@article{ART003374875},
author={Ou Yeye},
title={The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue},
journal={The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China},
issn={1738-0502},
year={2026},
number={81},
pages={429-446},
doi={10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016}
TY - JOUR
AU - Ou Yeye
TI - The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue
JO - The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 81
PB - Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
SP - 429
EP - 446
SN - 1738-0502
AB - The Golden Cangue is a novella by Eileen Chang, which delicately portrays the tragic fate of Cao Qiqiao, who transforms from being “consumed” to “consuming others” under the old feudal family system. Previous studies on Golden Cangue have generally focused on analyses of Cao Qiqiao's character and discussions of female consciousness, while systematic investigations into the food culture within the novel remain scarce. The frequently appearing food imagery in Golden Cangue—sesame oil, candied walnuts, dried bamboo shoots, honey-layered cake, sour plum soup, dumplings, and lidded bowl tea—is not merely incidental background props but constitutes a complete metaphorical system. This paper takes food writing as an entry point to conduct a close textual reading of seven food images in Golden Cangue, revealing how Eileen Chang employs the superficial cultural phenomena of “food” and their underlying metaphors to depict characters’ romantic relationships and the fate of women. On this basis, by contrasting the “food absence” fates of the two women, Zhi Shou and Chang'an, this paper explores Eileen Chang unique strategy in portraying female characters. It argues that Eileen Chang uses food as a language, building a metaphorical bridge between taste and emotion, and portrays the depths of human nature through everyday objects, thereby accomplishing a gustatory inquiry into the fate of modern Chinese women.
KW - Eileen Chang;The Golden Cangue;Food Writing;Theorizing feminism;cao qiqiao
DO - 10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
ER -
Ou Yeye. (2026). The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, 81, 429-446.
Ou Yeye. 2026, "The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue", The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, no.81, pp.429-446. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
Ou Yeye "The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China 81 pp.429-446 (2026) : 429.
Ou Yeye. The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue. 2026; 81 : 429-446. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
Ou Yeye. "The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China no.81(2026) : 429-446.doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
Ou Yeye. The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, 81, 429-446. doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
Ou Yeye. The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China. 2026; 81 429-446. doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
Ou Yeye. The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue. 2026; 81 : 429-446. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
Ou Yeye. "The Shackles of Taste ― Food Writing and Women's Fate in Eileen Chang's The Golden Cangue" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China no.81(2026) : 429-446.doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.016
