Twelve Chinese Zoosigns of Zodiak: Tradition and Modernity

The work is devoted to the origins and peculiarities of zodiac signs in the ancient Chinese tradition. The study is carried out within the frames of linguocultural approach towards interpreting animalistic metaphors, namely, the zoonyms of the twelve zodiac signs which in China, are used to characterize people concerning their date of birth and are passed on from generation to generation. Chinese zodiacs are based on the astronomic theory of constellations and human worship (idolatry) of totems. It focuses on the comparison of zoonym metaphors reflected as Chinese zodiac signs both in the Chinese and Russian languages proceeding from the theory of metaphor in modern cognitive aspect to detect similarities and differences, and as well, the study of cultural roots of zoonym metaphors revealed in the Chinese zodiac signs. The object of the study concerns zoonyms of zodiac signs possessing the relevant meaning in the Chinese zoological lexis. The work elaborates the definition of the notion zodiac, describes the processes of the genesis, formation and development of the Zodiac culture and its specific cultural relevance; according to the analysis undertaken, the means to differentiate twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and those of Chinese fairy tales, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, in Russian - animals were discussed and verified as to I.A. Krylovs fables. The conclusion states that metaphors are determined by the language itself, and linguocultures of various nations are reflected in specific metaphors and other peculiarities.

“Age of Ethos”: Exploring Rhetorical Practices in Early Chinese Society

The essay explores the notion of collective ethos by looking closely at some of the key aspects of rhetorical and discourse practices in early Chinese society, such as ethos-as-spirit, the oneness of ethos/logos, and wei-yi (威仪; authority and deportment) among others, with a conclusion about the ethocentric nature of the traditional Chinese discourse system, rhetoric and philosophy included. To put things in perspective, it also discusses Western theories on ethos, including those by noted postmodernist theorists such as Bourdieu and Foucault. However, it does not argue that the Chinese tradition is the right path to rhetoric in general and ethos in particular but, rather, points out that rhetoric varies across cultures for an array of reasons, hence the necessity of approaching and understanding ethos differently from the model formulated by Aristotle.

Comparative Analysis of the Complete Mitochondrion of Chlorophytum Comosum with 9 Other Species

Chlorophytum comosum belongs to genus Chlorophytum of family Asparagaceae that has more than 215 species. it is among 120 plant species assayed for phytoremediation of pollutants from indoor air. It has the ability to remove formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon oxide, ozone, benzene, toluene, cigarette smoke and ammonia. It also is an important Chinese tradition medicine material. Aim to get more information about its mitochondrial genome, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of C. comosum. The length of mitochondrial genome was 950316 bp with 36 protein coding genes, 5 rRNAs and 21 tRNAs. Although it has the biggest mitochondrial genome, the total PCGs content were the second least. C. comosum had the most repeats sequence and it may effect the size of mitochondrial genome, but base the result we found that the quantity of repeats sequence could not have the positive correlation with the mitochondrial size. Compared with other 9 species , we found in the mitochondrial genome of C. comosum, there were at least one PCGs suffered from the positive selection after divergence. Finally, the result of phylogenetic showed that C. comosum did not have colesd relationship with other species.

Study on 24 Jieling Drums as Urban Cultural Landscape in Malaysia

The 24 solar terms, a knowledge system incorporated in the East Asian lunisolar calendar, reflect a typical agricultural life shaped by the astronomical and phenological nature in ancient China. The UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage embodies this Chinese tradition and culture. It is also commonly observed among Chinese diasporas in other parts of the world. Since 1988 when Tan Chai Puan and Tan Hooi Song established 24 Jieling Drums (二十四节令鼓) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia by exploring this Chinese traditional heritage, artistic performances of this vibrant music genre have effectively transmitted drumming aesthetics in Malaysian urban landscape into the Chinese cultural sphere for over three decades. This study explores a characterised link between this millennia-old Chinese cultural heritage and 24 Jieling Drums as an urban cultural landscape in Malaysia, and discusses several issues on the cultural elements applied in a diversified land through the narrative.

Chinese Culture in the Cirebon Sultanate: Symbolic and Philosophical Meanings

This paper aims to explore the symbolic and philosophical meaning of the elements of Chinese culture in the Kasepuhan Palace, Cirebon. In this palace, there are many Chinese cultural ornaments that adorn this historical site. One of them is the Siti Inggil building, where there are walls pasted with Chinese ceramics. The primary data of this paper were obtained from the field by means of observation, documentation, and direct interviews. Data analysis used descriptive qualitative and semiotic methods with archaeological, anthropological, and socio-historical approaches. This article confirms that the Chinese ornaments in the Cirebon Sultanate prove the process of cultural acculturation between Chinese culture and Cirebon culture. In Chinese tradition, the dragon is a symbol of the Chinese emperor. while the image of the Phoenix bird is a symbol of the female emperor, peace and prosperity, and the image of the fish is a symbol of darkness and luxury.

Zuo Si (250–305) as the founder of the tradition of poems about daughters in classical Chinese poetry

Zui Si (250–305) is a prominent Chinese poets of the early Middle Ages, however, his poetic heritage and translations of his works are fragmentary within the Russian sinology. His poetry is characterized by pronounced individuality, depicted within the framework of Chinese tradition. Special attention is given to female images in the lyrics of Zuo Si. The remarkable poem “My Beloved Daughters” is the first poem about daughters within the Chinese tradition, which gave rise to the entire subgenre that existed until the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). This article analyzes the poetics of the poem “My Beloved Daughters” by Zuo Si. The conclusion is made that the main feature of this poem, which determined the poetics and all its imitations, is the use of classical techniques characteristic to gongti shi (宫体诗), i.e. palace-style poetry, which creates a comic effect and casts doubt on the traditional gender stereotypes. The novelty of this research consists in examination of the works of the Chinese poet of the early Middle Ages Zuo Si from the perspective of gender poetics. The author’s special contribution lies in the full literal translation of the poem “My beloved Daughters” by Zuo Si, which is conducted in the Russian language for the first time.

The last Legal Code of the Yuan Empire: History and Text

From the jural point of view, the Yuan era (1271–1368) can be considered as one of the most interesting in the history of Eastern Asia. This is partly because at that time the Chinese tradition was enriched by a foreign influence. However, very few sources on the Yuan legal system have survived, and even those which did survive are usually far from being complete. The article introduces the recently discovered part of the Zhi-zheng tiao-ge code published in 1346 at the very end of the Yuan Empire. The author lists the testimonia, which mention this document. He also offers the analysis of legal documents mentioned there following the time of their issue. The introduced source is compared with legal codes of the previous years and suggests ways of their reconstruction. The final part of the article contains a brief description of the surviving chapters of the monument. The results of the analysis allow us to see in the Zhi-zheng tiao-ge code an important source on the legislation not only of the late Yuan but also on the Yuan dynasty as a whole.

The Dao of Madness

This book offers a picture of madness as a category and a tool in the early Chinese tradition, giving an account of how early Chinese thinkers developed a conception of mental illness connected to both medicine and ethics, particularly in the Warring States and Han periods. Specifically, it is concerned with the connections between madness, mental illness in general, and philosophical positions on personhood, moral agency, responsibility, and social identity. Madness is a near universal category in human thought. In early China, madness (kuang ?) has particular unique forms, shaped through consideration of the features of mind and body, cultural norms, and illness and health. While madness and other forms of mental illness were taken as either foils or ideals by different thinkers in early China, they were nearly always contrasted with operability, proper communal development, and progress on a specifically moral path. This book explores these conceptions of madness in early Chinese thought.