«Зүүнгарыг түвшидгэж тогтоосон явдлыг Гэдэнг ууланд тэмдэглэн байгуулсан гэрэлт хөшөөний бичиг»-ийн монгол бичээсийн эл хувилбарын ариутгал (= Каменная стела на горе Геденг: ойратский текст эдикта об усмирении джунгаров)

After the fall of the Dzhungar Khanate in the second half of the 18th century, "the highest approved" official works by order of the Qing authorities appear in Chinese historiography. They are devoted to the "description of the suppression of the Dzhungars". In addition to this, steles were also installed, proclaiming the victory of the Qing emperor over the Dzhungars. One of such steles was installed on Mount Gedeng, which is located near Mongolkure on the modern border of China and Kazakhstan. The stele is known under various names — "Stele on Gedeng Mountain", "Ili Stele on Gedeng Mountain", "Stele on Gedeng Mountain near Mongolkure". The text on the stone stele is written in four languages: Manchu, Chinese, Tibetan and Oirat (‘Clear script’). The article examines the ‘Clear script’ text containing 9 lines and 266 words.

“The Bronze Tripod” of Qing Power in Tibet and the position of the 5th Panchen Lama

Chinese historiography, concerning the period of Qing administrations strengthening in the Tibetan region, shows the concept 三足鼎立 (sānz dĭngl), which literally means to establish a bronze tripod or figuratively tripartite balance of power. The Panchen Lama incarnation lineage become one of the three pillars of Qing power in Tibet by the middle of the XVIII century. The 5th Panchen Lama Lobsang Yeshe got many privileges from Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors, was invited to Beijing and even considered to be the regent for the Dalai Lama VII. Lobsang Yeshe played a mediating role in a number of internal and external conflicts, recognized the incarnations of the three Dalai Lamas, enhance the government in Tashilhunpo, and generally played a prominent role in the history of Tibeto-Qing relations.

A Discourse Analysis of Recent Mainland Chinese Historiography on the Sinocentric Tributary System of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1912)

The article investigates the recent (2000–2019) mainland Chinese historiography on the Sinocentric tributary system of the Míng and Qīng periods (1368–1912). The theoretical approach of the article is based on Foucauldian discourse theory, as well as Chinese theoretical scholarship on the evolution of Chinese thought. Its methodology is primarily based on Reiner Keller’s sociological discourse research method. The main body of the article is structured upon the major fields of argumentation of the discourse, identified by the author as “the validity of the term ‘tributary system,’” “the tributary system and pre-modern Chinese culture,” “the tributary system and Míng-Qīng Chinese socio-economic history,” and “the tributary system and the regional political order.” The article argues that the ‘discursive struggle’ in recent historiography on the tributary system is primarily a result of its contested interpretation and evaluation under current dominant framings of an ideal international order—one centred around the principles of national sovereignty and “win-win” economic cooperation.

Peculiarity of the Origins of Chinese Historiography of the Fine Arts

SummaryThe article is dedicated to the research of the origins and peculiarity of classical Chinese historiography of fine arts from the broader civilisational perspective. Based on the principles of comparative analysis, the paper reveals the peculiarities of formation of Chinese historiography of fine arts, its attention to the analysis of various methods, styles, schools, directions and different internal and external factors of artistic creativity and development, highlighting its relationship with neo-Confucianist ideology that influenced the rise of “Chinese renaissance”. The article focuses on written work by three most prominent historiographers of the Tang and Song eras, Zhu Jingxuan, Zhang Yanyuan and Guo Ruoxu. The analysis of authentic treatises of historiography first exposes the theoretical peculiarity of the founder of this tradition, Zhu Jingxuan, the principal scope of issues that interested him, and the impact of his research strategies and methods on later scholars. The article follows with the research of Zhang Yanyuan’s and Guo Ruoxu’s theories, particularly their relationship with neo-Confucianist ideology. Based on the detailed comparative analysis of their treatises, the analysis shows the broadening of the field of historiographical issues of interest to them, as well as separation of historiography of fine arts into an individual influential direction of art criticism.

A political history of Chinese historiography on “foreign education”

PurposeThis paper examines China's historiography on foreign education since 1900, with an emphasis on the period since 1949. The understanding of “foreign education” in China during this period shifted rapidly from the Western-centered approach that had been introduced from Japanese during the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China to the Soviet-centered approach that followed the founding of New China to a restoration of Western-centered approaches after the “opening” of the late 1970s and 1980s. The paper asks: how has the study of foreign educational history changed over time in the People's Republic of China, how has the broader discipline of history of education changed, and how have successive generations of historians of education conceived of their intellectual and political roles?Design/methodology/approachGrounded in archival documents and the published works of influential historians of education, this study notes the ways in which political regime change affected the construction and application of academic knowledge.FindingsThis study identifies four stages in the Chinese historiography on foreign education: a formative stage (from 1900 until the late 1940s); a difficult post-revolutionary recovery, followed by growth and then suppression (from 1949 until the mid-1970s); a period of achievement combined with an academic crisis (from 1978 until the early 2000s); and finally, a recent transition marked by theoretical innovation and global integration (from the 2000s until the present).Originality/valueThis study finds that a narrow focus on “practical utility” or service to politics and policy has perturbed historians of foreign education in China and stunted their field's development. A look back at early periods in the historiography offers a warning about the potential dangers of extreme ideological/political utilitarianism. These dangers existed not only in the history of foreign education but also in the history of education research more broadly. A close examination of these dangers can help twenty-first-century historians of education in China balance the practical, political and professional dimensions of their research. To grasp the meaning of foreign education, historical research needs to be politically independent.

From Evil Women to Dissolute Rulers: Changes in Gender Representation across the Zuozhuan, Guoyu, and Shiji

This article examines gender representation in early Chinese histories with a focus on Shiji 史記 (Records of the Historian). Presenting beautiful and evil women, rather than male rulers, as responsible for political crises is a long-standing practice of Chinese historiography. Previous scholarship contends that this practice began with such depictions in Shiji and thus stems from its model impact upon subsequent histories. By scrutinising the interplay between the two genders within royal houses, this article extends the scope of previous scholarly examination from women to their husbands, i.e. the male rulers. Comparison of the causation chains of political disasters as built in Zuozhuan 左傳 (Zuo Commentary), Guoyu 國語 (Discourses of the States), and Shiji shows that Shiji diminishes women's agency, describing them as neither the original cause of political crises nor a tool to shield rulers from criticism. Unlike its predecessors, Shiji presents political catastrophes as ruler-dominant consequences resulting from their own unrestricted desires and cross-boundary misbehaviour, explaining the rise and decay in history.