Zhao Luanluan and Her Tale

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-134
Author(s):  
Olivia Milburn

Abstract Zhao Luanluan 趙鸞鸞 is the main protagonist of an early Ming dynasty work of fiction, the “Luanluan zhuan” 鸞鸞傳 or “The Tale of Luanluan” by Li Changqi 李昌祺 (1376–1452), which is found in his collection of twenty-two short stories: Jiandeng yuhua 剪燈餘話 (More Stories Written While Trimming the Lamp). Zhao Luanluan is here described as a woman poet who is caught up in the fall of the Yuan dynasty, but subsequently she was further fictionalized as a Tang dynasty courtesan, and her poetic works reattributed to this imaginary person. Furthermore other related fictional female poets of the Ming dynasty have also been treated as genuine historical individuals, and their writings are included in many major anthologies of women’s poetry. This paper argues that the boundaries between genuine female poets and fictional female poets created by male writers have been consistently ignored.

Author(s):  
Zhen Nyanchen

In the field of the pictorial decoration of Chinese architecture, the decor of the period of the Ming and Qing dynasties is considered the most outstanding since, at that time, the technique was perfect, and the methods of decoration were rich in their diversity, which was not possible in previous eras. The polychrome painting of official buildings during the Ming and Qing dynasties’ reign is quite different from the Song dynasty’s polychrome painting. The transition from the Song dynasty’s polychrome painting to the Ming and Qing dynasties’ polychrome painting was completed during the Yuan dynasty’s reign. Due to the decrease of dougong in size in the Ming dynasty, polychrome painting began to be placed on beams. Xuanzi polychrome painting, which originated from painting beams under the Yuan dynasty, became the primary type. By the Qing dynasty, Hexi polychrome painting and Suzhou polychrome painting, which evolved from the folk polychrome painting of the Jiangnan region of the Ming dynasty, appeared. The Xuanzi type was one of the three main polychrome painting types in the Qing dynasty. It was fully developed compared to the Hexi type as it was used more widely. The article explains the development of the artistic features of the various decorative parts of Xuanzi polychrome painting during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the characteristics of each gradation, and the method of distinguishing it, as well as its place of application.


Author(s):  
Bata Darzhagiin ◽  

In the oral traditions of Mongols there are a lot of legends and stories not only about Genghis Khan and the period of Mongolian Yuan dynasty, but also about the first emperor of the succeeding Ming dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang (1368–1398). These stories, first of all, tell that Zhu Yuanzhang was not of the noble origin, he was the son of a common man and became the king by good fortune. Secondly, they state that the Ming dynasty emperors were Mongols by their origin. Thirdly, all these stories and legends in their form and content are typical for Mongolian folklore. The goal of this article is to introduce the plot and themes of the Mongolian historic legends and stories about the Ming dynasty emperors. Most of the texts of legends and stories were recorded by the author from Agvanchoidor (they were included into the book “The Oral History of Mongolian-Tibetan Buddhism”) and also from other informants during expeditions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 524-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Antonio Cantón Álvarez

The spread of Western medical practices to China, initiated during the Mongol dynasty, is often considered an example of “medical globalisation,” but few studies have looked at the actual level of adoption of Western medicine in the period after the Yuan dynasty. This essay analyses eighteen Ming dynasty medical sources in order to assess the role of opium, a Western drug, in post-Yuan medical practice. This essay concludes that opium was not widely used in the first centuries of the Ming dynasty, and, when finally adopted in the sixteenth century, its use was disconnected from the Yuan dynasty medical tradition. These findings make us question the continuity and even the existence of the “Mongol medical globalisation,” as well as the validity of the use of synchronic methodology for the study of centuries-long processes such as globalisation.


