This study examines the historical and medicinal role of alcohol in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),with particular emphasis on rice wine.After outlining archaeological and textual evidence of alcohol’s therapeutic...This study examines the historical and medicinal role of alcohol in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),with particular emphasis on rice wine.After outlining archaeological and textual evidence of alcohol’s therapeutic use,the research addresses the underexplored role of rice wine by analyzing homebrewed,herb-infused variants.Using flow injection analysis(FIA)and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),the study evaluated antioxidant activity and bioactive compound retention.Results show that naturally fermented,herb-infused rice wines,especially red rice wines fermented with Monascus purpureus,exhibit superior antioxidant properties,suggesting their potential as effective vessels for enhancing the therapeutic benefits of Chinese herbal medicine.展开更多
Medicine and knowledge of medical practice have been exchanged along the Silk Road since antiquity.Medical texts provide the vast majority of information about the drugs,techniques,and ideas that passed from foreign l...Medicine and knowledge of medical practice have been exchanged along the Silk Road since antiquity.Medical texts provide the vast majority of information about the drugs,techniques,and ideas that passed from foreign lands into China and became part of Chinese medicine.In addition to the medical corpus,historical works provide the backdrop for how,when,and from where these ideas and medicines entered and influenced Chinese medical practice.Examining the historical texts and the information pertaining to medical exchange can allow us to better understand how foreign cultures and practices of medicine along the Silk Road entered and influenced Chinese Medicine.展开更多
Medical works and histories provide a general understanding of foreign influence on Chinese medicine,but a variety of miscellaneous texts give a deeper understanding of the details of this interaction.Trade manuals,no...Medical works and histories provide a general understanding of foreign influence on Chinese medicine,but a variety of miscellaneous texts give a deeper understanding of the details of this interaction.Trade manuals,notes on foreign interactions,archeological discoveries,and religious works all fill in important details on the incorporation of foreign medicines and ideas into Chinese medicine.展开更多
As basic facts of life,illness and healing occur frequently and in a variety of patterns in Chinese non-medical literature,starting from the earliest sources inscribed on oracle bones and continuing throughout literar...As basic facts of life,illness and healing occur frequently and in a variety of patterns in Chinese non-medical literature,starting from the earliest sources inscribed on oracle bones and continuing throughout literary history up to the present day.This article looks at illness narratives in early medieval anecdotal literature(3rd to 6th century CE)to understand how the experience of being sick or of attending to the sick was reflected in these socio-literary environments and what rhetorical and ideological roles these narratives played in their larger narrative contexts.By focusing on the experiences of the sick and those around them,this article aims at“Honoring the Stories of Illness,”in Rita Charon’s words,that are hiding in plain sight in much of Chinese non-medical literature.展开更多
The University of Washington has played a pivotal role in the field of sinology with faculty and alumni producing major publications in Chinese history,literature,phonetics,and linguistics.These contributions have bee...The University of Washington has played a pivotal role in the field of sinology with faculty and alumni producing major publications in Chinese history,literature,phonetics,and linguistics.These contributions have been instrumental in the development of sinology as a field and have both directly and indirectly influenced the study of Chinese Medicine.By tracing the history of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature and examining several major figures,we can better understand how these individuals shaped the development of Chinese Medicine and contributed to its spread worldwide.展开更多
Medicines have been traded along the Silk Road from antiquity until modern times.These products and their associated knowledge have been transferred over the land and sea between Asia,Europe,and Africa.Numerous texts ...Medicines have been traded along the Silk Road from antiquity until modern times.These products and their associated knowledge have been transferred over the land and sea between Asia,Europe,and Africa.Numerous texts that contain formulas and treatments passed along the Silk Road.Collections of these formulas and treatment methods called formularies contain unique information that informs this transfer of medicine.The texts and information flowed in both directions along these routes and while Chinese medicine influenced foreign medical practices both in history,and today,the incorporation of non-Chinese medicine and information also continues to influence Chinese medicine.展开更多
