#170: As we ease into the holiday season, we’re revisiting a beautiful conversation with scholar Xuelei Huang about her book Scents of China: A Modern History of Smell. You’ll definitely want to gift this aromatic treasure to yourself, or someone you love!

In this episode, Frauke sits down with University of Edinburgh Senior Lecturer and author Xuelei Huang to discuss her new book Scents of China: A Modern History of Smell. In the conversation she reveals a unique perspective on the smellscapes that permeated Chinese life from the eighteenth through mid-twentieth century. Xuelei explains the concept of "smell as the stranger" and shares some of the rich olfactory imagery of 18th century China through references in the novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She then tells how nineteenth century Shanghai shows an exemplary depiction of deodorization, which started to happen at that time. And how a subsequent (re)perfuming changed the olfactory smellscape of China once again. Xuelei furthermore showcases the unique way Mao Zedong used olfactory tactics to transform politics in the early twentieth century. Whether you know a lot about Chinese history or not, this conversation will give you new perspectives and leave you longing to explore more.

Learn more about Xuelei Huang here: ⁠https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/xuelei-huang⁠

Check out her book Scents of China: A Modern History of Smell.

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