Author(s):  
Samida Toshmukhammedovna Mustafaeva ◽  

The Ming period is recognized as a period that introduced a new genre to Chinese literature, especially Chinese prose. During this period, novels from the masterpieces of Chinese literature saw the light of day. They are a valuable source for the study of Chinese literary language, as well as providing valuable information on the plot, historical facts, and the Darwin. In particular, the novel "Three Kingdoms", created in the Ming period, has a large volume and a plot rich in sharp turns, the events of the novel are based on the collapse of the Eastern Khanate, in general, various contradictions in public administration, political, military and foreign relations. The diversity in the author’s depiction of contradictions and struggles, the uniqueness in the depiction of each event, demonstrates the writer’s unparalleled artistic skill. In contrast to the "Three Kingdoms", the plot of “Water Margins” is based on the peasant uprisings and struggles; the play depicts the emergence, development and decline of the peasant uprising. The play praises a number of rebellious heroes, most of the protagonists of the work are extremely vivid, and their character is clearly described. The influence of the successful creation of the novels “Three Kingdoms” and “Water Margins” on the creation of historical and heroic novels of the next period is incomparable. The first phase of the Ming period was a turning point in the history of literature. With the end of the Yuan Dynasty (元朝 Yuán cháo 1206-1368) and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, no other significant works were created during this period, except for two major novels, the Three Kingdoms (《三国演义》) and the River Basins (《水浒传》). It was not until 1465 that there was a renewal in drama and folk poetry.


Author(s):  
N.N. Seregin ◽  
E.A. Narudtseva ◽  
A.N. Chistyakova ◽  
S.S. Radovsky

This article is concerned with the Chinese metal mirror, which, as it has been found during the study, has been stored for a long time in the collection of the Altai State Museum of Local Lore, but as yet has not attracted the attention of specialists and has not been introduced into scientific discourse. A special research has been required to determine the time and circumstances of its arrival to the museum, which involved working with the documentation of the Altai State Museum of Local Lore, stored both within the institute and in the State Archives of the Altai Territory. It has been concluded, that the mirror represents an occasional find and it came to the mu-seum in the first quarter of the 20th century from the Yenisei Province (currently, the southwestern part of Kras-noyarsk District. The article presents a detailed morphological characteristic of this artifact. The basis of the com-position in the ornamented part of the mirror is a stylized image of a single dragon. Its mouth is trying to grasp the holder, which symbolizes the “fire pearl”. The analysis of the specialised literature and catalogues showed that in Chinese mirrors such composition appeared only during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and continued to exist dur-ing the Song Period (907–1279). It has been determined that the composition presented on such objects was reproduced for several centuries (Jin, Liao, and Yuan Dynasties), undergoing transformations associated with stylistic nuances (details of the image, shape of mirror, presence or absence of inscriptions) and size and quality of the objects. Based on the obtained data, the mirror from the Altai State Museum of Local Lore has been attrib-uted to the Yuan dynasty period. There are almost no analogies to such objects in Northern and Central Asia, despite the significant number of mirrors of the Mongolian time stored in collections of Siberian museums. There-fore, it seems possible to acknowledge the rarity of these very specimens; the fragmentarity of their distribution could possibly be explained by peculiarities of the history of specific craft centers that have yet to be investigated.


1990 ◽  
Vol 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Guozhen ◽  
Liu Zeyong ◽  
Guo Yengyi

AbstractCopper red glazes made at the pottery center of Jingdezhen during the Ming and Qing dynasties are one of the most famous and precious porcelain products of China. They were based on earlier technology developed in the Tong-guan kiln in Tang dynasty and on the Ru and Jun wares of the Song dynasty. The earliest copper red glazes appeared as early as the late Yuan dynasty. The dazzlingly beautiful altar red and ruby red products were created at Jingdezhen in the Yongle and Xuande periods of the Ming dynasty. Other copper reds created at Jingdezhen were the Longyao red of the Kangxi period and the imitation Jun, flambe amd others of Yongzhen and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty. Chinese copper red glazes have been held in high regard throughout the world, and many have wondered at their complex and sophisticated technology. Through analysis, we unlock some of the technical secrets of these famous wares in order that more people may appreciate the technical excellence underlying the visual appearances of these wares and that these glazes may be replicated better by contemporary ceramic factories in Jingdezhen.Seven examples of Jingdezhen copper red glazes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, refiring tests and microprobe analysis to determine the compositions, microstructures and firing temperatures.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Ying Bai ◽  
Tao Chen

