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2025/26 School of Chinese Research Student Seminar

玩物喪志？論宋人飼養寵物的風氣

Being Indulgent and Losing Ambition? The Penchant for Pet-keeping Practices in the Song Dynasty

Speaker: Mr. CHAN Sai Hung Curtis 陳世雄 (MPhil)
 
Date & Time: April 10, 2026 (Fri) 17:30-18:45 (HKT)
Language: Cantonese
Venue: CRT-7.30, 7/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

 Mode of Delivery: Face-to-face

Abstract:

中國動物史研究方興未艾。可是，學界並未對宋代動物史予以足夠關注，如甚少對相關課題作有較為系統和深入的研究。宋代商品經濟高度發展，社會富足安定，而當時不少休閒娛樂活動皆見動物的足跡，如鳥、獸、蟲、魚等。 宋人飼養小型動物及珍禽異獸的現象更為普遍，而飼養寵物已經成為跨階層現象。

本場報告將探討宋代的寵物及其主人，從中分析當時飼養寵物的風氣、背後成因及社會文化影響，特別是寵物商品化現象。本場報告擬重點探討三個核心問題：第一，宋代社會上的不同群體如何看待動物飼養寵物之舉，而他們飼養寵物的經驗如何塑造宋人對於動物的認知；第二，在考慮「唐宋變革」論及其他因素下，宋人為何熱衷於飼養不同種類的寵物；第三，飼養寵物如何改變宋人的生活、消費模式及文化內涵。本研究不僅希望展現出宋代寵物的存在感和宋人生活面貌，還可以重新反思中國歷史上人類與動物的相輔相成關係，以及後人對宋人飼養寵物風氣予以「玩物喪志」的負面標籤。

The field of Chinese animal history is in the ascendant. Yet, academia pays insufficient attention to the animal history of the Song dynasty, particularly because few systematic, in-depth studies have been conducted on related topics.  Given the high level of commodity development and social stability, it was commonplace to see animals in historical records of leisure and entertainment activities in the Song dynasty, including birds, beasts, insects, and fish. Keeping small and rare animals has become more prevalent among the Song people crossing different social classes. By exemplifying this phenomenon through pets (companion animals) and their owners, this seminar will analyse the penchant for pet-keeping in the Song dynasty, the reasons for cultivating it, and its social and cultural influences (e.g. the commodification of pets). This seminar tries to address three core research questions. First, how various sorts of groups in the Song society perceived pet keeping, and how their pet-keeping experience shaped the understanding of Song people towards animals. Second, with the consideration of the Tang-Song transition and other factors, why were the Song people passionate about keeping various types of pets? Third, how this penchant transformed the lifestyle, consumption patterns, and cultural implications of the Song people. This study aims not only to demonstrate the existence of pets and human lifestyles in the Song dynasty, but also to reflect on the human-animal reciprocal relationship in Chinese history and the negative perception of being Indulgent and of losing ambition towards pet keeping, labelled by people after the Song dynasty.

ALL are welcome*
*NO Pre-registration is requested.