Ancient Inner Asian Nomads: Their Economic Basis and Its Significance in Chinese History

1994 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 1092-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Di Cosmo
Keyword(s):  
Historical Development ◽  
The State ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Pastoral Nomads ◽  
Economic Basis ◽  
Zuo Zhuan

Such non-chinese people as the rong, di, and hu are often portrayed in the traditional historiography of ancient China as greedy, aggressive, and acquisitive (Sinor 1978; Honey 1990). Chinese writings of the Zhou dynasty (c. 1050–256 b.c.) contain many instances of unflattering statements aimed at foreign peoples: the Zuo zhuan compares the Rong and Di to wolves (ZZ, 1:209); the Zhan guo ce says the state of Qin shares the same attributes as the Rong and Di—the heart of a tiger or wolf, greed, and cruelty (ZGC, 11:869; cf. Crump 1970:436). Foreign peoples were often considered “have-nots” with an insatiable lust for Chinese goods, mainly silk, grains, and, later, tea. This stereotype, which developed in the historical sources along with the process of crystallization of the Chinese ethnocultural identity and codification of the written and oral traditions, was regarded as sufficient to account for otherwise complex social and political phenomena. In the course of time, with the historical development of powerful nomadic states confronting China militarily and politically, the attributes of “greedy” and “ravenous” stuck essentially to those people who “moved in search of grass and water”: the pastoral nomads.

scholarly journals Formation of the Ancient Chinese Eastern Han Empire in the Soviet historiography of 1920s – 1930s

2021 ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Anna Konstantinovna Korobitsyna
Keyword(s):  
Class Struggle ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Ideological Perspective ◽  
Prewar Period ◽  
The Ancient Chinese ◽  
Eastern Han ◽  
Soviet Historiography

This article provides an overview of the major works of the Soviet researchers of prewar period, who covered the emergence of the Eastern Han Empire (25 – 220). The period of its existence that falls on the I – II centuries AD is one of the poorly studied periods of the Ancient Chinese history. The representations on the establishment of this empire within Soviet historiography developed in the prewar period are important for further study of this state, since they have not undergone significant changes. The article employs the chronological principle with determination of the key peculiarities of historiography of 1920s – 1930s, as well as comparative-historical and typological methods. Soviet researchers of the prewar period who dealt with this topic relied on the concept of the existence of feudalism in Ancient China, and thus, the struggle between the class of feudal lords and serf peasants. The Red Eyebrows rebellion movement drew heightened attention of the scholars. The Russian researchers of prewar period, other than K. A. Harnsky (1884 – 1938), views the Red Eyebrows movement as a peasant rebellion relying on rather ideological reasons than the analysis of historical sources. The author of this article believes that the example of this rebellion movement could tell about the class struggle in Ancient China, which explains the interest of the researchers. However, the focus of researchers on the Red Eyebrows movement, which covers just the first years of the existence of Eastern Han Empire, is also the reason why the establishment of the empire is poorly studied. They also interpreted the topic from ideological perspective, omitting the inconvenient facts.

History, Culture, Revolution, and Chinese Constitutionalism

2018 ◽  
pp. 198-208
Author(s):  
Zhao Xiaoli
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Great Learning ◽  
The World ◽  
The Common ◽  
Three Phases

In this chapter, the author offers a commentary on Su Li's account of the constitution of ancient China. He discusses the importance of Su Li's research by citing the Preamble to the 1982 Constitution, which implies that the Chinese people have a “glorious revolutionary tradition”; the revolutions since the 1840s are the continuation of this tradition. He notes that the Common Program of 1949 as well as the 1954, 1975, 1978, and 1982 Constitutions all start with historical narrative. The author also addresses the issue of time in Constitutions, and describes the Chinese constitution as a historical entity with the three phases of past, present, and future. Finally, he examines the three constitutional issues that Su Li claimed were facing ancient China and which correspond to the three phrases of the Great Learning: to run one's household, govern the state, and bring peace to the world under heaven.