There is a brick-vault roofed bathroom building, commonly known as the Cistern Hall (Wengtang), opposite the Grand Baoen Temple Heritage and Scenic Area near the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing. This article analyzes its shape and characteristics by means of a 3D scan that surveys and maps out 2019 data on the site. On this basis, this article suggests that the bathroom may have been built as an annex to the Grand Baoen Temple in the early Ming dynasty. This kind of bathroom design originated in West Asia, entered China during the Yuan dynasty (1271‒1368) and became popular in the Jiangnan region during the Ming (1368‒1644) and Qing (1644‒1911) dynasties. In a lively exchange of architectural ideas, it bore witness to rich, in-depth architectural cultural exchanges between China, Central Asia, and West Asia in the Yuan and Ming dynasties.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (35) ◽  
pp. 189-208
Author(s):  
藍日昌 藍日昌

<p>近代所謂漢字文化圈者,意謂在東亞區域之內諸國受中國文化之影響,舉凡儒學、佛教及技術等,皆由中國而向外傳至日、韓、琉及越南等,東亞諸國的文化交流的媒介自然是以漢字為主。</p> <p>東亞交流雖自六朝開始,但當時並無官方語音的觀念,因此交流之時自以當時主流發音為主,而主流發音則隨政治、經濟形勢而變。六朝時以南方吳音為主流,唐時以河洛及西北方音為主流,南宋時則以蘇杭音為主流。</p> <p>書寫文字雖同,但音調則有差異,這對其他諸國而言,也是有所困擾,音調雖有變化,但書寫則不變,筆談即是東亞交流中溝通的媒介。</p> <p>明太祖所建立起朝貢制度,政治及經濟來往熱絡,朝鮮作為明朝與日本的紐帶,明、朝之間的燕行使與朝、日之間的通信使,交往之時大體透過筆談溝通。甚至越南與琉球、日本交往之時亦復透過筆談溝通。</p> <p>筆談之事,少見於唐宋,入明則筆談的記錄頻率轉增,然則筆談出現的頻率則證諸東亞交流的狀況及文化交流的盛景,其事雖簡,其義則甚重大。</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><p>The so-called Chinese cultural circle in modern times means that all countries in the East Asian region are influenced by Chinese culture, and all Confucianism, Buddhism, and technology have been spread from China to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Vietnam, and other countries in East Asia. The medium of cultural exchange is naturally based on Chinese characters.</p> <p>Although the East Asia exchange started from the Six Dynasties, there was no concept of official speech at that time. Therefore, the main stream of pronunciation was mainly from the time when the exchange was made, and the mainstream pronunciation changed with the political and economic situation. At the time of the Six Dynasties, Wu Yin was the mainstream in the South. In the Tang Dynasty, Heluo and Northwestern were the mainstream. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the Su Hang sound was the mainstream.</p> <p>Although the written words are the same, but the tones are different, this is also a nuisance to other countries. Although the tone changes, the writing remains the same. The pen talk is the medium of communication in East Asian communication.</p> <p>Ming Taizu established the tributary system, political and economic exchanges, North Korea as the ties between the Ming Dynasty and Japan, the Yan Dynasty between the Ming Dynasty and the DPRK to exercise communication with the DPRK and Japan, when the exchanges are generally communicated through the pen. Even when Vietnam communicates with Ryukyu and Japan, it communicates through pen talks.</p> <p>The things in pen talk are rare in the Tang and Song dynasties. The frequency of writing records in Ming Ming&rsquo;s writings has increased. However, the frequency of conversations in writing has confirmed the status of exchanges in East Asia and the grand scene of cultural exchanges. Although the matter is simple, its significance is very significant.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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