DOCSLIB.ORG

Crisis and Hermeneutics: Wang Fuzhi's Interpretation of Confucian

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Crisis and Hermeneutics: Wang Fuzhi’s Interpretation of Confucian Classics in a Time of Radical Change from Ming to Qing Dynasty by Mingran Tan A Thesis Submitted in Conformity with the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of East Asian Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Mingran Tan 2010 Crisis and Hermeneutics: Wang Fuzhi’s Interpretation of Confucian Classics in a Time of Radical Change from Ming to Qing Dynasty Doctor of Philosophy Mingran Tan East Asian Studies University of Toronto Abstract In an effort to explore how hermeneutic reason functions in cultural crises, and more specifically, how a Ming loyalist Wang Fuzhi dealt with the political and cultural crises at the Ming-Qing dynastic transition, this dissertation critically examines his commentaries on Confucian classics and historical writings as well as his criticism toward other Confucian scholars and heretical schools. My conclusion is that, unlike his peers’ iconoclastic criticism of Neo-Confucianism, Wang’s uniqueness consists in that he attempted to reconstruct it through such criticism. Through this reconstruction, he tried to provide a solution to the political and cultural crises of his time by promoting universal harmony/he and humanity/ren. In his opinion, humanity originated from the harmonious qi in the universe, was identical with human nature, and demonstrated in the humane governance. Thus, he established a comprehensive system that incorporated cosmology, human nature, and political governance. Wang insisted that human beings’ destruction of the universal harmony caused the rise of perverse qi that gave rise to natural disasters and social conflicts. In order to decrease the amount of perverse qi and in turn the number of bad people and conflicts generated, Wang thought that man could cultivate his own harmonious qi or humanity and thus increase the universal harmonious qi through self-cultivation. Individually, the measures were dependent upon complying with ritual propriety and awakening one’s innate knowledge. Politically, it depended upon the ruler’s humane governance—the cultivation and extension of humanity to the people. ii Wang’s motivation of reconstruction was also powered by his arrogance. From his slogan, ―the Six Classics require me to start a new phase‖, he tacitly assumed himself to be on par with Confucius, justifying his criticism of others. Regrettably, his criticism of other non-Confucian schools was often impertinent and biased although his criticism of Neo-Confucianism was to the point. Key Words: Crisis, Wang Fuzhi, Harmony, Humanity, the Kingly Way, nature, Neo- Confucianism iii Acknowledgments In the process of writing this dissertation, my supervisor Professor Vincent Shen, has given me patient and careful direction, including selecting topics and methodology, organizing materials, revising drafts and proofreading the whole work. Professor Graham Sanders and Professor Johanna Liu help me to restructure the chapters to make them more coherent, and advise me how to use and explain details and make the whole work more concise and readable. My colleague David Chai patiently proofread my many drafts, offering invaluable advice on how to improve them. Here, I express my sincere thanks to all of them. I also would like to thank Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholar Exchange (USA). Without the foundation’s dissertation fellowship, I would have been under greater economic pressure during the process of finishing my dissertation. iv Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1 Political and Cultural Crisis: Wang Fuzhi’s Response .................................................. 1 1.1 The Political and Cultural Crises in the late Ming .............................................................. 2 1.1.1 The Political and Social Crises ................................................................................. 3 1.1.2 The Intellectual and Cultural Crises ......................................................................... 8 1.2 Wang Fuzhi’s Response to Political Crises ...................................................................... 14 1.3 Wang Fuzhi’s Response to Cultural and Intellectual Crises ............................................. 19 1.4 The Methods and Necessity to Write This Dissertation ................................................... 29 Chapter 2 Common Concerns and Inter-textuality at the Ming-Qing Transition ......................... 35 2.1 Common Concerns in Wang Fuzhi’s Time ...................................................................... 36 2.1.1 The Practical Turn in Scholarship ........................................................................... 36 2.1.2 Neo-Confucianism as a Common Target of Criticism ........................................... 40 2.1.3 Qi-monism ............................................................................................................... 47 2.1.4 Criticism on Factional Struggle ............................................................................... 50 2.2 The Unique or Original Contributions of Wang Fuzhi’s Peers ........................................ 52 2.2.1 Gu Yanwu: Creating a New Academic Atmosphere ............................................... 52 2.2.2 Huang Zongxi: A Revolutionary View on the Monarch-Subject Relation............ 55 2.2.3 Fang Yizhi: Openness to Western Culture, Buddhism and Daoism ........................ 58 2.2.4 Yan Yuan: An Uncompromising Attack toward Neo-Confucianism from the Point of Practice .................................................................................................... 62 2.3 Wang Fuzhi: Constructing a New Neo-Confucian System with the Attempt to Solve All Political and Cultural Problems .................................................................................. 66 Chapter 3 Cosmological Harmony: An Ultimate Appeal to Deal with Crisis and Struggle ......... 74 v 3.1 Harmony, Great Harmony and Heaven ............................................................................ 74 3.2 Different Definitions of Heaven ....................................................................................... 78 3.2.1 Heaven as the Pure, Void, One and Great/qing xu yi da 清虛一大 ......................... 78 3.2.2 Heaven as What Spirit and Transformation can Reach (Great Harmony) ............... 79 3.2.3 Heaven as the Impartial and Impersonal Agent ....................................................... 80 3.2.4 Heaven as an Humane Agent from the Perspective of Initiating Things ................. 81 3.3 The Necessity to Assist Heaven ........................................................................................ 84 3.3.1 The Insufficiency of Heaven .................................................................................. 87 3.3.2 The Blame of Man ................................................................................................. 93 3.4 The Feasibility of Assisting Heaven ................................................................................. 95 3.4.1 The Similarity Man Shares with Heaven ............................................................... 96 3.4.2 The Difference between Man and Heaven ........................................................... 101 3.5 The Means to Assist Heaven ........................................................................................... 106 3.5.1 Man Embraces Harmony to Transform Disharmonious Things .......................... 106 3.5.2 To Preserve Harmony through Complying with Ritual Propriety........................ 108 3.5.3 Preserving Spirit for the Maintenance of Harmony ............................................. 111 3.5.4 Knowing Heavenly Endowment, Life and Death to Preserve Harmony ............. 113 3.5.5 Transforming Bodily Temperament/Bianhua Qizhi 變化氣質 ............................ 115 3.6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 119 Chapter 4 Humanity: the Meaning of Human Life ..................................................................... 121 4.1 The Origin and Definition of Humanity ......................................................................... 121 4.1.1 Humanity Originated from Heaven ...................................................................... 122 4.1.2 Humanity as the Mind of Compassion ................................................................. 123 4.1.3 Humanity as the Content of Human Nature ......................................................... 127 4.1.4 Humanity as the Love Complying with Principle ................................................ 128 4.1.5 Humanity as Filial Piety and Fraternal Affection ................................................ 130 vi 4.2 Humanity, Righteousness and Mind ............................................................................... 131 4.2.1 The Origin and Structure of Mind ........................................................................ 132 4.2.2 Rectifying Mind/zheng xin 正心 and Making Intention Sincere/cheng yi 誠意 .. 135 4.2.3 Preserving and Fully Unfolding One’s Mind, the Recovering of the Lost Mind . 140 4.2.4 Mind and Righteousness .....................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • The Shang Dynasty Sorting Cards A