A diplomat’s thoughts on Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 50th visit to China.On June 5,2023,I had the honor to attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countr...A diplomat’s thoughts on Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 50th visit to China.On June 5,2023,I had the honor to attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to mark the 50th visit to China by Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.展开更多
Income inequality in urban China has attracted growing attention from China’s urban researchers and policy makers. Whereas many studies have interrogated the pattern and process of the income gap in Chinese cities un...Income inequality in urban China has attracted growing attention from China’s urban researchers and policy makers. Whereas many studies have interrogated the pattern and process of the income gap in Chinese cities undergoing the institutional transformation from plan to market, relatively little is known about how such unequal distribution of income is related to China’s ongoing structural transformation toward a post-industrial economy. Drawing on a decomposition methodology based on the Theil index, this study aimed to address this lacuna through an empirical investigation of China’s urban wage inequality from a sectoral perspective. Our empirical study identified the low-wage manufacturing sector and the high-wage producer services sector as the two biggest contributors to urban wage inequality in China. Urban wage inequality within the producer services was found to be caused by the spatial concentration of a disproportionate number of high-paying jobs in a few developed, high-tier city-regions on the eastern coast. Our empirical findings have important implications for the formulation of policies to address the income inequality that plagues China’s continuing urbanization.展开更多
The rapid growth of Chinese religion and the related studies will potentially reshape the boundary of sociology of religion. While sociology of religion focuses mainly on exclusive religions, so much so that it was on...The rapid growth of Chinese religion and the related studies will potentially reshape the boundary of sociology of religion. While sociology of religion focuses mainly on exclusive religions, so much so that it was once labeled ＂sociology of Christianity,＂ it meets challenges and opportunities in China where non-exclusive religions dominate the society. At the micro-level, the prevalence of non-exclusive religion poses challenges to some key concepts rooted in Western society, such as conversion and commitment. At the organizational level, it challenges sect-to-church theory, reminding us to study non- bureaucratic religious organizations. At the market level, Chinese religions are a laboratory for sociologists to examine factors leading to the prevalence of non-exclusive religions.展开更多
Li Zehou belongs among the ranks of the most important Chinese philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries. In his complex theoretical system, he aimed to reconcile the Chinese cultural heritage with the demands of th...Li Zehou belongs among the ranks of the most important Chinese philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries. In his complex theoretical system, he aimed to reconcile the Chinese cultural heritage with the demands of the contemporary world. Besides elaborating on traditional Chinese philosophy, Li launched many innovative views based on his understanding of specific developments in pre-modern and modern Western philosophy. His philosophy could be described as the search for a synthesis between Western and traditional Chinese thought and a specifically Chinese modernization. In order to provide a basic insight into Li＇s specific methods of combining Kant, early Marx and classical Chinese philosophy, the present article investigates his elaboration of the traditional Chinese paradigm of “the unity of nature and man” （tianren heyi 天人合一） through the lens of ideas about humanized nature （renhua de ziran ）人化的自然） and naturalized humans （ziranhua de ten 自然化的人）.展开更多
In this paper, I will discuss Chinese adaptations of A Doll＇s House as a point of departure to see how problems arise when the self and the behaviour of a person is defined in legal terms at the expense of moral moti...In this paper, I will discuss Chinese adaptations of A Doll＇s House as a point of departure to see how problems arise when the self and the behaviour of a person is defined in legal terms at the expense of moral motives and how men and women have different concepts of law and morality. Gender issues in the formation of selfhood and philosophical concepts of behavioural ＂performativity＂ will be examined in the context of China＇s experimentations in projecting new concepts of womanhood and the female self. As a context, I will also outline some of the changes in cultural values and ethical categories in China over the past century, so as to see why the individualist conception of the self has played such a paramount important role in China＇s quest for modernity.展开更多
