Interpretation and Literature in Early Medieval China ed. by Alan K. L. Chan, Yuet-Keung Lo, and: Philosophy and Religion in Early Medieval China ed. by Alan K. L. Chan, Yuet-Keung Lo (review)

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS ALAN K. L. CHAN and YUET-KEUNG LO, eds., Interpretation and Literature in Early Medieval China. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2010. vi, 288 pp. US$80 (hb). ISBN 978-1-4384-3217-5 ALAN K. L. CHAN and YUET-KEUNG LO, eds., Philosophy and Religion in Early Medieval China. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2010. v, 375 pp. US$80 (hb). ISBN 978-1-4384-3187-1 With the publication of these two volumes, Chan and Lo have deeply enriched our understanding of early medieval China (220–589 CE). This is the first attempt to assemble an English language conference volume that focuses on both the intellectual and religious history of early medieval China—an incredibly significant era in which Confucianism lost its ideological monopoly, Daoism emerged as an organized religion, and Buddhism became a permanent fixture on China’s cultural landscape. Besides redirecting our focus to this neglected but momentous period, these volumes include a number of outstanding contributions that recast how we should envision early medieval assumptions and values. The good news is both volumes contain insightful articles on Chinese religion. Negatives include the existence of two volumes rather than one, a weak thematic coherence, and their neglect of Confucianism. On the whole, however, these volumes will considerably benefit specialists in pre-modern Chinese culture. These volumes emerge from two conferences, one in Singapore and the other in Shanghai, sponsored by the National University of Singapore. The Philosophy and Religion volume has eleven chapters: five of which concern Xuanxue 玄學, two on Daoism, two on Buddhism, one on reclusion, and the final essay addresses fate. The Interpretation and Literature volume contains nine chapters. The first four treat literary culture. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 discuss literary aspects of Daoism and Buddhism. Chapters 8 and 9 discuss motifs in popular narratives. Since over half of the essays in Interpretation and Literature are about religion, one wonders why two volumes are necessary. The editors explain that, The project was conceived as a multidisciplinary venture. Scholarship does not grow well in insularity; our plan was to bring together in a single book fresh studies on early medieval Chinese philosophy, religion, literature and interpretation, not only to deepen our understanding of these topics but also to open up a view of the interconnections of the early medieval Chinese intellectual enterprise. However, a single volume proved unworkable, given the constraints that publishers face. Still, some of the essays may fit just as nicely in this or in the companion volume. (Interpretation and Literature, pp. 1–2). # Society for the Study of Chinese Religions 2015 DOI: 10.1179/0737769X15Z.00000000021 Journal of Chinese Religions, 43. 1, 89–118, May 2015 Thus, the decision to make two volumes was based on the overabundance of essays, resulting in a somewhat arbitrary thematic division. The quoted text above also indicates that these volumes should be judged based on their success in deepening our understanding of the connections between early medieval philosophy, religion, and literature. A striking contribution made by the Philosophy and Religion volume is that it recasts how we view the philosophical ruminations of the Xuanxue (Learning of the Mysterious Dao 道) movement. Four out of the five essays on this philosophy demonstrate that, rather than being theorists who were solely concerned with metaphysical questions, He Yan 何晏, Wang Bi 王弼, and Xi Kang 嵇康 were also intensely concerned with political and ethical issues. In fact, their discussions of ontology informed their vision of how political order should be instituted. In the volume’s opening essay, “Sage Nature and the Logic of Namelessness,” Alan Chan demonstrates that He Yan perceived wu 無 (nothing, non-being) as a nameless, complete, and harmonious energy source that produces all phenomena in a balanced and ordered manner. The sage embodies wu; thus, he is also harmonious, unbiased, and complete. If he becomes ruler, then all things will be well-ordered because he will choose the right people to administrate. For He Yan, sages are born, not made. In the absence of a sage, the best one can do is to select excellent men as officials. In a much more opaque essay, “Tracing the Dao: Wang Bi’s Theory of Names,” Jude Soo-Meng Chua notes...