    The Shang Dynasty Sorting Cards A

    The Shang Dynasty Sorting Cards A Read the information about each of the first Shang kings. The history books and the archaeological evidence from the oracle bones disagree about the order of the kings. Can you put the kings in the order you think they ruled? You will have to decide whether you trust the written history or the archaeological evidence more. Da Yi (Tang the Great) Tai Ding Date: 1675 - 1646 BC Date: Unknown The history books say he died young and The first king of the Shang. He is said to did not become king, but the bones have overthrown the last cruel ruler of the found at Dàyì Sh!ng say he was the Xia Dynasty. second king of the Shang. Wai Bing Zhong Ren Date: Unknown Date: Unknown The history books say he was the second He is said to have ruled for four years after Shang king but the bones say he was the the death of his brother Wai Bing. The fourth. He only ruled for two years. bones don't mention him at all. Tia Jia Wo Ding Date: 1535 - 1523 BC Date: Unknown In the history books he succeeded his The history books say he is the fourth king father Tai Jia to the throne and ruled for 19 but the archaeological evidence says or 29 years. He is not mentioned in the that he is the third king. bones. Tai Geng Xiao Jia Date: Unknown Date: Unknown The history books say he was the sixth Shang king, but the bones say he was the fifth, after Was he the seventh king, as described in Wai Bing.
  • Cataloguing Chinese Art in the Middle and Late Imperial Eras

