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A History of Reading in Late Imperial China, 1000-1800

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A History of Reading in Late Imperial China, 1000-1800 A HISTORY OF READING IN LATE IMPERIAL CHINA, 1000-1800 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Li Yu, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2003 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Galal Walker, advisor Professor Mark Bender Professor Cynthia J. Brokaw ______________________________ Professor Patricia A. Sieber Advisor East Asian Languages and Literatures ABSTRACT This dissertation is a historical ethnographic study on the act of reading in late imperial China. Focusing on the practice and representation of reading, I present a mosaic of how reading was conceptualized, perceived, conducted, and transmitted from the tenth to the eighteenth centuries. My central argument is that reading, or dushu, was an indispensable component in the tapestry of cultural life and occupied a unique position in the landscape of social history in late imperial China. Reading is not merely a psychological act of individuals, but also a set of complicated social practices determined and conditioned by social conventions. The dissertation consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 discusses motivation, scope, methodology, and sources of the study. I introduce a dozen different Chinese terms related to the act of reading. Chapter 2 examines theories and practices of how children were taught to read. Focusing on four main pedagogical procedures, namely memorization, vocalization, punctuation, and explication, I argue that the loud chanting of texts and the constant anxiety of reciting were two of the most prominent themes that ran through both the descriptive and prescriptive discourses on the history of reading in late imperial ii China. Chapter 3 delineates a culture of reading dominated by males through a discussion of key elements of this culture: reading habits, the treatment of books, the hygiene of reading, reading paraphernalia, the elite conceptions of reading, and popular attitudes toward reading. Chapter 4 investigates women's reading, including their road to literacy, and representations of what and how they read. I argue that what caused the growing patriarchal anxiety over women’s education during the late imperial period was not the rise in female literacy or the growth of female erudition, but rather the expansion of women’s literate practices, particularly writing in the sphere of men. Chapter 5 probes the questions of why and how non-Han peoples learned to read Chinese. I investigate the cases of four different groups: “alien rulers” (Khitans, Jurchens, and Mongols), Jesuits, Chinese Jews, and Koreans. Chapter 6 reflects on the influence of the culture of reading on contemporary Chinese society, offers pedagogical considerations of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, takes issue with some Western paradigms of reading and orality, and provides suggestions for future research. iii Dedicated to my parents and Xu Jun iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Beyond endless searching, reading, and writing, the completion of a dissertation depends on a network of intellectual, financial, and emotional support. I am most grateful to the members of my dissertation committee: Galal Walker, for initiating me into the world of the history of reading, and constantly stimulating me with his philosophical insights on Chinese language and culture; Mark Bender, for opening the world of Chinese folklore and minority cultures to me, and guiding me through the maze of the academic palace; Cynthia Brokaw, for sharing her expertise in book and publishing history, and providing me with critical guidance and moral support much beyond what I had expected, such as going the extra mile to attend my conference presentations; Patricia Sieber (Pat laoshi), my liangshi yiyou, for setting high standards and expectations as a teacher, and showing me genuine enthusiasm and support as a friend from the very beginning of the project till the very end. Many experts in East Asian studies and other related fields, some of whom I have not yet had the fortune to meet, have provided invaluable suggestions and sent materials to me at various stages of the project. They are: John Miles Foley (University of Missouri- Columbia), J. Marshall Unger, Gari Ledyard (Columbia v University), Mark Halperin, Anne McLaren (University of Melbourne, Australia), Patrick M. Patterson (Honolulu Community College), Joachim Kurtz (University of Göttingen, Germany), David Rolston (University of Michigan), Judith Zeitlin (University of Chicago), Wu Renfu (East China Normal University, Shanghai), Samuel Yamashita (Pomona College), and Pan Kuang-che (Academia Sinica, Taibei). Seminars offered at the Ohio State University by Marjorie Chan, Dai Jinhua (Peking