"Galloping our minds beyond the boundaries": Exploring leisure in the poetry of the orchid pavilion gathering

This study investigates the leisure experiences represented in poetry written by early medieval Chinese literati at the Orchid Pavilion gathering in relation to six determinants of the subjective leisure experience (intrinsic satisfaction, perceived freedom, involvement, arousal, mastery, and spontaneity) set forth by Unger and Kernan (1983). Though there is not a direct correlation between the leisure experiences of the Orchid Pavilion poets and modern contexts in the areas of intrinsic satisfaction, perceived freedom, arousal, and spontaneity, the contrasting aspects help to distinguish important temporal and cultural conceptions in the early medieval Chinese setting. After factoring in an additional aspect of the leisure experience (spirituality) in relation to the "mastery" determinant, the authors have found that the leisure experiences of the participants who produced poetry at the Orchid Pavilion gathering may be best appreciated in relation to the involvement and mastery determinants.