A Playful Couplet on the Xingguo Dish “Four Stars Gazing at the Moon” [1]

(Autumn 1931)

Upper dish, lower dish, dish stacked on dish—pork, rice flour, taro slices, every dish filled with fine food;

Main ingredient, seasoning ingredient, ingredient mixed with ingredient—soy sauce, chili pepper, garlic cloves, every ingredient yields a delicacy.

[1] One day in the autumn of 1931, in the Central Soviet Area, Mao Zedong went to Changgang Township in Xingguo County to conduct a rural survey. At lunchtime, an elderly woman of the village, Aunt Liu, wanted to treat him to a specialty dish beloved by the locals. She took slices of pork, coated them in rice flour, placed them on a bed of taro slices, and mixed them with soy sauce, chili powder, garlic cloves, and other seasonings. These were placed separately in four dishes—three small dishes set on the lower level, with one large dish stacked on top—and steamed together in a steamer. Before long, the dish was steamed and brought to the table. Mao Zedong found the sight of the large dish stacked on the small dishes quite novel. He lifted his chopsticks to taste it and found it exceedingly delicious. He promptly asked those present what the dish was called. Grandpa Sun replied, “We folks around here only know how to make it, but we have no name for it.” At that moment, the township head who had accompanied him said, “Please give it a name.” Mao Zedong said, “Very well, very well. Then I shall compose a couplet for this dish: ‘Upper dish, lower dish, dish stacked on dish—pork, rice flour, taro slices, every dish filled with fine food; / Main ingredient, seasoning ingredient, ingredient mixed with ingredient—soy sauce, chili pepper, garlic cloves, every ingredient yields a delicacy.’ The horizontal scroll shall read ‘Four Stars Gazing at the Moon.’” The crowd present all cheered in approval.

“Four Stars Gazing at the Moon” (oil painting)