Ancient Chinese Concept Research Articles

Tianxia Under the Sea: China’s Quest for Maritime History

This article examines how the Chinese political and academic discourses have constructed a narrative of China as a peaceful maritime power and the role that underwater archaeology has played in narrating China's rise. The ancient Chinese concept of tianxia (天下) is a central part of the Chinese elites’ discourse on maritime policy. This concept, translated as “all under heaven,” forms part of China's effort to produce historical statecraft using textual sources and underwater archaeological artefacts. In this narrative, the historical figure of Zheng He became a prominent representative of China's peacefulness, refuting concerns regarding the purposes of a more assertive Chinese foreign policy. Studying tianxia under the sea thus contributes to forming a better understanding of the production of narratives respecting China's rise. In particular, underwater archaeology is highlighted as an authoritative source of evidence underpinning and reinforcing narratives of China as an ancient and peaceful maritime nation.

A STUDY ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ANCIENT CHINESE PHILOSOPHY REGARDING MUSIC EDUCATION

The work reveals the features of ancient Chinese philosophy in the context of music education. The specific characteristics of the corresponding ancient Chinese concepts are considered. The theories of music education in the works of the followers of Confucianism and Taoism are described. The development and evolution of thought regarding teaching the art of music to the younger generation is presented in a historical perspective. The author analyses the educational function of music in Chinese culture, as well as elements of the state official propaganda in music education in Ancient China. The influence of the traditions of Chinese philosophy on modern philosophy of music and music pedagogy in the People's Republic of China is considered. It is concluded that the Chinese philosophy of music education is based on harmony and aesthetic pleasure from performing and listening to a piece of music, as well as on performing various rituals.

Skeuomorphism, Miniaturization, and Architecture in the Tang Dynasty Tombs: An Examination of Their Manifestations

This study examines mimetic, miniature and architectural art in Tang dynasty tombs, focusing on the specific manifestations of these elements in tombs and their cultural significance. Analyses of excavated artefacts and murals from Tang dynasty tombs reveal the role of mimetic objects (e.g., pottery, gold and silverware, terracotta figurines and stone carvings) in reflecting the social status and cultural beliefs of the tomb owners. The article also explores the application of the concept of mimesis in tomb murals, which embodied the ancient Chinese concept of “life as death” by vividly depicting scenes of the tomb owner’s life before death. In addition, the architectural design of Tang Dynasty tombs, including above- and below-ground structures, siting methods, and construction techniques, is studied, demonstrating the importance of Tang Dynasty tombs in material culture and social beliefs. Through these analyses, this study aims to deepen the understanding of Tang Dynasty burial culture and reveal its unique value in ancient Chinese society.

A “set” of ancient bronze bells excavated in Changsha, Hunan Province, China

This article explores the criteria used to ascertain whether or not, and how, ancient Chinese bronze bells might form sets of musical instruments, thus clarifying their original intended use by ancient musicians. The focus is on ten bells unearthed from Changsha city in Hunan province in China, which date to the twelfth century BCE. A range of diverse relationships between these bells provide valuable insights that can be explored. Debate is ongoing among music historians regarding the nature of the bells. Some argue that the ten bells do not constitute a set of musical instruments because their designs and acoustic properties lack sufficient similarity and correlation. Conversely, another group of historians suggests that nine of the ten bells could indeed be seen as a set, but with the tenth bell being an outlier due to its distinct design. The third group of historians contends that the ten bells should be considered a musical set because of their organized sequence of consecutive semi-tones, while the design differences of the bells are less significant and can be overlooked if we focus on their musical functions. In this study, we scrutinize the assumptions made by these music historians, including their definitions of design similarity and the sequence of progressive pitches. Further previously overlooked criteria, such as the geographical proximity of these ten bells and others found in neighboring areas, and the incremental changes in the bell sizes, are also considered. Through the use of these criteria we aim to explore a wide range of relationships between ancient Chinese bells and to reassess what other new evidence the bells may offer to the study of ancient Chinese musical concepts. The concept of the chromatic scale discovered by ancient Chinese musicians was embodied on the casting of bronze bells.

To Explore the Influence of Zhou's "Destiny of Heaven" Thought on the Development of Chinese History

The Mandate of Heaven is known as a concept similar to the constitution in the modern days that is supposed to restrict the emperor from being corrupted by the supreme power and guide the emperor on how to govern a country. This piece of evidence indicates that providing education to everyone could help to stabilize the country politically by educating people to allow people to think and do things wisely, and the mandate of heaven emphasizes that education is important in providing a stabilized political system within a state. From the traditional view of "matching heaven with virtue" to the view of Tianzi focusing on personal moral cultivation, the development of Tianzi. In the past few decades, the issue of individual rights and democracy has been a concern. This research will review the literature, sort out the formation and development of the ancient Chinese concept of destiny, and focus on the positive role of ancient Chinese thought in the formation of the national concept through the exploration of this paper.