University), Kirk Denton, David Chen, Xiaomei Chen, Yan-Shuan Lao, Mari Noda, and Charles Quinn have expanded my knowledge in Chinese linguistics, literature, and language pedagogy. I would like to especially thank Christopher Reed in whose Chinese history seminar I finally learned how to read. I am especially indebted to Victor H. Mair of the University of Pennsylvania, an erudite Sinologist and energized researcher whose works have covered a wide range of topics on Chinese culture. His inspiration, guidance, and encouragement sustained me throughout the process of this dissertation. Research support over the years came from the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the Ohio State University. A Presidential Fellowship granted by the Graduate School at the Ohio State University enabled me to work full time for a year on the dissertation. For this, I thank Galal Walker, Mineharu (J.J.) Nakayama, Victor Mair, David Rolston, Patricia Sieber, and the anonymous panelists of the Graduate School review board. Xu Jun graciously provided for me after my funding dried up. vi Thanks are due to my friends and colleagues who have helped to improve my English writing skills and nourished me with their friendships all these years: John Metcalf, Steven Knicely, Li Ling, Timothy Foster, Shen Haibing, Zhang Aiping, Wang Jing, Yu Hongyuan, Chu Chengzhi, Walter Carpenter, Eric Shepherd, Lin Su-hsing, Liu Ying, Carole Shroeder, Hiromi Kasahara, Michael Tangeman, Stephen Filler, Helena Riha, Cheng Tieniu, Wu Lijuan, Max Bohnenkamp, Priya Ananth, and Warren Frerichs. James Cheng and Jonathan Noble helped me in the electronic submission process of the final draft. Thanks go to Zhang Yulong for giving me last-minute help in locating sources, to Ho Yeon Sung and Ok Joo Lee for helping with the pronunciations of Korean words. Debbie Knicely’s administrative expertise helped me to meet all the deadlines of Graduate School. A special thank you is due to Roberto Padilla II and Janet Eichenberger whose careful proofreading and editing of this dissertation saved me from many embarrassing mistakes. I owe a great deal to my parents who have given me unconditional love even though they had never expected their daughter to obtain a doctorate, not to mention in the faraway land of America. Many thanks to my brother Yu Qi and sister-in-law Yao Yao who offered much needed support while I was away from Shanghai. Thanks finally to my husband Xu Jun for being a friend with whom I can discuss Chinese history and culture, and offering me a shoulder to cry on in times of frustration and during episodes of “writer’s blues.” vii VITA October, 1971 ………………………...Born- Shanghai, P.R. China July 1994…………………………… ...B.A. Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language East China Normal University Shanghai, P.R. China September 1993- August 1995……...Instructor Center of Foreign Student Exchange East China Normal University Shanghai, P.R. China September1995- December 1997…... Graduate Teaching Associate East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University December 1997.....................................M.A. Chinese Language Pedagogy East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University December1997- August 2000............. Graduate Teaching Associate, East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University March 2000-Present............................. Doctoral Candidate East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University September 2000- July 2001…………..Lecturer East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University September 2001- August 2002………Graduate Fellow (Presidential Fellowship) Graduate School The Ohio State University viii PUBLICATIONS 1. Yu, Li. Forthcoming. Book Review of King Arthasiddhi: a Mongolian Translation of “The Younger Brother Don Yod.” by Marta Kiripolská (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2001.) Journal of Central Asian Studies 5.2. 2. Yu, Li. 2001. “Conference Report of Beyond Peony Pavilion: Performances, Ethnicity and Cultural Processes in China." AAS Newsletter 46.4: 19. 3. Yu, Li. 2001. Book Review of The Eternal Storyteller: Oral Literature in Modern China. Edited by Vibeke Bordahl. (Surrey: Curzon Press, 1999.) Journal of American Folklore 14. 451 (Winter): 119-121. 4. Yu, Li. 2000. “Representation of Ethnic Minorities in Chinese Propaganda Posters, 1957-1983.” (http://deall.ohio- state.edu/grads/yu.124/minzu/) Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (MCLC) Resource Center Publication. 5. Yu, Li. 1995. "Dianying yiming chutan" [A Preliminary Analysis of the Chinese Translation of English Film Titles]. Huadong shifan daxue xuebao [Journal of East China Normal University] 1995: 3. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: East Asian Languages and Literatures Studies in Chinese Language Pedagogy and Cultural History (Professor
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