salon is a transliteration of French Salon. The original meaning is living room. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, French literati and artists were entertained by aristocratic women and gathered in the living room to talk about literature and art.. Later, it was called "Salon" for writers and artists to meet and talk. In the second half of the 17th century, the plastic arts exhibition held by French officials in Paris every year was also called "Salon". Nowadays, it mostly refers to elegant meeting places, such as art salons and food salons.
Salon, which means living room in Chinese, was the center of communication, networking and persuasion among famous families and celebrities in the upper class during the Middle Ages in Europe. Within the scope of Salon culture, it is not authoritative people who dominate the prominent dignitaries, or the rich, great thinkers and great writers, but some women. These women played the leading role of Salon culture in Europe from 15th century to 19th century. In any famous Salon, its fame did not come from contemporary celebrities, nor did it need much aristocratic support. It was the only thing that could not be lacked, that is, an outstanding hostess. Therefore, among many Salons, it is a convention that a famous salon often has a very good hostess, such as the wife of a duke or earl. And successfully hosting a Salon can win them social praise, reveal many upper-class figures, and they can even dominate the atmosphere of an era.
The word "salon" first appeared in English in 1699, which originally meant the hall or reception room in a castle or palace. English writers have been using the French spelling of the word until 1728, when the English spelling "saloon" was used to refer to the drawing room in a rich house in the countryside.
"Salon" continued to be used in high-grade English literary works (because the upper class in Britain regarded French as a more cultured language) until the 19th century, when it gradually referred to the living room or art showroom of the rich, just as French used this word in the 18th and 19th centuries. In literature, the word salon has formed a more specific meaning, that is, the living room where a rich "hostess" hosts a friend's party. Since about 1815 (after the Napoleonic Wars), salon has evolved into a literary (cultural) activity place, and its main significance is "the living room of the rich hostess's home, where seminars on art, music, literature and other cultural knowledge are held."
The word "salon" first appeared in American English in 1841, which means "a place where spirits are sold and drunk". In the 198s, salon was an unseemly gathering place, where rude men who lacked self-cultivation met and talked about politics, war, sports and women. Mark Twain, Jack London and other realistic writers made the word "salon" popular.
Therefore, in English, "salon" is often endowed with high-level cultural connotation, while "salon" is clearly a low-level cultural place.