Critics have observed that memory is an important theme in Lu Xun＇s writings. At the same time, memory--more precisely a struggle over the shaping of cultural memory--is a vital component of the iconoclastic May Four...Critics have observed that memory is an important theme in Lu Xun＇s writings. At the same time, memory--more precisely a struggle over the shaping of cultural memory--is a vital component of the iconoclastic May Fourth Movement with which Lu Xun is strongly associated. This article examines the ways in which several of Lu Xun＇s creative writings and memoirs depict memory and its transmission. I argue that, 1） These texts suggest the importance of objects as mnemonic devices that aid the transmission of memory, 2） The agency of the receiver is key in interpreting these texts and in transmitting them onward, and 3） That Lu Xun posits the texts he creates as such mnemonic objects that serve to transmit his interpretation of cultural and personal memory to his readers. Lu Xun＇s texts thus implicate the reader in the author＇s project of transmitting onward his reinterpretation of the past in the hope of redeeming China. Examining these mechanisms of memory transmission I conclude that for Lu Xun redemption lies not in a transcendent future but in reexamining the past.展开更多
China＇s rise within a global economy has had diverse consequences for Chinese women. For the super rich and the rising middle class, it has offered opportunities for vast wealth. For the newly emergent underclass of ...China＇s rise within a global economy has had diverse consequences for Chinese women. For the super rich and the rising middle class, it has offered opportunities for vast wealth. For the newly emergent underclass of migrant workers who have flooded to the cities, it has engendered exploitative states of vulnerability, especially for rural women. In this paper we locate our inquiry in the context of globalization and its impact on rural women＇s lives as witnessed through the medium of a unique and distinctive women＇s life narrative, Sheng Keyi＇s Bei mei （Northern Girls）. The text testifies to the underside of women＇s lives within the new market economy, documenting the cruelty of global capitalism. It presents an alternative version of the history of China＇s rise in the global economy and maps a trajectory of increasing inequality from a previously silenced female perspective. Sheng Keyi＇s world speaks to the sordid world of women, the world of yin. It coexists with the dizzying ascent of the yang--as the powerful nation grapples with social inequality and fragmentation. In its international circulation, Northern Girls opens readers to the contradictions and ambivalent aspects of China＇s economic rise and its consequences specifically for migrant women.展开更多
This paper explores the internationalization of higher education initiatives of Hong Kong,being one of the Special Administrative Regions(SAR)of China,within the context of the Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong(CM-HK)relatio...This paper explores the internationalization of higher education initiatives of Hong Kong,being one of the Special Administrative Regions(SAR)of China,within the context of the Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong(CM-HK)relations.Historical,social,economic,and political ties between Hong Kong and the Mainland of China,their economic and political interdependency,and a time series analysis of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee(UGC)statistical data(local and non-local participation,geographic composition,and cost analysis of UGC-funded programs)are used to support what the author calls the“intra-nationalization of higher education.”This forms a unique internationalization strategy,whereby a sub-national region such as Hong Kong and possibly Macao,orients its internationalization strategy towards a motherland,in this case China.展开更多
The tradition of the west defines its modernity as a radical rupture with endless possibilities for egalitarian futures; yet western modernity was rooted in the genocide of indigenous populations, transatlantic racial...The tradition of the west defines its modernity as a radical rupture with endless possibilities for egalitarian futures; yet western modernity was rooted in the genocide of indigenous populations, transatlantic racial slavery and colonialism. Moreover, as the war on terror demonstrates, racial/gender violence continues to be linked to the formation of western identity, culture and politics in the early twenty-first century. This paper examines how the histories of race and coloniality feature in the contemporary formation of the west, with a particular focus on US nationalism and Canadian multiculturalism. These nation-states are most often defined as antithetical, with the latter confirming that western society has transcended its originary racial/colonial politics. I begin with a brief discussion of the reformation of the west in the mid-twentieth century as the USA became the dominant western power. I then move to compare the contemporary national politics of the USA and Canada to highlight the divergence and convergence in their ddineation of their identity and values. My study demonstrates that although the white supremacist discourse that presently constitutes US nationalism is at variance with the multi- culturalism that shapes Canadian identity, these discourses can be defined as twin aspects of the racial/colonial politics that continue to give meaning to the idea of the west.展开更多
