The January 1924 section of the ROC chronology published by the Academia Historica records three major events: the convening of the KMT's first national congress, Chiang Kai-shek accepting the commission to establish the Whampoa Academy, and Sun Yat-sen lecturing on the Three Principles of the People in Canton. In the same month, under the category of small, non-governmental events, is noted the establishment in Shanghai of the Zhou Club by Ting Fu-pao and others. Since that time, the organization has evolved into a gathering space for literati.

The beginnings of a tradition

In actuality, the group's first gatherings predate 1924. In 1922, ten literati, alike in disposition and in their shared appreciation of zhou and fine tea, decided to get together. Every couple of days, they would meet up in Shanghai and spend a pleasant day sipping tea and chatting at a teashop. The group didn't emphasize formal etiquette, preferring instead to chat in a relaxed and friendly manner. Later on, from January 13, 1924, the group began meeting every Monday. The group's organizer, Ting Fu-pao, who had always been in the habit of eating a late-night snack of zhou, offered his home as the meeting place, as well as providing zhou for everyone to eat. And so began the Zhou Club, with everyone assembling at the Ting residence to enjoy a pot of steamy zhou and a variety of hors d'oeuvres.

What is especially astonishing is how this casual, loose-knit organization has managed to perpetuate itself for so long, from its establishment in Shanghai in 1924 up to the present. The only lapse occurred sometime around 1941, during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Not long afterward, deep in the mainland's interior at Chongqing, Wu Chih-hui inaugurated the club's "second generation." After the war, it was Wu's student, Ti Ying, who reinstated the group in Taipei, where its tradition of refinement has continued until now.

Although referred to as a "club," this scholarly gathering differed entirely from typical social clubs. There was no collective goal, no membership fees, no formal etiquette, only people sitting down for some zhou. Core members Ting Fu-pao, Wu Chih-hui, Chien Hua-fo, Chuang Yun-kuan, Chiang Wei-chiao, and Chiu Pao-liang brought in kindred spirits to take part in the unrestrained, stimulating discussions.

"After 80 years, the Zhou Club still doesn't collect club dues. There is a meeting on the 15th of every month. There aren't any invitation notices, people are free to come and go as they choose-above all, it's important for the sessions to be relaxed," observes current president Louis Lu, who once served as an aide to Vincent Siew during the latter's tenure as premier. The only difference is that now the club assembles at a pre-selected restaurant, and members therefore are required each time to pay a NT$300 fee that covers the price of their zhou.

Perhaps the younger generation today is unaware of the identity of founder Ting Fu-pao. Besides possessing a government diploma from the Qing Dynasty imperial exam system, he was also a prominent mathematician, physician, literary scholar and Buddhist scholar during the early Republican era. His published works on algebra, medicine, poetry and Buddhism were all important in their respective fields.

Zhou in troubled times

During World War II, Shanghai was in the hands of the Japanese, and founding member Wu Chih-hui followed the KMT government to Chongqing. Constantly visited by thoughts of Ting and other old comrades still in enemy-occupied Shanghai, he revived the Zhou Club there in Chongqing, where it was known to the local Sichuan population as the "evening zhou party." The late Ku Yu-hsiu, a highly regarded elderly diplomat, was one of the organization's patrons during this period.

Wu Chih-hui, one of the founding fathers of the ROC and an old friend of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, always received guests with a heart full of warmth and a bowl full of piping-hot zhou. Amidst the wartime chaos, in addition to preserving the group's uninhibited exchanges, Wu also continued the economical practice of eating zhou, as a tribute to friends stuck in occupied regions.

Wu led a life of moderation, living in humble residences, and eating and dressing simply. Throughout his life he eschewed Western-styled suits in favor of traditional Chinese gowns-even when attending national ceremonies he would garb himself in a black Chinese robe. Regardless of where he lived, his accommodations were always unrivaled in their simplicity, as in the case of his lodging in Chongqing, which was sandwiched between a bus station and a drainage ditch. His preferred mode of transportation was always walking, and he refused to take rickshaws. In fact, once, after someone presented him with a rickshaw, he asked Chiang Ching-kuo to saw off the handles. He then took it back home to serve as a rocking chair. "With two legs people can walk about-what's the point of being dragged around? When pulled about in a cart, aren't there four legs then?" Wu's comments always abounded in incisive wit.

When he became ill and was putting his affairs in order, upon discovering that he hadn't a penny to his name, he burst into laughter. He marked his accounts as "settled," and then went on to write in his will, "We come into the world owning nothing; to depart the world with possessions, now that's shameful!" Wu's frank and carefree manner has become a paragon for the later generations of the Zhou Club. "You could say that he embodies the very essence of the group. We always put on big commemorative events every fifth anniversary of his passing," says Louis Lu.

