Social Hierarchy and Merchant Philanthropy as Perceived in Several Late-Ming and Early-Qing Texts

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Handlin Smith
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Moral Purpose ◽  
Late Ming ◽  
The Social ◽  
Moral Instruction ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

AbstractFollowing the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, literati questioned the social hierarchy, acknowledged merchants as philanthropists, and revised their understanding of gifts and donations. Using several texts (by Tang Zhen and Wei Xi, in particular), this paper proposes that early-Qing literati reconceptualized some of the goals of philanthropy. Where late-Ming philanthropy aimed (among other things) to spread moral instruction and affirm the superior status of scholar-officials, the early-Qing Wei Xi condoned merchant use of philanthropy to build social connections. Thus, the high moralizing of late-Ming philanthropy gave way to perceptions that the recipients of aid were directly obligated to their benefactors. The weakening of the moral purpose of philanthropy and the intensification of donor-beneficiary relations sparked a trend to routinize philanthropy (through forced donations and quasi-taxation), thereby diminishing the room for and significance of individual initiative.

Courtesan vs. Literatus: Gendered Soundscapes and Aesthetics in Late-Ming Singing Culture

T oung Pao ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 100 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 404-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Hybrid Nature ◽  
Late Ming ◽  
Singing Style ◽  
The Way ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

This article examines the gendering of singing in the last few decades of the Ming dynasty and its connections with certain specific sonic environments. By reading together an assemblage of texts of a hybrid nature and considering each one as a complex literary or pictorial production growing out of the vibrant singing culture of the day, the author reconstructs the way in which certain soundscapes influenced and harmonized with two contrasting modes of vocal performance—the intimate “oriole”-like singing and the more masculine “crane” performing style. One observes further the rise of a new singing style that mingled the gendered categories of singing prevailing at the time and was related to the flourishing of outdoor singing festivals starting from the 1570s.
Cet article s’intéresse à la sexualisation de l’art du chant pendant les dernières décennies des Ming et à la façon dont elle était connectée avec certains environ-nements acoustiques particuliers. La lecture combinée d’une série de textes de nature hybride, considéré chacun comme une production littéraire ou picturale complexe née du dynamisme qui marquait la culture vocale de l’époque, permet à l’auteur de reconstituer la façon dont certains “paysages acoustiques” influençaient deux modes contrastés d’interprétation vocale — le style intime assimilé au chant du loriot et le mode d’interprétation plus masculin associé à celui de la grue — et s’harmonisaient avec eux. On observe en outre l’émergence d’un nouveau style vocal qui mêle les catégories sexualisées prévalant alors dans l’art du chant et qui est associé à l’essor des festivals de chant en plein air à partir des années 1570.


A Friendship of Metal and Stone: Representations of Fan Juqing and Zhang Yuanbo in the Ming Dynasty

NAN Nü ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-145
Author(s):  
Kimberly Besio
Keyword(s):  
Short Story ◽  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Dramatic Literature ◽  
Literary Genres ◽  
Vernacular Literature ◽  
Male Friendship ◽  
Essential Aspect ◽  
Late Ming ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

AbstractThis essay examines representation of male friendship in Ming vernacular literature through an analysis of works that retell the story of two late Han friends, Fan Juqing and Zhang Yuanbo. Throughout the Ming, versions of the tale were produced in a variety of literary genres including a zaju play and a vernacular short story. Both the drama and the short story are extant in multiple editions, providing us insights into how they were interpreted by various literati editors. The durability of the friendship between Fan and Zhang—an essential aspect in all depictions of their story—is vividly evoked by the phrase that characterizes their relationship in dramatic literature: "a friendship of metal and stone." The late Ming editions of the play and the short story underline the two friends' unbending commitment to their friendship through a variety of textual and paratextual additions and emendations. In the hands of these late Ming literati editors the two friends Fan and Zhang thus become heroic figures worthy of eternal respect.

Political Drama in the Ming-Qing Transition: A Study of Four Plays

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Alison Hardie
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Li Yu ◽  
Late Ming ◽  
Political Events ◽  
Political Drama ◽  
Late Ming Dynasty ◽  
The Late Ming Dynasty ◽  
The Phoenix ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

