Notice List

1. First read through once, marking key sentences on ingredients, seasoning, and heat, then go back for close reading.
2. Read in conjunction with later chapters of Suiyuan Shidan to understand how the “things that must be known” are put into practice in specific dishes.
3. Read a small passage at a time and annotate it in connection with one of your own cooking experiences; this makes it easier to appreciate its sense of proportion.
4. Look up uncommon characters and words in annotations or reference works first; there is no need to master every detail in a single reading.

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.