Focusing on two specific areas in southern China, Jinling and Jingzhou, this paper examines the meditation traditions in southern China during the two-century period between 400 and 600. The activities of the main med...Focusing on two specific areas in southern China, Jinling and Jingzhou, this paper examines the meditation traditions in southern China during the two-century period between 400 and 600. The activities of the main meditation practitioners based in Jinling and Jingzhou are traced, for which it will be shown that most of them were related, in one way or the other, to Buddhabhadra （359-429）, an Indian missionary- cum-translator who arrived in Chang＇an in 404 or 408 via Kashmir. Following Bud- dhabhadra, several of Buddhabhadra＇s disciples and second-generation disciples, also arrived in Jinling. A review of the meditation tradition in Jinling reveals that the Kashmiri meditation tradition brought by Buddhabhadra and his group formed a dominant and decisive force for the formation and development of the meditation tradition in that area. Similarly, a survey of the meditation traditions of the Jingchu and Jingzhou area shows the same dominant influence of Buddhabhadra＇s Kashmiri med- itative tradition. Evidence further demonstrates that throughout the four southern dynasties （Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen）, the two meditation traditions in Jinling and Jingzhou maintained very close and frequent contacts. An investigation into the med- itation tradition based on the Jing-Chu area evolved around Huisi and his group. Huisi seems to be a key point of connections between the Jinling and the Jingzhou meditation traditions. His influence on the Jingzhou meditative tradition is demonstrated by the fact that almost all of his disciples known to us were connected to the meditation tradition at that area. We will moreover show that Huisi＇s contact with the southern meditative traditions, centered around the areas of Jinling, Mount Lu and Jingzhou, had actually began much earlier than it has been assumed. Though already forgotten in this respect, the Kashmiri meditation tradition brought to China by Buddhabhadra, when viewed in a broader context, played a surprisingly significant role in the evolution of the meditation tradition in early medieval China. Identity might have been, and was indeed, carried ondefying apparently insurmountable geographic and cultural barriers, while networks were created and maintained when and where they were least expected. Finally, by calling into question the general claim for the ＂Mahayanist＂ nature of most Chinese （or even East Asian） Buddhist traditions, this essay has underscored the necessity of broadening the intellectual perspectives for evaluating the provenance, nature, and functions of quite a number of Buddhist traditions in East Asia that have been so far uncritically subjugated to the general rubric of ＂Mahayana.＂展开更多
A commentarial project commissioned by emperor Ming Taizu （r.1368-1398） in 1377, which was dedicated to the Prajnaparamita-hrdaya-sutra, theVajracchedika-prajfiaparamita-sutra, and the Lankavatara-sutra, defined coh...A commentarial project commissioned by emperor Ming Taizu （r.1368-1398） in 1377, which was dedicated to the Prajnaparamita-hrdaya-sutra, theVajracchedika-prajfiaparamita-sutra, and the Lankavatara-sutra, defined coherent standards of Buddhist learning by reference to early Chinese translations and Indian commentarial literature. In order to provide a clear-cut basis for the education of the clergy, its selective and reductive approach aimed at a standardization of doctrine and homogenization of terminology. Production and purport of the commentarial project are documented in a series of paratexts, prefaces, colophons, production notes and memoranda. They indicate a strong consciousness for the institutional, ideological and political aspects of the production procedure and its benefits for controlling the formation of Buddhist authority. Such decidedly functional under- standing of the institutional aspects of the production of exegesis leads to the conclusion that besides the normativity of doctrinal knowledge the main objective was to establish a basis for institutional integration of those who are in the privileged position to select whom they allow to assume authority, and to define the selection standards as well.展开更多
Lu Xun, nearing his death, wrote two essays commemorating Zhang Taiyan. Both are rather unconventional eulogies, which engage the style, themes, and conventions of traditional biographies. Keenly aware of the depictio...Lu Xun, nearing his death, wrote two essays commemorating Zhang Taiyan. Both are rather unconventional eulogies, which engage the style, themes, and conventions of traditional biographies. Keenly aware of the depictions of his teacher as a conservative Confucian scholar and a political reactionary, Lu Xun provides a counter image. By associating his teacher with prominent revolutionaries and framing his idiosyncratic behaviors and political choices in later life as the product of failed ambition, Lu Xun harks back to the figure of the ＂mad genius＂ lauded as exemplars in the classical literary tradition, an image that resonates as well with the gallery of ＂modem＂ misanthropes and madmen in his short stories. Cast within a lineage of awakened eccentrics often deemed insane in their own times, Zhang emerges in Lu Xun＇s essays as a revolutionary par excellence： an outspoken rebel who, after the founding of the Republic, remained a fearless critic of the establishment; an uncompromising radical at heart, who remained committed to the ideals of a true social transformation long since forgotten by those around him. In making the ＂worthiness＂ and relevance of Zhang Taiyan as a historical figure legible to modem readers through his engagement with traditional biographical conventions, Lu Xun also affirms the value of a traditional literati culture which continued to structure his worldview as a modem intellectual and writer. For his portrait of the ＂master of classical studies＂ as a radical revolutionary, however partial, was an attempt to ensure that Zhang＇s name would remain relevant to posterity, leaving open the possibility that his teacher＇s ＂precious records＂ might also be transmitted and still find knowing readers in later ages.展开更多
