Li Yu's 'Carnets Secrets': A 17th-Century Chinese Art of Happiness

A new French edition of Li Yu's 'Carnets Secrets' (Les carnets secrets), translated and presented by Jacques Dars, offers a sumptuous florilegium from the 'Notes au gré d'humeurs oisives.' Li Yu (1611-1679) was a Chinese writer, playwright, and inventor who chose independence after failing provincial exams and the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644. He led a traveling troupe of actresses and wrote plays, short stories, and a dramaturgy treatise. His 'Carnets Secrets' compile practical recipes for daily happiness, covering makeup, gardening, interior design, diet, and health. He invented objects like a mobile awning, mosquito curtain, heated armchair, cool stool, fan-windows, and picture-windows. Li Yu also worked as a successful bookseller, publisher, and color printer, naming his press Jieziyuan ('Mustard Seed Garden') after his small garden in Nanjing. The book's design by Dars integrates commentary and text with varied typography, gravures, calligraphies, and colored prints, creating a reading experience akin to strolling through a Chinese garden.