Wu loved to eat zhou, consuming it for both morning and evening meals. A long while back, he bestowed a motto upon a formerly directionless and casual group: "Chat about the mundane, and treat history with mirth." For members of the group, the eight Chinese characters of the motto have since become a credo to live by. "The part about 'chatting about the mundane' means to avoid speaking of political matters, and the bit that goes 'treat history with mirth' refers to discussing things that really matter to the nation, though most of the time, art and literature are the subjects that get discussed," explains Lu.

Putting words into action

After the period of Japanese occupation had concluded, many Zhou Club members headed to Taiwan, one after the other. At first, life in Taiwan afforded no time to resume the group's elegant gatherings. Finally, in the winter of 1958, five years after the passing of Wu Chih-hui, Ti Ying, one of Wu's disciples, commented abruptly to his youthful friend Shen Ying-tung: "Mr. Wu had great expectations for the Zhou Club. We've got to find a way to realize them." Shen didn't utter a word, but got to work immediately after the two parted, reviving the organization that very winter in Taipei. Thanks to Shen, who did the lion's share of the work in resurrecting the club, Ti's remark turned out to be more than just mere whimsy. A young man back in the winter of 1958, Shen is now the club's central figure at age 86.

Reminiscing on the club's restoration process over 40 years ago, Shen chuckles, noting that during that era of social restriction, such gatherings involved some precaution; as a result, the invitation notices listed the purpose of the gathering as "to discuss the development of tourism in Pilu. Zhou snacks will be provided." The so-called Pilu was actually a crude bamboo house by the side of Pitan Lake in Hsintien. Surrounded by the exquisite scenery, the club members would dish out zhou from a large vessel. Occasionally, they would venture outdoors to converse, and from these sessions emerged a wealth of poetry. "Sipping zhou in the mountainside cottage / Pursuing beauty in elegant company / Today the splendid colors seem even brighter / The lake's rippling surface shining like a maiden's red dress." This verse by poet member Chen Mai-tze clearly evokes the image of those bygone days.

Zhou for thought

Next year, the club will reach 80 years since its founding by Ting Fu-pao in Shanghai. Over the years, the Zhou Club has had over 1000 members, and today there are over 200 core members. In addition to Taipei, branches have been established in locales such as Kinmen, the American cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the South American nation Uruguay. In 1998, the Taipei branch officially changed its name to the Party and Porridge Club. Due to the increase in membership, the meeting place has shifted from the personal residences of its members in the early days (where the host would personally furnish the zhou repast) to restaurants. The association presently meets on the 15th of every month at Yuei Vin Lou Restaurant on Chunghsiao East Road. There are additional large-scale meetings as well, which are convened at varying times and locations.

Throughout the last 80 years the club has seen the congregation of brilliant minds. All of the members have been well-versed or even masters of calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving. "Club members always bring their name chops (a seal carved with a person's name in Chinese characters) and decorative seals to meetings. After eating their fill of zhou, the members let their muse take over, as they burst into displays of extemporaneous creativity," observes Louis Lu.

At the club's August 15 meeting the walls were completely covered with works of painting and calligraphy of a sister organization. A Professor Chang spoke passionately about the wondrous uses of medicinal zhou, writer Lu Chia-chi distributed his latest work, and others performed snippets of Beijing opera. To be certain, the room was ablaze with talent and ability.

When he joined the organization 20 years ago, Louis Lu recalls, he was just a youngster. In those days historians Li Tung-fang and Hsiung Shih-yi, and photographers Lang Ching-shan and Liu Tai-hsi were devoted members. "I didn't even have to open my mouth-just basking in the words of the elder members was a reward in itself." Now a genealogist and a collector of ruyi (traditional ceremonial scepters), Lu exclaims fervently, "That was truly a priceless educational experience!"

The Zhou Club has an interesting tradition of "debating with painting rather than words." In the past, whenever a club member celebrated a 25th or 50th wedding anniversary, or was celebrating a birthday of advanced years, the club members would put their brushes to the test, both uniting their efforts and competing with one another to make a collaborative work of art to serve as a gift. One person would decide the theme of the painting, then each person would infuse the work with their particular specialty. For instance, Yeh Kung-chao excelled at portraying bamboo, Huang Chun-pi at stones, and Chen Tzu-he at pine trees. "Those men of letters possessed such breadth of spirit. Even though they had all attained greatness, they were able to cast aside their egos and create magnificent artworks together. This kind of cooperative painting is hard to find nowadays," sighs Lu. However, with the establishment of a Lang Ching-shan memorial in Quanzhou (mainland China), a group of Zhou Club members just recently put the finishing touches to two cooperative works: a bird-and-flower painting and a landscape painting. The project was completed under the rallying cry of Shen Ying-tung, the heart and soul of the organization, and once again reaffirmed the club's aesthetic spirit.