This paper discusses the biography, thought, and works of Li Ruqian （1852-19o9）. He was appointed Consul in Kobe 1882-84, during which period he studied the political institutions and culture of Meiji Japan and the ...This paper discusses the biography, thought, and works of Li Ruqian （1852-19o9）. He was appointed Consul in Kobe 1882-84, during which period he studied the political institutions and culture of Meiji Japan and the West, eventually translating Washington Irving＇s biography of George Washington into Classical Chinese, a book which exercised a great influence on late Qing reformers. Li＇s literary theory strongly emphasized the importance of originality. He also cultivated a style that was simpler and closer to spoken Chinese than many of his contemporaries. He eventually espoused a thoroughgoing reform of Chinese government and society. He abandoned the idea of the centrality of Chinese culture for a worldview of cultural relativity in which all cultures of the world are viewed as equally valid. After his return to China Li became even more involved in reform activities, but soon he became almost totally alienated from Chinese society and even began expressing strong doubts about the whole tradition of classical writing. In his poems and prose works, he warned Chinese intellectuals to abandon their smug conservatism and adapt to the new world or perish, making fun of his own society in biting satirical pieces that remind one of the writings of Lu Xun＇s May Fourth era. Li Ruqian may, indeed, be the first Chinese author to develop the idea of Chinese inadequacy and guilt which is so common in the literature of the next century.展开更多
基金financed by the Internal Grant Agency of PalackýUniversity under projects IGA_PrF_2025_027 and IGA_FF_2024_047by the project Sinophone Borderlands-Interaction at the Edges(No.CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000791).
文摘This study examines the historical and medicinal role of alcohol in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),with particular emphasis on rice wine.After outlining archaeological and textual evidence of alcohol’s therapeutic use,the research addresses the underexplored role of rice wine by analyzing homebrewed,herb-infused variants.Using flow injection analysis(FIA)and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),the study evaluated antioxidant activity and bioactive compound retention.Results show that naturally fermented,herb-infused rice wines,especially red rice wines fermented with Monascus purpureus,exhibit superior antioxidant properties,suggesting their potential as effective vessels for enhancing the therapeutic benefits of Chinese herbal medicine.
文摘Medicine and knowledge of medical practice have been exchanged along the Silk Road since antiquity.Medical texts provide the vast majority of information about the drugs,techniques,and ideas that passed from foreign lands into China and became part of Chinese medicine.In addition to the medical corpus,historical works provide the backdrop for how,when,and from where these ideas and medicines entered and influenced Chinese medical practice.Examining the historical texts and the information pertaining to medical exchange can allow us to better understand how foreign cultures and practices of medicine along the Silk Road entered and influenced Chinese Medicine.
文摘Medical works and histories provide a general understanding of foreign influence on Chinese medicine,but a variety of miscellaneous texts give a deeper understanding of the details of this interaction.Trade manuals,notes on foreign interactions,archeological discoveries,and religious works all fill in important details on the incorporation of foreign medicines and ideas into Chinese medicine.
文摘As basic facts of life,illness and healing occur frequently and in a variety of patterns in Chinese non-medical literature,starting from the earliest sources inscribed on oracle bones and continuing throughout literary history up to the present day.This article looks at illness narratives in early medieval anecdotal literature(3rd to 6th century CE)to understand how the experience of being sick or of attending to the sick was reflected in these socio-literary environments and what rhetorical and ideological roles these narratives played in their larger narrative contexts.By focusing on the experiences of the sick and those around them,this article aims at“Honoring the Stories of Illness,”in Rita Charon’s words,that are hiding in plain sight in much of Chinese non-medical literature.
文摘The University of Washington has played a pivotal role in the field of sinology with faculty and alumni producing major publications in Chinese history,literature,phonetics,and linguistics.These contributions have been instrumental in the development of sinology as a field and have both directly and indirectly influenced the study of Chinese Medicine.By tracing the history of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature and examining several major figures,we can better understand how these individuals shaped the development of Chinese Medicine and contributed to its spread worldwide.
