The Origins of Prejudice: The Malintegration of Subei in Late Imperial China

1993 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Finnane
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Society ◽  
Lu Xun ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Usual Practice ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
True Story ◽  
Place Of Origin ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Native Place

The convention for introducing biography in the Chinese textual tradition is to identify the subject not only by his name but also by his native place. The classic formula used for this purpose is set out in the preface to “The True Story of Ah Q,” in which Lu Xun remarks that “when writing biography, it is the usual practice to begin ‘so-and-so, from such-and-such place’ ” (Lu 1959 [1921]: 93). This formula was adopted in official documents, popular stories, obituaries and tomb epitaphs as well as in formal biographies or biographical notices. There were variations in its form, in which the person was identified as being “native of this place, living in that place” or “originally of this place, now of that place.” But in any event, a man was, and still is, normally identified by both his personal name and the name of his place of origin, just as a woman was usually identified by the names of her father and her husband. The problem for Lu Xun as fictional biographer was that Ah Q's name was a matter of debate and his place of origin unknown: He floated unmoored through Chinese society.

Buddhism and Healing in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Köhle
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Hospital Services ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
History Of ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Medical Treatises ◽  
Chinese Physicians ◽  
Bear Witness

The history of Buddhism in China is deeply connected with healing. Some of the scriptures that were translated into Chinese discuss Indic conceptions of the body as an amalgamation of elements, and causes of illness in the tridoṣa, that is pathogenic body fluids and internal winds. Others discuss materia medica, and monastic rules on healing and hygiene in the monastery. Yet others set forth the ritual worship of the Medicine Buddha (Skt. Bhaiṣajyaguru; Ch. Yaoshi fo 藥師佛), the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin pusa 觀音菩薩), and other deities that promise healing. Apart from the translated scriptures, there is a huge body of indigenous works that synthesized the wealth of information on Indic healing which arrived in China between the 2nd and 10th centuries ce. Foremost among those are Yijing’s義淨 (635–713) account of Indian monastic practices, Daoxuan’s道宣 (596–667) vinaya commentary, and Daoshi’s道世 (?–683) encyclopedia chapter on illness. Chinese compositions, such as Zhiyi’s 智顗 (538–597) treatises on meditation, and Huizhao’s 慧皎 (497–554) hagiographies bear witness to the hybridity to which the reception of Indic ideas in China gave rise. With the widening reach of Buddhism into every layer of Chinese society during the Sui and Tang dynasties, eminent Chinese physicians, such as Tao Hongjing 陶弘景 (452–536), Chao Yuanfang 巢元方 (550–630), Wang Tao 王焘(670–755), and Sun Simiao 孫思邈 (581–682) also began to incorporate Buddhist ideas into their medical treatises. Chinese Buddhist monasteries introduced hospital services to China, and certain lineages of monks continued to provide medical care to the laity in late imperial China. Their healing was based on Chinese medical theories, however, and there is no evidence that they persisted in applying Indic medical ideas.

Gender and Social Life in Imperial China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijing Lu
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Secret Societies ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Imperial Period ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Foot Binding ◽  
Local Traditions ◽  
Native Place

Social life in imperial China was structured on the Confucian gender principles of the separation of male and female and the division of “inner and outer” spheres. Homosociality prevailed while heterosociality was limited. Homosociality dominated the forms and manners of social interaction. Men moved around freely and faced little constraint in forging relationships and networks, while women were largely homebound and secluded. In general, women enjoyed more physical freedom in earlier imperial times than in late imperial China, when seclusion of women intensified thanks to the rise of the female chastity cult and the spread of the practice of foot-binding. But even in the late imperial period, women were able to form networks and communities, in person or by means of writing. Local traditions and stages in the life cycle influenced women’s lived experiences of socialization, and class also played an important part in social life for both men and women. For example, education and a government career provided main venues for elite male socialization but for the men in lower social classes, their networks were built around localized institutions such as temple associations, sworn brotherhood, secret societies, and native place association.