In order to remember the integrity of Wu Chih-hui, the Zhou Club has decided to organize a commemorative exhibit on Kinmen some time around December 1. As the event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the scattering of Wu's ashes into Kinmen waters, the club members will not only set up an exhibition of calligraphy and painting, but will also dedicate a pavilion in Wu's honor.

The Zhou Club will be holding a Party and Porridge Club 80th anniversary exhibition in the Art Corridor of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall from December 31, 2002 to January 7, 2003. The exhibit will display works from various artists from each period in the club's history, tracing the group's migration from Shanghai, to Chongqing, to Taipei. Included will be works by running-grass calligraphy master Tsai Ting-hsin, bird-and-flower master Shao You-hsuan, figurine painter Wang Shou-hsuan, fish painter par excellence Li Pei, seal cutter Ying Erh-po, and photographer Chou Chih-kang, along with the works of other notables. To assemble artworks by these outstanding club members, Zhou Club President Lu made several trips to the Academia Historica to sift through pertinent files.

Zhou forever

Thoroughly familiar with this collection, Liao Chih-ming, director of the Department of Data Verification at the Academia Historica, points out that the Academia Historica possesses a total of 10 million files, yet in the entire collection it is both rare and precious to find a social club that is as exhaustively documented as the Zhou Club. In addition, the stalwarts that comprise the club are held in high esteem on account of their scholarship and integrity, and they have greatly enriched society with their contributions. "Almost 50 individuals from the Zhou Club have been officially recognized by national historiographers as historically significant personages on account of their weighty achievements," informs Liao.

"How can a luxurious banquet compare to this our zhou gathering / The gathered host of cultural giants / The halls are filled with eloquent discussion of every topic / And brilliant skill manifested in an instant," proclaims a poem by Liang Han-chao. Reflecting reverentially on the romantic figures of yesteryear, Louis Lu opines that the reason the club has continued and proliferated owes to a kind of light-heartedness. Despite being people of influence and stature, the Zhou Club founding members never took themselves too seriously, which is precisely why they derived such pleasure from its carefree discussions.

"Having zhou satisfies the stomach / Having fruit and vegetables satisfies the taste buds / Having friends allows for fluid conversation / How I delight in this simple life," club founder Ting Fu-pao once said. Seen in the context of today's society, with its tangled moral fibers and lack of role models, the rectitude of the Zhou Club hearkens back to a distant time.

p.090

This logo bearing the Chinese character zhou is the work of former president Li Shih-tseng; the calligraphy for "Party and Porridge Club" comes from the brush of Wu Chih-hui.

p.091

Eating zhou is an indispensable part of Zhou Club meetings. In addition to regular monthly meetings, there are additional gatherings like this little get-together at the residence of club president Louis Lu.

p.091

"Chat about the mundane, and treat history with mirth," originally spoken by Wu Chih-hui, is the group's core philosophy. The calligraphy here is by Li Shih-tseng.

p.092

Eighty-six-year-old club supervisor Shen Ying-tung was the driving force in the club's revival in Taipei 44 years ago.

p.093

In the 1950s club members kept the zhou in large pails, a unique practice. (courtesy of Academia Historica)

p.093

The Zhou Club was full of talented individuals from political, military and artistic circles. This photograph from the old days is rich in nostalgic value. In the center, with the long whiskers, is Yu Shih-jen, calligrapher and former president of the Control Yuan. At his side, head lowered, absorbed in his bowl of zhou, is General Yang Sen. (courtesy of Academia Historica)

p.093

Here is Zhou Club founder Ting Fu-pao (right) and the man who revived the club in the provisional capital of Chongqing, Wu Chih-hui. (courtesy of Academia Historica)

p.093

The Zhou Club only issued meeting notices for special occasions. Pictured here is the announcement of the club's first meeting in Taipei following years of inactivity.

p.094

Yu Shih-jen's couplet will be displayed in

a Party and Porridge 80th anniversary exhibit at the end of the year.

(courtesy of Louis Lu)

p.094

In bygone days, club member Wang Shou-hsuan stood out for his consummate painting ability. His masterful landscape paintings are in a league of their own.

p.095

Current Zhou Club president Louis Lu is a man steeped in culture. In addition to being a genealogist and a collector of ruyi, he is also a PR man renowned for his talent in crisis management.

p.096

Club president Lu's home is a great place for small gatherings. In the front row, from right to left, are painter Wang Shou-hsuan, club supervisor Shen Ying-tung, and writer Chang Hsing-chou. In the back row, from right to left, are photographer Li Cheng-chi, assistant secretary-general Shao Lung-mei, painter Ku Jui-lan, president Louis Lu, painter Ying Erh-po, bamboo sculptor Li Yu-tseng, and seal cutter Chang Hui-liang.