文摘Medicines have been traded along the Silk Road from antiquity until modern times.These products and their associated knowledge have been transferred over the land and sea between Asia,Europe,and Africa.Numerous texts that contain formulas and treatments passed along the Silk Road.Collections of these formulas and treatment methods called formularies contain unique information that informs this transfer of medicine.The texts and information flowed in both directions along these routes and while Chinese medicine influenced foreign medical practices both in history,and today,the incorporation of non-Chinese medicine and information also continues to influence Chinese medicine.
文摘A diplomat’s thoughts on Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 50th visit to China.On June 5,2023,I had the honor to attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to mark the 50th visit to China by Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
基金Under the auspices of the Early Career Scheme of the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(No.28200615)Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(No.2018A030313276)。
文摘Income inequality in urban China has attracted growing attention from China’s urban researchers and policy makers. Whereas many studies have interrogated the pattern and process of the income gap in Chinese cities undergoing the institutional transformation from plan to market, relatively little is known about how such unequal distribution of income is related to China’s ongoing structural transformation toward a post-industrial economy. Drawing on a decomposition methodology based on the Theil index, this study aimed to address this lacuna through an empirical investigation of China’s urban wage inequality from a sectoral perspective. Our empirical study identified the low-wage manufacturing sector and the high-wage producer services sector as the two biggest contributors to urban wage inequality in China. Urban wage inequality within the producer services was found to be caused by the spatial concentration of a disproportionate number of high-paying jobs in a few developed, high-tier city-regions on the eastern coast. Our empirical findings have important implications for the formulation of policies to address the income inequality that plagues China’s continuing urbanization.
文摘The rapid growth of Chinese religion and the related studies will potentially reshape the boundary of sociology of religion. While sociology of religion focuses mainly on exclusive religions, so much so that it was once labeled ＂sociology of Christianity,＂ it meets challenges and opportunities in China where non-exclusive religions dominate the society. At the micro-level, the prevalence of non-exclusive religion poses challenges to some key concepts rooted in Western society, such as conversion and commitment. At the organizational level, it challenges sect-to-church theory, reminding us to study non- bureaucratic religious organizations. At the market level, Chinese religions are a laboratory for sociologists to examine factors leading to the prevalence of non-exclusive religions.
文摘Li Zehou belongs among the ranks of the most important Chinese philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries. In his complex theoretical system, he aimed to reconcile the Chinese cultural heritage with the demands of the contemporary world. Besides elaborating on traditional Chinese philosophy, Li launched many innovative views based on his understanding of specific developments in pre-modern and modern Western philosophy. His philosophy could be described as the search for a synthesis between Western and traditional Chinese thought and a specifically Chinese modernization. In order to provide a basic insight into Li＇s specific methods of combining Kant, early Marx and classical Chinese philosophy, the present article investigates his elaboration of the traditional Chinese paradigm of “the unity of nature and man” （tianren heyi 天人合一） through the lens of ideas about humanized nature （renhua de ziran ）人化的自然） and naturalized humans （ziranhua de ten 自然化的人）.
文摘In this paper, I will discuss Chinese adaptations of A Doll＇s House as a point of departure to see how problems arise when the self and the behaviour of a person is defined in legal terms at the expense of moral motives and how men and women have different concepts of law and morality. Gender issues in the formation of selfhood and philosophical concepts of behavioural ＂performativity＂ will be examined in the context of China＇s experimentations in projecting new concepts of womanhood and the female self. As a context, I will also outline some of the changes in cultural values and ethical categories in China over the past century, so as to see why the individualist conception of the self has played such a paramount important role in China＇s quest for modernity.
文摘Critics have observed that memory is an important theme in Lu Xun＇s writings. At the same time, memory--more precisely a struggle over the shaping of cultural memory--is a vital component of the iconoclastic May Fourth Movement with which Lu Xun is strongly associated. This article examines the ways in which several of Lu Xun＇s creative writings and memoirs depict memory and its transmission. I argue that, 1） These texts suggest the importance of objects as mnemonic devices that aid the transmission of memory, 2） The agency of the receiver is key in interpreting these texts and in transmitting them onward, and 3） That Lu Xun posits the texts he creates as such mnemonic objects that serve to transmit his interpretation of cultural and personal memory to his readers. Lu Xun＇s texts thus implicate the reader in the author＇s project of transmitting onward his reinterpretation of the past in the hope of redeeming China. Examining these mechanisms of memory transmission I conclude that for Lu Xun redemption lies not in a transcendent future but in reexamining the past.
