Treatise on Superfluous Things

The first complete English translation of a classic late Ming Chinese treatise on good taste.

Written in the 17th Century by Chinese scholar Wen Zhenheng, Treatise on Superfluous Things offers a compelling glimpse into the tastes and cultural values of the educated elite in late Ming China. This guide to everyday items - from window frames and old master paintings to caged birds, fruits, and vegetables - is the most complete surviving account of the material and cultural tastes of the era in one of China's largest and richest cities. It is also a guide to finding joy, pleasure and harmony in the objects all around us every day.