Six Records of a Floating Life

As a child, Shen Fu enjoyed observing the natural world. He would imagine that mosquitoes were cranes, letting them into his bedroom and blowing smoke among them so that they looked to be flying through a cloudy sky. Once, he was so engrossed watching two insects fight that when they were swallowed by a toad he was momentarily scared himself, before recovering and scolding the animal. On another occasion, an earthworm bit his genitals while he was squatting in the grass, causing them to swell so badly that he couldn’t urinate. His family tried to help by holding a duck’s head to his groin, duck saliva being the prescribed cure, but Shen Fu screamed so loudly for fear of being pecked that the incident became a family joke.

As he grew into adulthood, Shen Fu became deeply interested in the cultivation and arrangement of flowers. Orchids are his favorite flowers, and his teacher gifted him an outstanding specimen that died suddenly after only a few years in his possession. Shen Fu was distraught, swore never again to grow orchids, and later learnt that a jealous acquaintance poured boiling water over the flower to kill it. His second favorite flowers are azaleas, but he always had difficulty cultivating them since Chen Yun thought it cruel to prune them as thoroughly as good taste dictated. Every autumn, Shen Fu would pick chrysanthemums and display them in vases since he didn’t have the garden space to grow them himself, and flowers transplanted into pots never look right. He also appreciates the art of raising potted trees, although it takes decades to cultivate a single tree and very few people actually manage to do so well.

Shen Fu discusses some of the techniques used in flower arranging, such as the use of pins to secure flowers and wedges to shape picked boughs into curves. He also lists some guidelines for displaying flowers well, including the need for care in their layout and the fact that there should always be an odd number of flowers in each vase. When he’s at home, he always arranges a vase of flowers on his desk, and Chen Yun would admire his ability to create a lovely display regardless of the season. She suggested a method of including insects in his displays, by killing them with a pin and securing them in position with wires, which always impresses his guests. He finds that another pleasure of leisure is to burn incense in a quiet room and discusses the different methods of preparation for various fragrant woods and fruits.

Another pastime is the creation of miniature scenes by decorating pots. He shares some of his techniques and tricks, such as mixing cabbage sprouts with coal to produce a striking vista, or growing lotuses in egg shells to produce a specific shape. Together he and Chen Yun once painstakingly constructed a miniature world in a pot decorated with mountain stones. They fantasized about living in the miniature scene, discussing it at length, and were deeply grieved when it was upended and destroyed by a pair of brawling cats. Similar care, he believes, should be taken in laying out a garden, arranging things properly and thoughtfully so that real elements and illusions were intermingled and indistinguishable. Shen Fu believes that diligent effort must also be made when planning the layout of a house. He and Chen Yun always did their best to maximize space however small their accommodations, pasting white paper on the walls and thoughtfully arranging furniture.

Shen Fu and Chen Yun once spent 18 months living in The Villa of Serenity, the home of one of Shen Fu’s friends. Chen Yun supported them financially by embroidering and selling her own personal valuables, since Shen Fu wasn’t working at this time. Chen Yun was exceptionally skilled at producing delicious meals while spending very little. As a poor scholar, Shen Fu appreciates the value of frugality, which he defines as the quality of knowing when and how to save money. Yun was very adept at finding innovative ways to economize without compromising Shen Fu’s lifestyle.

Shen Fu enjoys entertaining friends and prides himself on being a good host, so most of their time in The Villa of Serenity was spent with a large and revolving group of likeminded scholars. Shen Fu’s friends, knowing him poor, contributed to the wine budget so that they could play drinking games. They fostered a generous and amicable atmosphere, forbidding talk of official business or examinations, but they competed in games of poetry composition in the style of exams. Shen Fu learned to paint from his artist friends and was amazed at the artworks they produced during that time. Chen Yun once amazed and delighted both Shen Fu and his guests on a visit to the countryside by thinking to pay a dumpling seller from the market to accompany them with a portable stove. In this way, they were able to enjoy hot wine, tea, and food while admiring the blooming fields of rape flowers, much to the envy of other visitors. Shen Fu laments that those idyllic days are passed and that those friends and companions have all parted ways or died.