文摘China＇s rise within a global economy has had diverse consequences for Chinese women. For the super rich and the rising middle class, it has offered opportunities for vast wealth. For the newly emergent underclass of migrant workers who have flooded to the cities, it has engendered exploitative states of vulnerability, especially for rural women. In this paper we locate our inquiry in the context of globalization and its impact on rural women＇s lives as witnessed through the medium of a unique and distinctive women＇s life narrative, Sheng Keyi＇s Bei mei （Northern Girls）. The text testifies to the underside of women＇s lives within the new market economy, documenting the cruelty of global capitalism. It presents an alternative version of the history of China＇s rise in the global economy and maps a trajectory of increasing inequality from a previously silenced female perspective. Sheng Keyi＇s world speaks to the sordid world of women, the world of yin. It coexists with the dizzying ascent of the yang--as the powerful nation grapples with social inequality and fragmentation. In its international circulation, Northern Girls opens readers to the contradictions and ambivalent aspects of China＇s economic rise and its consequences specifically for migrant women.
文摘This paper explores the internationalization of higher education initiatives of Hong Kong,being one of the Special Administrative Regions(SAR)of China,within the context of the Chinese Mainland-Hong Kong(CM-HK)relations.Historical,social,economic,and political ties between Hong Kong and the Mainland of China,their economic and political interdependency,and a time series analysis of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee(UGC)statistical data(local and non-local participation,geographic composition,and cost analysis of UGC-funded programs)are used to support what the author calls the“intra-nationalization of higher education.”This forms a unique internationalization strategy,whereby a sub-national region such as Hong Kong and possibly Macao,orients its internationalization strategy towards a motherland,in this case China.
文摘The tradition of the west defines its modernity as a radical rupture with endless possibilities for egalitarian futures; yet western modernity was rooted in the genocide of indigenous populations, transatlantic racial slavery and colonialism. Moreover, as the war on terror demonstrates, racial/gender violence continues to be linked to the formation of western identity, culture and politics in the early twenty-first century. This paper examines how the histories of race and coloniality feature in the contemporary formation of the west, with a particular focus on US nationalism and Canadian multiculturalism. These nation-states are most often defined as antithetical, with the latter confirming that western society has transcended its originary racial/colonial politics. I begin with a brief discussion of the reformation of the west in the mid-twentieth century as the USA became the dominant western power. I then move to compare the contemporary national politics of the USA and Canada to highlight the divergence and convergence in their ddineation of their identity and values. My study demonstrates that although the white supremacist discourse that presently constitutes US nationalism is at variance with the multi- culturalism that shapes Canadian identity, these discourses can be defined as twin aspects of the racial/colonial politics that continue to give meaning to the idea of the west.
文摘Focusing on two specific areas in southern China, Jinling and Jingzhou, this paper examines the meditation traditions in southern China during the two-century period between 400 and 600. The activities of the main meditation practitioners based in Jinling and Jingzhou are traced, for which it will be shown that most of them were related, in one way or the other, to Buddhabhadra （359-429）, an Indian missionary- cum-translator who arrived in Chang＇an in 404 or 408 via Kashmir. Following Bud- dhabhadra, several of Buddhabhadra＇s disciples and second-generation disciples, also arrived in Jinling. A review of the meditation tradition in Jinling reveals that the Kashmiri meditation tradition brought by Buddhabhadra and his group formed a dominant and decisive force for the formation and development of the meditation tradition in that area. Similarly, a survey of the meditation traditions of the Jingchu and Jingzhou area shows the same dominant influence of Buddhabhadra＇s Kashmiri med- itative tradition. Evidence further demonstrates that throughout the four southern dynasties （Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen）, the two meditation traditions in Jinling and Jingzhou maintained very close and frequent contacts. An investigation into the med- itation tradition based on the Jing-Chu area evolved around Huisi and his group. Huisi seems to be a key point of connections between the Jinling and the Jingzhou meditation traditions. His influence on the Jingzhou meditative tradition is demonstrated by the fact that almost all of his disciples known to us were connected to the meditation tradition at that area. We will moreover show that Huisi＇s contact with the southern meditative traditions, centered around the areas of Jinling, Mount Lu and Jingzhou, had actually began much