    Cataloguing Chinese Art in the Middle and Late Imperial Eras

    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations Spring 2010 Tradition and Transformation: Cataloguing Chinese Art in the Middle and Late Imperial Eras YEN-WEN CHENG University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Asian Art and Architecture Commons, Asian History Commons, and the Cultural History Commons Recommended Citation CHENG, YEN-WEN, "Tradition and Transformation: Cataloguing Chinese Art in the Middle and Late Imperial Eras" (2010). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 98. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/98 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/98 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tradition and Transformation: Cataloguing Chinese Art in the Middle and Late Imperial Eras Abstract After obtaining sovereignty, a new emperor of China often gathers the imperial collections of previous dynasties and uses them as evidence of the legitimacy of the new regime. Some emperors go further, commissioning the compilation projects of bibliographies of books and catalogues of artistic works in their imperial collections not only as inventories but also for proclaiming their imperial power. The imperial collections of art symbolize political and cultural predominance, present contemporary attitudes toward art and connoisseurship, and reflect emperors’ personal taste for art. The attempt of this research project is to explore the practice of art cataloguing during two of the most important reign periods in imperial China: Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty (r. 1101-1125) and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (r. 1736-1795). Through examining the format and content of the selected painting, calligraphy, and bronze catalogues compiled by both emperors, features of each catalogue reveal the development of cataloguing imperial artistic collections.
  • Informed Textual Practices?

    Informed Textual Practices?

    INFORMED TEXTUAL PRACTICES? INFORMED TEXTUAL PRACTICES? A STUDY OF DUNHUANG MANUSCRIPTS OF CHINESE BUDDHIST APOCRYPHAL SCRIPTURES WITH COLOPHONS By RUIFENG CHEN, B.Ec., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © by Ruifeng Chen, September 2020 McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2020) Hamilton, Ontario (Religious Studies) TITLE: Informed Textual Practices? A Study of Dunhuang Manuscripts of Chinese Buddhist Apocryphal Scriptures with Colophons AUTHOR: Ruifeng Chen B.Ec. (Zhejiang Normal University) M.A. (Zhejiang Normal University) SUPERVISOR: Professor James A. Benn, Ph.D. NUMBER OF PAGES: xv, 342 ii ABSTRACT Taking Buddhist texts with colophons copied at Dunhuang (4th–10th century C.E.) as a sample, my dissertation investigates how local Buddhists used Chinese Buddhist apocrypha with respect to their contents, and whether they employed these apocrypha differently than translated Buddhist scriptures. I demonstrate that not all of the practices related to Buddhist scriptures were performed simply for merit in general or that they were conducted without awareness of scriptures’ contents. Among both lay Buddhist devotees and Buddhist professionals, and among both common patrons and highly-ranking officials in medieval Dunhuang, there were patrons and users who seem to have had effective approaches to the contents of texts, which influenced their preferences of scriptures and specific textual practices. For the patrons that my dissertation has addressed, apocryphal scriptures did not necessarily meet their needs more effectively than translated scriptures did. I reached these arguments through examining three sets of Buddhist scriptures copied in Dunhuang manuscripts with colophons.
  • The Discovery of Chinese Logic Modern Chinese Philosophy

