphy. Meanwhile, across the straight, Chinese arts were encouraged and celebrated, often at the cost of local traditions. Culinary arts fell under this umbrella of cultural tradition.
It is commonly accepted that food-ways are a critical aspect of any culture, so many elementary school children are first exposed to cultural studies through the lure of strange and delicious food traditions. Food as being iconic and definitive of a nation is also an easily traced phenomenon(the American hamburger, French croissant, ect.) However, one does not typically look at food as means of cultural and, in this case, political legitimization. In her introduction to volume two of "Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book" Pei Mei herself places food in this unique role.
"'A nation looks upon citizens as its roots, while citizens depend upon food for living....' So states the maxim of Dr. Sun Yat-sen the father of the Republic of China, in his Three People's Principles. Today, the people of the province of Taiwan, in the Republic of China, the model province of the Three People's Principles, not only have enough to eat, but also seek delicate and exquisite dishes - Chinese cooking is an art."
This volume was published in 1974, three years after the United Nations voted to admit the Peoples Republic of China and expel the Republic of China. With almost no geo-political legitimacy a cultural one became ever-important. The fact that she specifies Taiwan as a province in the Republic of China speaks to the ever-tenuous claim to authority that continues to be made by the goverment in Taiwan over the mainland. Pei-Mei makes a point about the people of Taiwan having enough to eat, an obvious dig at the communist regime across the straight. There is also a deliberate attack on the perceived utilitarian ideals of communism. Beautiful delicacies are not something to be ashamed of or be seen as wasteful, but as art that should be held as a point of cultural pride. The apparent bounty present in this "model province" suggest that this bounty could be spread if a legitimate goverment guided by the teachings of Dr. Sun held the rest of the provinces. Fu Pei-Mei herself became the foremost authority in Chinese cuisine and her program was translated and broadcast throughout Asia and even the United States. In fact, this nationalistic forward was in a cook book that was purposefully designed for an English-speaking audience! The nationalist goverment in Taiwan may have lost the UN seat but they still were home to the queen of Chinese cuisine and they seemed to have recognized the cultural significance of this: Pei-Mei received numerous awards from the government during her lifetime. Pei-Mei also became a sort of informal ambassador of Chinese culture to the world, a culture who recognized the Republic of China's authority.
In this post I have simply placed Fu Pei-Mei in her political and cultural context but I hope to explore this topic more in depth in the future. For much of the 20th century the world's understanding of what Chinese culture was came exclusively from British-controlled Hong Kong and Nationalists who had fled to Taiwan. Even after their political authority was taken their cultural authority persisted and continues to persist in the western mind. Fu Pei-Mei was not a pawn of Chaing Kai-Shek or the Nationalist goverment, rather she was part of an attitude which sought to preserve and promulgate Chinese culture amidst the uncertainty of political turmoil. As the question of Taiwan's political status continues to be debated, the question of the island's cultural identity as well as what it means to be Chinese continues to be just as complicated and contradictory. Regardless, food continues to play a role in the evolving Asian cultural and political landscape where national identity often does not follow political lines.
Fu Pei-Mei's Obituary: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/09/17/2003203220
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| The cover of the Kindle version of one of Pei Mei's cookbooks |
It is commonly accepted that food-ways are a critical aspect of any culture, so many elementary school children are first exposed to cultural studies through the lure of strange and delicious food traditions. Food as being iconic and definitive of a nation is also an easily traced phenomenon(the American hamburger, French croissant, ect.) However, one does not typically look at food as means of cultural and, in this case, political legitimization. In her introduction to volume two of "Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book" Pei Mei herself places food in this unique role.
"'A nation looks upon citizens as its roots, while citizens depend upon food for living....' So states the maxim of Dr. Sun Yat-sen the father of the Republic of China, in his Three People's Principles. Today, the people of the province of Taiwan, in the Republic of China, the model province of the Three People's Principles, not only have enough to eat, but also seek delicate and exquisite dishes - Chinese cooking is an art."
This volume was published in 1974, three years after the United Nations voted to admit the Peoples Republic of China and expel the Republic of China. With almost no geo-political legitimacy a cultural one became ever-important. The fact that she specifies Taiwan as a province in the Republic of China speaks to the ever-tenuous claim to authority that continues to be made by the goverment in Taiwan over the mainland. Pei-Mei makes a point about the people of Taiwan having enough to eat, an obvious dig at the communist regime across the straight. There is also a deliberate attack on the perceived utilitarian ideals of communism. Beautiful delicacies are not something to be ashamed of or be seen as wasteful, but as art that should be held as a point of cultural pride. The apparent bounty present in this "model province" suggest that this bounty could be spread if a legitimate goverment guided by the teachings of Dr. Sun held the rest of the provinces. Fu Pei-Mei herself became the foremost authority in Chinese cuisine and her program was translated and broadcast throughout Asia and even the United States. In fact, this nationalistic forward was in a cook book that was purposefully designed for an English-speaking audience! The nationalist goverment in Taiwan may have lost the UN seat but they still were home to the queen of Chinese cuisine and they seemed to have recognized the cultural significance of this: Pei-Mei received numerous awards from the government during her lifetime. Pei-Mei also became a sort of informal ambassador of Chinese culture to the world, a culture who recognized the Republic of China's authority.
In this post I have simply placed Fu Pei-Mei in her political and cultural context but I hope to explore this topic more in depth in the future. For much of the 20th century the world's understanding of what Chinese culture was came exclusively from British-controlled Hong Kong and Nationalists who had fled to Taiwan. Even after their political authority was taken their cultural authority persisted and continues to persist in the western mind. Fu Pei-Mei was not a pawn of Chaing Kai-Shek or the Nationalist goverment, rather she was part of an attitude which sought to preserve and promulgate Chinese culture amidst the uncertainty of political turmoil. As the question of Taiwan's political status continues to be debated, the question of the island's cultural identity as well as what it means to be Chinese continues to be just as complicated and contradictory. Regardless, food continues to play a role in the evolving Asian cultural and political landscape where national identity often does not follow political lines.
Fu Pei-Mei's Obituary: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/09/17/2003203220