earlier than it has been assumed. Though already forgotten in this respect, the Kashmiri meditation tradition brought to China by Buddhabhadra, when viewed in a broader context, played a surprisingly significant role in the evolution of the meditation tradition in early medieval China. Identity might have been, and was indeed, carried ondefying apparently insurmountable geographic and cultural barriers, while networks were created and maintained when and where they were least expected. Finally, by calling into question the general claim for the ＂Mahayanist＂ nature of most Chinese （or even East Asian） Buddhist traditions, this essay has underscored the necessity of broadening the intellectual perspectives for evaluating the provenance, nature, and functions of quite a number of Buddhist traditions in East Asia that have been so far uncritically subjugated to the general rubric of ＂Mahayana.＂
文摘A commentarial project commissioned by emperor Ming Taizu （r.1368-1398） in 1377, which was dedicated to the Prajnaparamita-hrdaya-sutra, theVajracchedika-prajfiaparamita-sutra, and the Lankavatara-sutra, defined coherent standards of Buddhist learning by reference to early Chinese translations and Indian commentarial literature. In order to provide a clear-cut basis for the education of the clergy, its selective and reductive approach aimed at a standardization of doctrine and homogenization of terminology. Production and purport of the commentarial project are documented in a series of paratexts, prefaces, colophons, production notes and memoranda. They indicate a strong consciousness for the institutional, ideological and political aspects of the production procedure and its benefits for controlling the formation of Buddhist authority. Such decidedly functional under- standing of the institutional aspects of the production of exegesis leads to the conclusion that besides the normativity of doctrinal knowledge the main objective was to establish a basis for institutional integration of those who are in the privileged position to select whom they allow to assume authority, and to define the selection standards as well.
文摘Lu Xun, nearing his death, wrote two essays commemorating Zhang Taiyan. Both are rather unconventional eulogies, which engage the style, themes, and conventions of traditional biographies. Keenly aware of the depictions of his teacher as a conservative Confucian scholar and a political reactionary, Lu Xun provides a counter image. By associating his teacher with prominent revolutionaries and framing his idiosyncratic behaviors and political choices in later life as the product of failed ambition, Lu Xun harks back to the figure of the ＂mad genius＂ lauded as exemplars in the classical literary tradition, an image that resonates as well with the gallery of ＂modem＂ misanthropes and madmen in his short stories. Cast within a lineage of awakened eccentrics often deemed insane in their own times, Zhang emerges in Lu Xun＇s essays as a revolutionary par excellence： an outspoken rebel who, after the founding of the Republic, remained a fearless critic of the establishment; an uncompromising radical at heart, who remained committed to the ideals of a true social transformation long since forgotten by those around him. In making the ＂worthiness＂ and relevance of Zhang Taiyan as a historical figure legible to modem readers through his engagement with traditional biographical conventions, Lu Xun also affirms the value of a traditional literati culture which continued to structure his worldview as a modem intellectual and writer. For his portrait of the ＂master of classical studies＂ as a radical revolutionary, however partial, was an attempt to ensure that Zhang＇s name would remain relevant to posterity, leaving open the possibility that his teacher＇s ＂precious records＂ might also be transmitted and still find knowing readers in later ages.
文摘This paper discusses the biography, thought, and works of Li Ruqian （1852-19o9）. He was appointed Consul in Kobe 1882-84, during which period he studied the political institutions and culture of Meiji Japan and the West, eventually translating Washington Irving＇s biography of George Washington into Classical Chinese, a book which exercised a great influence on late Qing reformers. Li＇s literary theory strongly emphasized the importance of originality. He also cultivated a style that was simpler and closer to spoken Chinese than many of his contemporaries. He eventually espoused a thoroughgoing reform of Chinese government and society. He abandoned the idea of the centrality of Chinese culture for a worldview of cultural relativity in which all cultures of the world are viewed as equally valid. After his return to China Li became even more involved in reform activities, but soon he became almost totally alienated from Chinese society and even began expressing strong doubts about the whole tradition of classical writing. In his poems and prose works, he warned Chinese intellectuals to abandon their smug conservatism and adapt to the new world or perish, making fun of his own society in biting satirical pieces that remind one of the writings of Lu Xun＇s May Fourth era. Li Ruqian may, indeed, be the first Chinese author to develop the idea of Chinese inadequacy and guilt which is so common in the literature of the next century.