    The Discovery of Chinese Logic Modern Chinese Philosophy

    The Discovery of Chinese Logic Modern Chinese Philosophy Edited by John Makeham, Australian National University VOLUME 1 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/mcp. The Discovery of Chinese Logic By Joachim Kurtz LEIDEN • BOSTON 2011 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kurtz, Joachim. The discovery of Chinese logic / by Joachim Kurtz. p. cm. — (Modern Chinese philosophy, ISSN 1875-9386 ; v. 1) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-17338-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Logic—China—History. I. Title. II. Series. BC39.5.C47K87 2011 160.951—dc23 2011018902 ISSN 1875-9386 ISBN 978 90 04 17338 5 Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. CONTENTS List of Illustrations ...................................................................... vii List of Tables .............................................................................
  • Dengfeng Observatory, China

    Dengfeng Observatory, China

    90 ICOMOS–IAU Thematic Study on Astronomical Heritage Archaeological/historical/heritage research: The Taosi site was first discovered in the 1950s. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, archaeologists excavated nine chiefly tombs with rich grave goods, together with large numbers of common burials and dwelling foundations. Archaeologists first discovered the walled towns of the Early and Middle Periods in 1999. The remains of the observatory were first discovered in 2003 and totally uncovered in 2004. Archaeoastronomical surveys were undertaken in 2005. This work has been published in a variety of Chinese journals. Chinese archaeoastronomers and archaeologists are currently conducting further collaborative research at Taosi Observatory, sponsored jointly by the Committee of Natural Science of China and the Academy of Science of China. The project, which is due to finish in 2011, has purchased the right to occupy the main field of the observatory site for two years. Main threats or potential threats to the sites: The most critical potential threat to the observatory site itself is from the burials of native villagers, which are placed randomly. The skyline formed by Taer Hill, which is a crucial part of the visual landscape since it contains the sunrise points, is potentially threatened by mining, which could cause the collapse of parts of the top of the hill. The government of Xiangfen County is currently trying to shut down some of the mines, but it is unclear whether a ban on mining could be policed effectively in the longer term. Management, interpretation and outreach: The county government is trying to purchase the land from the local farmers in order to carry out a conservation project as soon as possible.
  • Political Thoughtyuri Pinespolitical Thought

    Political Thoughtyuri Pinespolitical Thought

    13 POLITICAL THOUGHTYURI PINESPOLITICAL THOUGHT Yuri Pines* The three centuries that preceded the establishment of the Chinese empire in 221 bce were an age of exceptional intellectual flourishing. No other period in the history of Chinese thought can rival these centuries in creativity, boldness, ideological diversity, and long-term impact. Val- ues, perceptions, and ideals shaped amid intense intellectual debates before the imperial unifi- cation contributed decisively to the formation of the political, social, and ethical orientations that we identify today with traditional Chinese culture. More broadly, the ideas of rival thinkers formed an ideological framework within which the Chinese empire functioned from its incep- tion until its very last decades. These ideas stand at the focus of the present chapter. The centuries under discussion are often dubbed the age of the “Hundred Schools of Thought.” The school designations were developed primarily by the Han (206/202 bce–220 ce) literati (Smith 2003; Csikszentmihalyi and Nylan 2003) as a classificatory device for the variety of pre-imperial texts. This classification, even if belated, may be heuristically convenient insofar as it groups the texts according to their distinct ideological emphases, distinct vocabulary, and distinct argumentative practices. For instance, followers of Confucius (551–479 bce) and Mozi 墨子 (ca. 460–390 bce) were prone to prioritize morality over pure political considerations, in distinction from those thinkers who are – quite confusingly (Goldin 2011a) – dubbed Legalists (fa jia 法家). Confucians (Ru 儒) and Legalists also differed markedly with regard to the nature of elite belonging (see later). This said, it is fairly misleading to imagine “schools” as coherent ideological camps, as was often done through the twentieth century and beyond.
  • Democracy in Confucianism Sor-Hoon TAN Singapore Management University, Sorhoontan@Smu.Edu.Sg DOI

    Democracy in Confucianism Sor-Hoon TAN Singapore Management University, [email protected] DOI