FIRST SEMINAR ‘DYNASTIES AND SUCCESSION TO THE THRONE IN ANCIENT CHINA’. SERIES “COLLOQUIUM STANISLAVI. TERMINOLOGY DESCRIBING POWER AND KINSHIP IN ANCIENT CHINA”

2020 ◽  
pp. 318-325
Author(s):  
Marina E. Kuznetsova-Fetisova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
History Of ◽  
Oriental Studies ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Historical Periods ◽  
China Series

In a number of issues and problems in contemporary Sinology opinions of experts still differ sharply; this also extends to the ancient history of China. A series of seminars “‘Colloquium Stanislavi’. Terminology Describing Power and Kinship in Ancient China” held in the Chinese Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, is envisioned as a platform for discussions on the most pressing issues, exchanging of views, and development of new terminology. The first seminar on the topic “Dynasties and Succession to the Throne in Ancient China” was held on November 18, 2020, with over 35 researchers taking part in the seminar. Traditionally, 24 dynastic histories are distinguished in the history of China; “dynastic history” being the name of the traditional historical sources describing the rule of a particular house; later the very historical periods were called accordingly. But these traditional denominations, for example, the Shang or Ming dynasty, did not coincide with the surname of the clan that ruled at that time. The discussion clearly revealed two main problems: Firstly, the lack of an adequate term to describe the phenomenon of Chinese history, which is now called “24 Dynastic Stories” and, secondly, the need to determine terminology conveying such major Chinese concepts like dai (代) and chao (朝).

In Quest of Susu

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 1-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Bühnen
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Political History ◽  
The State ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
The Political ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Sudan I ◽  
Historical Investigation ◽  
History Of

The political history of the medieval Western Sudan was dominated by a succession of empires exerting their domination over the region: Ghana, Mali, and finally Songhay. Oral tradition is our only evidence for the existence of yet another empire. It was called Susu and exerted its supremacy after the decline of Ghana and before the rise of Mali. Most historical treatises locate enigmatic Susu in the Kaniaga region northwest of Segou. These treatises are mainly based on oral traditions and medieval Arabic chronicles.After rereading the conventional historical sources and examining passages in Portuguese sources thus far untapped for the history of the Western Sudan, I feel induced to present a new identification for Susu. The Portuguese evidence appears to point to a vast but nearly forgotten kingdom in the Futa Jalon and Upper Niger region as the historical descendant of ancient Susu, thus indicating the latter's location. This kingdom was called Jalo and Concho. Its ethnic core were the Susu and Jalonke, and it was on its ruins that the Muslim Fula conquerors erected the state of Futa Jalon in the eighteenth century. My interpretation of oral traditions and Arabic sources also leads me to assume an identity of Susu with the kingdoms of Sankaran and Do. I will attempt to demonstrate the identity of the polities bearing these different names in sections introducing these polities, most of which have never been subjected to close historical investigation.

scholarly journals (De)coupling race and language: The state listening subject and its rearticulation of antiracism as racism in Singapore

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Vincent Pak
Keyword(s):  
Rap Music ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
The State ◽  
Music Video ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Chinese Community ◽  
National Values ◽  
The Government ◽  
Semiotic Process

Abstract Harmonious multiracialism is one of Singapore's national values, yet race in Singapore is almost always precariously managed. In 2019, race once again became the centre of public debate when a government-sanctioned advertisement featured a Chinese Singaporean actor ‘brownfacing’ as an Indian Singaporean, incurring public outcry. Local entertainers Preeti and Subhas Nair responded with a rap music video that criticised the advertisement and included the line ‘Chinese people always out here fucking it up’, which drew flak from the government and the Chinese community in Singapore. This article considers the state's response to the antiracist practices of the Nair siblings, and the subsequent labelling of their behaviour as racist. The article also introduces the concept of the state listening subject and describes its role in the semiotic process of rearticulation to elucidate how the Singaporean state selectively (de)couples race and language to maintain the national racial order. (Raciolinguistic ideology, multiracialism, rearticulation, state listening subject, race, Singapore, antiracism)*

Astronomical Evidence for the Bamboo Annals' Chronicle of Early Xia

Early China ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Nivison ◽  
Kevin D. Pang
Keyword(s):  
Chinese History ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Early China ◽  
Western Zhou ◽  
Zuo Zhuan