In the late Ming dynasty, a new genre of drama arose, which presented on stage recent political events, featuring real historical persons; this genre continued across the Ming-Qing transition. The earliest and one of the best known examples is The Cry of the Phoenix (Ming feng ji), dramatising the conflict between corrupt minister Yan Song (1481-1568) and upright official Yang Jisheng (1516-1555), and probably written by someone in the literary circle of Wang Shizhen (1526-1590). The genre reached its apogee in Kong Shangren’s (1648-1718) The Peach Blossom Fan (Taohua shan). Around the Ming-Qing transition, in the Chongzhen and Shunzhi reigns, a considerable number of plays focused on the conflict during the preceding Tianqi reign between the Eastern Grove (Donglin) faction and the chief eunuch Wei Zhongxian (1568-1627). Eleven plays on this subject are known, of which three survive: Fan Shiyan’s Eunuch Wei Grinds Down the Loyal (Wei jian mo zhong ji), the Clear-Whistling Scholar’s (Qingxiaosheng) A Happy Encounter with Spring (Xi feng chun), and Li Yu’s 李玉 A Roster of the Pure and Loyal (Qing zhong pu). Basing my argument on an examination of these plays and of another play by Li Yu, Reunion across Ten Thousand Miles (Wan li yuan), also based on contemporary events, I suggest that the lively version of events given by these political dramas both reflected and helped to develop and spread the popularly accepted view of late-Ming and Southern Ming factional conflict leading to the fall of the Ming dynasty. According to this view, broadly following the Eastern Grove and Revival Society (Fushe) narrative, the decline and fall of the Ming dynasty was the fault of corrupt officials and evil palace eunuchs who misled the Emperor and were bravely resisted by righteous and incorruptible officials who fell as martyrs to their unprincipled opponents. This simplistic view, endorsed to a great extent in the official Ming History (Ming shi), which was mostly written by former Eastern Grove and Revival Society adherents, has persisted in the popular mind to the present day. I also argue that, after the establishment of the Qing, political drama could serve as a vehicle for the covert expression of Ming loyalism.

The socio-cultural space of Berlin in V. Nabokov’s novel “The Gift”

2021 ◽  
pp. 169-181
Author(s):  
T. G. Mastepak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Foreign Country ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Creative Development ◽  
Cultural Space ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Gift ◽  
The City ◽  
Language Literature

The paper analyzes techniques of contrasting the loci of “German” and “emigrant” Berlin (opposition “center–periphery”), ways of representing the images of native Germans and Russians, variants how immigrants “domesticate” socio-cultural space being alien to them (nominating loci “in Russian way”; consciousness transformation of foreign space into own one due to its cultural and linguistic content, etc.). Fedor sees the images of Germans as depersonalized but emigrants as individualized. Native Berliners are perceived as a less cultured nation, yet seamlessly integrated into the sociocultural landscape of their native city. Exiles from Russia occupy a “marginal” place in the geography of the city and the social hierarchy of the European capital while standing out in contrast in the space of Berlin (appearance, speech). Overcoming social minority is refusing integration and trying to preserve cultural identity (language, literature, art, social connections, and authority among Russian writers and scientists) in a foreign country. The “alien” socio-cultural space of Berlin has twofold semantics: first – mortality and non-genuineness and second – a creative cradle. It encourages Fedor to rethink his memories of childhood, family, and father and sets the vector for personal and creative development. Berlin embodies a “foreign,” “hostile,” “uncomfortable” space but helps to strengthen the values laid down in childhood and survive in exile, which is existentially meaningful. External restrictions contribute to the birth of internal freedom, allowing the hero to rise above social smallness, preserve his own dignity, determine the choice of authorities, and Express his own views in love and creativity.

scholarly journals Study on Culture and Design of Female Underwear in the Ming Dynasty

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Yu Huang ◽  
XinRu Wu ◽  
XiaoFen Ji
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Cultural Connotation ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

The article is mainly about the historical background and design details of female underwear in the Ming dynasty. Through the analyses of the evolution of styles, materials, colors, patterns, and crafts of female underwear in the Ming Dynasty, the research shows that the cultural connotation behind the design of underwear. During the history of nearly 300 years of the Ming Dynasty, the social environment and cultural background of various periods, including Neo-Confucianism and Yangming's Mindology, economic and social development in different periods, social ethos and customs, have all contributed to the aesthetic orientation and design of female underwear in the Ming Dynasty. The research of design and development of Ming's female underwear is the inheritance and development of the wisdom of traditional creations, and it is of great significance to the development and protection of Chinese underwear culture.

Social Capital and Entrepreneurship

2022 ◽  
pp. 241-249
Author(s):  
Ermal Bino ◽  
Ferdinand Epoc ◽  
Ilya Bystrov
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competitive Rivalry

This chapter presents a social capital point of view of entrepreneurship and how the assets and value embedded in entrepreneur social relations could support the success of the enterprise, especially small ones. Social connections are unique in nature, are personal and stable in the long run. These features make them very unique and difficult to imitate. Therefore, if used properly, based on the position of the entrepreneur in the social hierarchy, it can generate or at least behave as a very unique and inimitable source of competitive advantage. Capitalizing on such resources could be of help to entrepreneurs especially in times of high competitive rivalry.