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Research Collection School of Social Sciences School of Social Sciences 5-2012 Democracy in Confucianism Sor-hoon TAN Singapore Management University, [email protected] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2012.00481.x Follow this and additional works at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Citation TAN, Sor-hoon.(2012). Democracy in Confucianism. Philosophy Compass, 7(5), 293-303. Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2546 This Journal Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Social Sciences at Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Collection School of Social Sciences by an authorized administrator of Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University. For more information, please email [email protected]. Published in Philosophy Compass, Vol. 7, Issue 5, May 2012, page 292-303Philosophy Compass 7/5 (2012): 293–303, 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2012.00481.x Democracy in Confucianism Sor-hoon Tan* National University of Singapore Abstract Confucianism’s long historical association with despotism has cast doubts on its compatibility with democracy, and raise questions about its relevance in contemporary societies increasingly domi- nated by democratic aspirations. ‘‘Confucian democracy’’ has been described as a ‘‘contradiction in terms’’ and Asian politicians have appropriated Confucianism to justify resistance to liberaliza- tion and democratization.
  • P020110307527551165137.Pdf

    P020110307527551165137.Pdf

    CONTENT 1.MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 03 2.ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 05 3.HIGHLIGHTS OF ACHIEVEMENTS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 06 Coexistence of Conserve and Research----“The Germplasm Bank of Wild Species ” services biodiversity protection and socio-economic development ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 06 The Structure, Activity and New Drug Pre-Clinical Research of Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids ………………………………………… 09 Anti-Cancer Constituents in the Herb Medicine-Shengma (Cimicifuga L) ……………………………………………………………………………… 10 Floristic Study on the Seed Plants of Yaoshan Mountain in Northeast Yunnan …………………………………………………………………… 11 Higher Fungi Resources and Chemical Composition in Alpine and Sub-alpine Regions in Southwest China ……………………… 12 Research Progress on Natural Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) Inhibitors…………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Predicting Global Change through Reconstruction Research of Paleoclimate………………………………………………………………………… 14 Chemical Composition of a traditional Chinese medicine-Swertia mileensis……………………………………………………………………………… 15 Mountain Ecosystem Research has Made New Progress ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Plant Cyclic Peptide has Made Important Progress ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 17 Progresses in Computational Chemistry Research ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 New Progress in the Total Synthesis of Natural Products ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
  • Linking Khotan and Dūnhuáng: Buddhist Narratives in Text and Image

    Linking Khotan and Dūnhuáng: Buddhist Narratives in Text and Image

    5 (2018) Article 6: 250–311 Linking Khotan and Dūnhuáng: Buddhist Narratives in Text and Image CHRISTOPH ANDERL Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium This contribution to Entangled Religions is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0 International). The license can be accessed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. © 2018 Christoph Anderl Entangled Religions 5 (2018) http://dx.doi.org./10.13154/er.v5.2018.250–311 Christoph Anderl Linking Khotan and Dūnhuáng: Buddhist Narratives in Text and Image1 CHRISTOPH ANDERL Ghent University ABSTRACT In the propagation and spread of Buddhism throughout Asia, jātaka and avadāna narratives played a decisive role, both in the form of texts and iconographical representations. In this paper I will focus on another set of narratives which enjoyed great popularity in the Dūnhuáng area during the later Tang and Five Dynasties period, dealing with historical projections concerning the origin and transmission of Buddhism. In this stories, “Auspicious Statues” (ruìxiàng 瑞像) play a key role. These “living” statues were thought to have moved from Indian monasteries to Khotan and other regions, serving as agents of the transmission of the Dharma in these areas. Besides reflecting religious key concern during that period, the historical narratives on the spread of Buddhism also give witness to the close diplomatic and family relations between Dunhuang and the Kingdom of Khotan during that period. KEY WORDS Mogao caves; Auspicious Statues; 瑞像; Khotan; Dunhuang; Buddhist narratives; transmission of Buddhism; localization of Buddhism; Oxhead Mountain; 牛頭山 1 This paper was presented at the workshop “Ancient Central Asian Networks.
  • To Find out About Shang Royal Burials