Tradition says that Yu, first ruler of the Xia Dynasty, was chosen by the “sage emperor” Shun as Shun's successor. The “Modern Text” Bamboo Annals (Jinben Zhushu jinian) dates this act of choice to the fourteenth year of Shun. (With E. L. Shaughnessy, “On the Authenticity of the Bamboo Annals,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 46 (1986), we accept this text as at least in part the text found in a royal tomb of Wei in A.D. 281.) Following D. Pankenier's argument (“Mozi and the Dates of Xia, Shang and Zhou,” Early China 9–10 [1983–85]), we date this event to 1953 B.C., the year of a dramatic five-planet conjunction. (K. Pang independently dated this conjunction to Yu's reign in his article “Extraordinary Floods in Early Chinese History and their Absolute Dates,” Journal of Hydrology 96 [1987].)We next use K. Pang's discovery (“Extraordinary Floods”) that there was an eclipse of the sun on 16 October 1876 B.C., that exactly satisfies descriptions in the Zuo zhuan (Zhao 17) and in the Bamboo Annals for Xia, Zhong Kang fifth year, of an eclipse associated with the (post-Han Shang shu) “Punitive Expedition of Yin” (except for the day-cycle in the Annals, which we assume to be a later calculation); i.e., it occurred on the first of the ninth lunar month (Xia calendar), the sun's location at the time (188å) was in lunar lodge Fang, and the eclipse was visible in the probable Xia capital area. No other eclipse within many centuries satisfies these criteria.Extending D. Nivison's theory (“The Dates of Western Chou,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 43 (1983)) that Western Zhou royal calendars began only after completion of mourning, i.e., two years after accession, we then assume that there were similar two-year mourning breaks between Xia royal calendars (possibly reflected in the irregular interregnums in the present Annals). For a demonstration of this chronology, see the chart on page 94.

The Christian Imprint: The Shaping of Republican-Era Theology

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloë Starr
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Christian Education ◽  
The State ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Chinese Christianity ◽  
Republican Era ◽  
Revival Movements ◽  
Chinese State ◽  
Prime Source

The 1920s and 1930s produced some of the most exciting and voluminous theology in Chinese history as Chinese leaders gained more prominence in churches, revival movements drew converts in, mission education began to provide a stream of theology graduates, and the Chinese Christian press expanded. The nature of “Chinese Christianity” was a prime source of reflection, but so too was the Chinese state itself and the nature of Christian duty to the nation. Chapter Two surveys the state of Chinese Christianity at the beginning of the twentieth century (considering the effects of internal church developments, anti-imperialism, Christian education, elite social responsibility, and the Anti-Christian movements), then explores the notion of theology as a collective publishing exercise, via a reading of Republican Christian journals.

scholarly journals Milutin Bojic’s letters to Milan Grol sent from Corfu 1916-1917.

2015 ◽  
pp. 189-199
Author(s):  
Miroslav Jovanovic
Keyword(s):  
World War I ◽  
The State ◽  
World War ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Young Writer ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Serbian Academy

The Archive of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade holds three letters that the young writer Milutin Bojic (1892-1917) sent to dramaturge and politician Milan Grol (1876-1952). Bojic wrote to Grol from the island of Corfu, where, together with the Serbian government and the army, he was spending his days in exile. Bojic had a great desire to continue his education and thus to contribute to the Serbian people and the state. These letters are very important historical sources about the life of a young poet who has famously described the suffering of Serbian Army in World War I in his Ode to a Blue Sea Tomb.

scholarly journals Constructing the Localization of Marxism in Teaching

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Chufang Hu
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Specific Time ◽  
New Era ◽  
Time Specific ◽  
Chinese Modernization

<p>The production of any kind of theory has its special and specific environment. Therefore, although truth can be universally applicable, it also needs to be associated with specific time, specific events, and specific environments in the process of combining it with practice, so that the truth can fully spread its wisdom, guide real life, and guide human society to develop scientifically and orderly. Based on the premise of fully understanding Marxism, this paper explores the localization of constructing Marxism in teaching based on the state of China. It proposes that it is necessary to fully integrate China's actual national conditions and realize the localization of Marxism in teaching from Chinese modernization, popularization, <em>etc.</em> in the new era, so as to fully integrate Marxism in China's new era of socialist construction, so that the Chinese people can get a sense of happiness in the localization of Marxism beliefs.</p>

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