Kin Networks, Marriage, and Social Mobility in Late Imperial China

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Campbell ◽  
James Lee
Keyword(s):  
Extended Family ◽  
Liaoning Province ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Individual Outcomes ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Kin Networks

To assess claims about the role of the extended family in late imperial Chinese society, we examine the influence of kin network characteristics on marriage, reproduction, and attainment in Liaoning Province in Northeast China in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We compare the influences on outcomes of the number and status of different types of kin as well as the seniority of the individual within each type of kin group. We find that the characteristics of kin outside the household did matter for individual outcomes but that patterns of effects were nuanced. While based on our results we concur that kin networks were important units of social and economic organization in late imperial China, we conclude that their role was complex.

Texts and Technologies in Chinese Silver Metallurgy, Twelfth to Nineteenth Centuries

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-82
Author(s):  
Yang Yuda ◽  
Nanny Kim
Keyword(s):  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Oral Histories ◽  
Minor Importance ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Qing ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Silver Exploitation

The silver metallurgy of late imperial China has rarely been the subject of specific studies because silver exploitation has long been considered of minor importance and traditional sources are scarce. This article is an attempt at filling the research gap of the period from the Song to the late Qing. With a focus on the silver mines of the Southwest and the adjoining borderlands and employing an approach that combines textual analysis with the study of remains and oral histories, it presents a systematic discussion of process steps and traces technological transformations.

A “Glorious” Dream of Awkward Romance: Humor and Desire in Wang Yun’s (1749-1819) Fanhua meng

NAN Nü ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-304
Author(s):  
Yanbing Tan
Keyword(s):  
Women Writers ◽  
Dream Content ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Male Privilege ◽  
Female Protagonist ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Male Dominated

AbstractWang Yun’s (1749-1819) Fanhua meng (A Dream of Glory, 1769) is one of the very few extant chuanqi plays written by women in late imperial China. Its female protagonist, who is frustrated by social restrictions placed on women, transforms into a man in a dream. The dream content revolves around the protagonist’s romantic adventures, which feature many awkward and laughable moments. As a fantasy about transgender experience, Fanhua meng has been the subject of critique for its embrace of patriarchal values as well as praise for its reflection on patriarchal depravity. These conflicting views attest to the complexity of Wang Yun’s use of humor in the play. This article explores how and why Wang Yun depicts her protagonist’s journey of desire in a comic mode, and how Wang’s contemporary male readers responded to Wang’s humor. It argues that Wang’s use of humor provides a palatable coating for a provocative reflection on the male privilege of being a desiring subject. As a whole, Wang’s play challenges the vision of worldly success promoted by the long-established and male-dominated chuanqi drama tradition. As a case study, this article draws attention to humor as a mode of self-writing for women writers in late imperial China.

Overseas Chinese and Merchant Philanthropy in China: From Culturalism to Nationalism

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Overseas Chinese ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Elite Status ◽  
Imperial China ◽  
Native Place

AbstractThis article discusses how and why the cultural and political significance of China as ancestral home was transformed during the half century between 1850, which marked the start of mass migration from China, and the turn of the twentieth century when modern nationalist ideologies first appeared in China and then spread rapidly to Chinese emigrant communities in Southeast Asia and beyond. This phenomenon is examined by looking at the role of merchant philanthropy, which is a crucial site for the construction and articulation of emigrant discourses of native place attachment. The article first examines the rise of philanthropy as a merchant strategy for claiming elite status and community leadership and for negotiating with political power in late Imperial China. It then looks at how and why homeland philanthropy was embraced by merchants in overseas Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaya beginning in the late nineteenth century. The final section studies the shift in the ideological underpinning of merchant philanthropy from Confucian culturalism to modern nationalism, and considers the implications of this shift for merchants' role in native place society and politics.

Popular Culture in Late Imperial China

1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith A. Berling ◽  
James Hayes ◽  
Robert E. Hegel ◽  
Leo Ou-fan Lee ◽  
Victor H. Mair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Late Imperial China ◽  
Late Imperial ◽  
Imperial China
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