    To Find out About Shang Royal Burials

    The Shang Dynasty Learning Objective: To find out about Shang royal burials. www.planbee.com Can you remember the names of any of the Shang kings? www.planbee.com 1st King Da Yi (Tang the Great) This table shows the 2nd King Tai Ding order of the first ten Shang kings 3rd King Wai Bing according to the history books that 4th King Zhong Ren were written around the year 200 BC. 5th King Tai Jia However, the evidence found on the oracle bones contradicts the order and 6th King Wo Ding some of the other facts, such as how 7th King Tai Geng the kings were related to each other. 8th King Xiao Jia There has been no evidence found at all 9th King Yong Ji for two of these kings, Zhong Ren and 10th King Tai Wu Wo Ding. How else do you think we can learn about the rulers of the Shang Dynasty? www.planbee.com The oracle bones are not the only archaeological evidence we have for the Shang Dynasty. Many archaeological sites have been excavated containing artefacts from this era. Kings and other important people were buried in tombs when they died. Many objects were put in these tombs, perhaps to help the person in the afterlife. These objects can tell us a lot about the Shang Dynasty. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomb_Fu_Hao_YinXu.jpg Many royal tombs were robbed in later years but an undisturbed tomb was discovered in 1976. www.planbee.com Royal tombs contained lots of jade objects. Jade is a hard, green stone that was used to make ceremonial weapons.
  • The Diary of a Manchu Soldier in Seventeenth-Century China: “My

    The Diary of a Manchu Soldier in Seventeenth-Century China: “My

    THE DIARY OF A MANCHU SOLDIER IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY CHINA The Manchu conquest of China inaugurated one of the most successful and long-living dynasties in Chinese history: the Qing (1644–1911). The wars fought by the Manchus to invade China and consolidate the power of the Qing imperial house spanned over many decades through most of the seventeenth century. This book provides the first Western translation of the diary of Dzengmeo, a young Manchu officer, and recounts the events of the War of the Three Feudatories (1673–1682), fought mostly in southwestern China and widely regarded as the most serious internal military challenge faced by the Manchus before the Taiping rebellion (1851–1864). The author’s participation in the campaign provides the close-up, emotional perspective on what it meant to be in combat, while also providing a rare window into the overall organization of the Qing army, and new data in key areas of military history such as combat, armament, logistics, rank relations, and military culture. The diary represents a fine and rare example of Manchu personal writing, and shows how critical the development of Manchu studies can be for our knowledge of China’s early modern history. Nicola Di Cosmo joined the Institute for Advanced Study, School of Historical Studies, in 2003 as the Luce Foundation Professor in East Asian Studies. He is the author of Ancient China and Its Enemies (Cambridge University Press, 2002) and his research interests are in Mongol and Manchu studies and Sino-Inner Asian relations. ROUTLEDGE STUDIES
  • Ancient-Style Prose Anthologies in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China

    Ancient-Style Prose Anthologies in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China

    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2017 In The Eye Of The Selector: Ancient-Style Prose Anthologies In Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China Timothy Robert Clifford University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Asian History Commons, and the Asian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Clifford, Timothy Robert, "In The Eye Of The Selector: Ancient-Style Prose Anthologies In Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China" (2017). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2234. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2234 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2234 For more information, please contact [email protected]. In The Eye Of The Selector: Ancient-Style Prose Anthologies In Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China Abstract The rapid growth of woodblock printing in sixteenth-century China not only transformed wenzhang (“literature”) as a category of knowledge, it also transformed the communities in which knowledge of wenzhang circulated. Twentieth-century scholarship described this event as an expansion of the non-elite reading public coinciding with the ascent of vernacular fiction and performance literature over stagnant classical forms. Because this narrative was designed to serve as a native genealogy for the New Literature Movement, it overlooked the crucial role of guwen (“ancient-style prose,” a term which denoted the everyday style of classical prose used in both preparing for the civil service examinations as well as the social exchange of letters, gravestone inscriptions, and other occasional prose forms among the literati) in early modern literary culture. This dissertation revises that narrative by showing how a diverse range of social actors used anthologies of ancient-style prose to build new forms of literary knowledge and shape new literary publics.