Chinese Gardens as a Nativity Scene: Matteo Ripa’s Description of the Kangxi Emperor’s Changchun Garden in Beijing

This article examines the description of the Changchun Garden in eighteenth-century Beijing, featured in Matteo Ripa’s Storia della Fondazione della Congregazione e del Collegio de’ Cinesi. An Italian missionary at the court of the Kangxi Emperor, Ripa had a chance to see and describe both the imperial parks and the intricacies of Chinese court etiquette. His detailed account, a precious source of information on the Changchun park, was accompanied by commentaries aimed at explaining the differences between “European” and “Chinese” aesthetic values. Therefore, this article offers a critical analysis of the account as a historical source, discussing the accuracy of some of the details described by Ripa, and subsequently provides an interpretation of the way he perceived Chinese parks, with an emphasis on his explanations of the “Chinese style” of laying out gardens. Finally, the last part of the article is dedicated to a comparison between a Neapolitan nativity scene (presepio) and the Qing gardens as drawn by Ripa at the end of his description, in order to demonstrate the “artificial naturalness” of Chinese parks.

Moderns and Mandarins

The mahjong fad, with its constant evocations of a mystical Chinese past, evidenced a larger reaction to change in the 1920s. Many Americans felt deeply ambivalent about the changes that came with increasing bureaucracy and urban anonymity, and they sought a connection to an ancient authenticity through mahjong. Marketers of the game shaped mahjong’s image and fought for turf over its authenticity. Chinese Americans asserted their own vision of Chinese authenticity. Some of these attempts were conscious, some were likely not, but all participated in creating what would become a dominant understanding of mahjong as an ancient Chinese game. Mahjong’s strengthening association with the ancient Chinese court had implications for how the game would be understood as either a gambling game or a respectable form of leisure. As in the larger history of authenticity, race and class were at the heart of these developments.

Regulatory Hostage-taking and Shaming

This chapter examines the myth behind the paucity of appeals against antitrust agencies in China. The primary reason holding businesses back from defying Chinese antitrust authorities is not necessarily the perceived low probability of success in a Chinese court but rather the high transaction costs associated with such an appeal. Chinese antitrust authorities possess wide discretion over enforcement and can proactively apply it to entire firms to settle the cases. Firms operating in China, whether foreign or domestic, are likely to continue to interact with these agencies and their host ministries in the future. Businesses therefore avoid taking an aggressive and adversarial approach for fear of future retribution. In addition, Chinese government agencies are adept at using media strategies during enforcement. In several high-profile cases, the antitrust bureau at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) deftly mobilized public sentiments through the state media, strategically shaming to prevent defiance of their orders, and relentlessly suppressing experts from voicing opinions that might threaten the legitimacy of its measures. In so doing, the NDRC was able to overcome its capacity and bureaucratic constraints, thereby quickly cementing its reputation as an astute and forceful regulator.

Labour Protections for Overseas Chinese Workers: Legal Framework and Judicial Practice

The launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative has brought attention to the dispatch of Chinese workers overseas. These vulnerable migrants are often charged high fees in China only to suffer wage abuses and work injuries abroad, where obtaining relief is often impossible. But what laws or regulations within China protect these workers, and how effective are they? This study takes an initial step towards answering those unexplored questions by analysing over 100 Chinese court decisions. While, for much of the China’s history, overseas workers were primarily seconded abroad by Chinese employers, a clear preference has emerged for sending workers through intermediary agencies that can charge fees and execute ‘service’ contracts. Nonetheless, the courts generally provide some relief to aggrieved workers who are dispatched through formal channels. However, a large number of workers go abroad through informal brokers. When disputes arise in these cases, judicial practice becomes very inconsistent. Ironically, workers sometimes fare better because the courts adopt a ‘strict liability’ approach that punishes the unregistered broker, ordering them to pay all compensation or refund all fees. But some judges punish the worker who entrusted an unregistered broker or worked abroad on a tourist visa. And other courts simply treat the matter as a contract or tort dispute. While aggrieved overseas workers who litigate in court face mixed results, this article also discusses why many workers never make it to the courthouse door. The conclusion offers proposals to enhance protections for overseas workers and discusses why it is important that China do so.