The Courtesan as Famous Scholar: The Case of Wang Wei (ca. 1598-ca. 1647)

T oung Pao ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 587-630
Author(s):  
Sufeng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Friendship Networks ◽  
Social Formation ◽  
Government Service ◽  
Late Ming ◽  
Urban Elites ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Wang Wei ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

Abstract This article examines the life and poetry of Wang Wei, one of the most distinguished courtesan poets of the Ming dynasty. Through an examination of her courtesan career, her friendship networks in literati circles, and her adoption of multiple identities such as xianren (person of leisure), daoren (person of the Dao), and shiren (poet), it seeks to illustrate what I believe is an important explanation for the flourishing of late Ming courtesan and literati culture. The rising prominence of learned and literary courtesans was strongly connected to a new social formation of nonconformist literati, the “men of the mountains” (shanren). These nonofficial urban elites of the prosperous Jiangnan region fashioned themselves as retired literati, devoting themselves to art, recreation, and self-invention, instead of government service. In constructing an “artistic and hedonistic counterculture,” they encouraged the involvement of both courtesans and literary women of the gentry class.

貢品與時尚：明代川扇考論

明代研究 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (37) ◽  
pp. 001-068
Author(s):  
劉紫依 劉紫依
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Late Ming ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Made In ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

<p>摺扇的普及，是明代社會風尚異於前代的物質表徵之一。晚明最盛行的二種摺扇中，蘇州摺扇以書畫扇面與精製扇骨著稱，四川摺扇則以進貢聞名，明人常簡稱之為「川扇」、「蜀扇」等，川扇廣義上亦包括各地的仿製品。過往對中國摺扇的研究，多側重扇面書畫藝術與江南製扇工藝，對明代社會生活與物質文化的討論，則一般認為明代宮廷品味的時尚影響、文化底蘊相對不高，川扇不重書畫，又與明代宮廷關係密切，其興衰歷史、風格特點、文化內涵皆未得到充分探討。本文將考證川扇的興衰歷史，並梳理文獻、圖像中川扇的特徵，與明墓屢見出土的無書畫金面摺扇實物比對，指出後者應屬川式扇，並辨析川扇與日本、蘇州、杭州、榮昌等地摺扇的關係，思考不以書畫著稱的川扇在中國摺扇史中的地位，也探究川扇作為方物、貢品、賜物、禮物、商品等在明代的社會文化內涵。川扇大致發端於明初，此後進貢宮廷並成為時尚，作為明代高檔無書畫摺扇的代表，是蘇州書畫扇以外，明代摺扇發展的另一重要線索，體現了明代摺扇文化的豐富性，還對杭州摺扇影響深遠；川扇到晚明已與國計民生、世風人情有深密的交織，後隨明亡而衰落，是明代物質文化中極富時代特色的內容。</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>The unprecedented prevalence of folding fans marked one of the significant developments in social customs in the Ming dynasty. Folding fans made in Suzhou and Sichuan were the most famous ones in the late Ming. Suzhou folding fans were renowned for fan leaves decorated with calligraphy and painting and for delicate fan frames, while Sichuan folding fans were famous as tribute to the imperial court. The latter were usually abbreviated as &ldquo;Chuan fans&rdquo; or &ldquo;Shu fans&rdquo; in Ming sources. In a broad sense, Chuan fans also included folding fans in the Sichuan style made in other places in the late Ming. The history, features and culture of Chuan fans have not been fully examined for two reasons. First, past research has mainly focused on literati fan calligraphy and painting and the fan-making craft in Jiangnan. And, second, Chuan fans had close association with the court, but the tastes of Ming court has been generally disregarded by scholars as lacking in cultural depth. Drawing on texts and images, this essay sorts out the history and characteristics of Chuan fans, and links them with the folding fans excavated from Ming tombs, which feature golden leaves without calligraphy and painting. This paper also explores the connections between Chuan fans and those produced in Japan, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Rongchang, and considers the broader place of Chuan fans in the history of Chinese folding fans. Furthermore, this essay explores the social and cultural implications of Chuan fans in the Ming dynasty as local specialties, tributes, bestowals, gifts, commodities and so on. Chuan fans generally appeared in the early Ming, and then became tribute goods as well as trendy items. Representing luxury folding fans that did not have painting or calligraphy, Chuan fans were no less important than the art-adorned Suzhou folding fans. indicating the rich diversity of Ming folding fan culture. Chuan fans also had a deep influence on the subsequent development of Hangzhou folding fans. By the late Ming, Chuan fans had already been closely connected with many aspects of Ming society. As the Ming dynasty fell, Chuan fans also declined, thus remaining of the unique elements of Ming material culture.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Courtesans and Scholars in the Writings of Feng Menglong: Transcending Status and Gender

NAN Nü ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsu Pi-Ching
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Feng Menglong ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

AbstractThe last century of the Ming dynasty saw an upsurge in romances between talented scholars and devoted courtesans. This paper discusses the social, cultural, economic, and political factors which might have contributed to the popularity of that genre. Focusing on Feng Menglong's writings of idealized courtesans who transcended their lowly existence at the bottom of gender and status hierarchies, the study also explores the interplay of ethics and culture in the courtesan-scholar romances and what the romances revealed about the literati perceptions of Self and Other.

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