Eighteen Lectures on Dunhuang

Abstract

Introduction 1. What is Studies? 2. The Current State of Affairs in Dunhuang Studies 3. Objectives and Difficulties in Dunhuang Studies: The Case of the History of the Guiyijun 4. Summary of This Book Lecture 1 Dunhuang in Chinese History 1. Dunhuang during the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties 2. Dunhuang during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties 3. Dunhuang during the Sui and Tang Periods 4. Dunhuang during the Tibetan Period 5. Dunhuang during the Guiyijun Period 6. Dunhuang during the Xixia, Yuan, Ming and Qing Periods Lecture 2 Dunhuang and the Silk Road 1. Zhang Qian's Journey to the West and the Beginnings of the Silk Road 2. Cultural Prosperity and Cave Building at Mogao 3. The Sui-Tang Prosperity and a Cosmopolitan City 4. Buddhist Dominance and the Significance of the Tibetan and Guiyijun Periods 5. Shift in the Course of the Silk Road and Dunhuang's Decline Lecture 3 The Discovery of the Dunhuang Cave Library and its Early Dispersal 1. Abbot Wang 2. The Discovery of the Cave Library 3. The Early Dispersal of the Original Collection 4. The Fate of the Dunhuang Collection and the End of Abbot Wang's story Lecture 4 The Nature of the Dunhuang Library Cave and the Reasons for its Sealing 1. The Original Collection 2. Monastic Collections in Dunhuang during the Guiyijun Period 3. The Types of Materials in the Cave Library 4. The Reasons for the Sealing Lecture 5 Major Collections of Dunhuang Manuscripts 1. The Stein Collection 2. The Pelliot Collection 3. The Oldenburg Collection 4. Chinese Collections 5. Japanese Collections 6. Other Collections Lecture 6 Scramble for the Treasures of Khotan, Kucha, Loulan and Gaochang 1. Prelude to the Scramble for the Antiquities of Central Asia 2. Archaeological Exploration of Central Asia at the Beginning of the 20th Century 3. The Archaeology of Central Asia Lecture 7 Dunhuang Studies and Oriental Studies in the West 1. Russia 2. Britain 3. France 4. Germany 5. Other Countries Lecture 8 Dunhuang Studies in China and Japan 1. China 2. Japan Lecture 9 The Political and Economic History of the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties in Light of Dunhuang Studies 1. The System of Official Correspondence 2. Administrative and Legal Institutions 3. Military System 4. The Institutions of Juntian and Corvee Labor 5. Political History Lecture 10 Dunhuang Studies and the Social History of the Medieval Period 1. Population and Family 2. Aristocratic Clans and Grassroots Society 3. Buddhist Communities and the Life of the Clergy 4. Folklore Material among the Dunhuang Manuscripts Lecture 11 The History of Central Asian Peoples and China's Contacts with Her Neighbors in Light of Dunhuang Studies 1. The Tibetans 2. Dunhuang under Tibetan Rule 3. The Spread of Chan Teachings to Tibet and Sino-Tibetan Cultural Contacts 4. The Ganzhou and Xizhou Uighurs 5. The Kingdom of Khotan 6. Sogdian Colonies 7. The Three Foreign Religions 8. Records of Buddhist Pilgrims Lecture 12 The Significance of the Buddhist and Daoist Manuscripts from Dunhuang 1. Overview of Buddhist Texts from Dunhuang 2. The Value of Buddhist Texts from Dunhuang 3. Daoist Texts from Dunhuang Lecture 13 Dunhuang Copies of Traditional Chinese Texts and Medieval Intellectual History 1. The Classics (jing) 2. The Histories (shi) 3. The Philosophers (zi) 4. The Belles-Lettres (ji) Lecture 14 Language and Literature in Light of Dunhuang Studies 1. Chinese Language 2. Central Asian Languages 3. Popular Literature Lecture 15 Dunhuang Studies and the History of Science and Technology 1. Astronomy 2. Mathematics 3. Medicine 4. Paper Making and Printing Technology Lecture 16 Dunhuang in Light of Art and Archaeology 1. Types of Caves and their Artistic Style 2. Sculpture 3. Dunhuang Murals 4. Decorative Patterns in the Caves 5. Other Cave Complexes besides the Mogao Caves Lecture 17 Dunhuang and Manuscript Studies 1. Paper and Layout 2. Dating Based on Calligraphy 3. Relationship between the Manuscripts' Recto and Verso Lecture 18 Forgeries and the Authentication of Dunhuang Manuscripts 1. A New Theory of Forgeries 2. The Authentication of Dunhuang Manuscripts Epilogue