Философские основы научного знания и межкультурной коммуникации: понятие китайской философии 中 (чжун) и синкретизм в общелингвистической теории В.В. Бабайцевой

rom the perspective of intercultural communication and offers a comparative analysis between the ancient Chinese concept of 中 (zhong) and the theory of transitivity of V.V. Babaytseva, in whose grammatical teaching one of the most important concepts is syncretism. An attempt is made to reveal the similarities and differences between the two concepts and to prove the mental preparedness of the Chinese to perceive the theory of transitivity and the concept syncretism of V.V. Babaytseva. In the process of analysis, etymological and comparative methods are used to clarify the similarities and differences between the philosophical tradition of Chinese culture and the content of the concept representing the essence of grammatical theory. The term “syncretism” in linguistics has a special meaning, is an important concept in the theory of transitivity and reflects its main content. The concept of 中 (zhong) reflects the mental characteristic of the Chinese, for whom the intermediate part is often more important than the extreme points. We assume that in Chinese culture and communication is provided the basis for Chinese to perceive this Russian linguistic theory. The principles of Chinese philosophy lay the mental foundation for the Chinese perception of the theory of transitivity and syncretism and confirm the possibility of their application in the practice of teaching Russian in China

Study on the Practical Effect of Modernization of Ancient Chinese Educational Concepts Empowered by Intelligent Algorithms

Abstract It takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to nurture people. Education, as the most indispensable link in establishing morality and cultivating people, has a very important role in modern society. The study explores the application of ancient Chinese educational concepts to modern educational models, proposes a modernized teaching model based on ancient educational concepts, and uses the YOLO model to construct a classroom teaching expression and action recognition model under ancient educational concepts. The model is used in the actual classroom to analyze the expressions and behaviors of students in the classroom to explore their classroom concentration, which is used to analyze the quality of classroom teaching. By comparing the differences and changes in the performance of the experimental group and the control group, the effect of the modernized teaching model based on the ancient education concept on actual teaching is explored. Through the model test, the classroom students’ concentration score is 72.71. The pre-test P-value of the experimental group and the control group is 0.846, and the post-test P-value is 0.000, which indicates that there is a significant difference in the performance of the two groups after the experiment. The increase in the performance of the students in the experimental group was 31.390 points, while in the control group, it was 5.175 points. The P-values of the students in the experimental group on the five dimensions of math level are less than 0.05, and the control group is greater than 0.05, which indicates that the modernized teaching model based on the ancient concept of education has a significant positive effect on improving the performance of the students.

Ancient Chinese Philosophy and the formation of Modern Chinese Piano Art

The article examines the influence of ancient Chinese philosophical concepts on the formation of modern piano art in China. Ancient Chinese materialistic philosophy is based on such teachings as Wu-xing and Yin-Yang, the Great Limit (Tai Chi), the eight trigrams and others. With the passage of time and the rapid development of science, these philosophical concepts not only did not lose their significance, but also had a powerful influence on the formation of modern Chinese piano creativity, deeply influenced the form and cultural connotation of Chinese music, and also became the theoretical basis for the works of many modern composers. The philosophical and aesthetic Taiji system presented by composer Zhao Xiaosheng, integrated into the modern piano composition system, marked the beginning of a revolution in the field of piano art, combining the theoretical foundations of traditional Chinese philosophy and the principles of modern composition methods. The research methodology is based on philosophical and cultural analysis, musicological analysis, and semantic analysis. Of particular interest is the comparative analysis of the musical and philosophical "Tai chi composition system" by Zhao Xiaoshen, the dodecaphony of A. Schoenberg and the set theory of M. Babbitt and A. Fort, which the Chinese composer considers the sources of his creativity. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that a correlation is proposed between the key categories of ancient Chinese philosophy and modern experiments in the field of musical expression. The authors managed to demonstrate the high degree of influence of Chinese philosophy on music, to clearly show that the basic postulates of ancient Chinese philosophy have been encoded in the basis of traditional Chinese music since ancient times, and in the twentieth century they were the basis of modern Chinese theory of composition, while playing a colossal role in identifying the common foundations of modern composition of the West and East, while preservation of local features of the diverse sphere of these cultures. The emergence and formation of a philosophical and theoretical system of musical composition, based on the concepts of classical Chinese philosophy, organically refracted in the latest achievements of Western music composition, emphasizes the ontological significance of these concepts for both Eastern and Western culture. And the creation of appropriate musical works undoubtedly leads to positive trends in the development of modern Chinese music and classical Chinese philosophy.

The Change of Diplomatic Ideas in the Late Qing Dynasty (1840-1914): A Literature Review

This study delves into the evolution of diplomatic ideas during the late Qing dynasty (1840-1914), offering a comprehensive review of existing literature on this transformative period. It critically examines the established timeline, justifying the selection of 1840 as the starting point and 1914 as the endpoint for this research. The review further investigates the changing landscape of ancient Chinese diplomatic concepts, tracing their evolution during the late Qing Dynasty and their interactions with the emerging notions of sovereignty and national consciousness within modern China. Additionally, it constructs a chronological narrative from the extensive body of Chinese studies on the metamorphosis of diplomatic ideas in modern Chinese history. This literature review concludes by identifying crucial research lacunae and formulating three pertinent research questions, paving the way for a more nuanced understanding of this significant historical transformation.

Ancient Chinese Concepts of Understanding Law

The article studies political and legal thought in Ancient China. Ancient Chinese thinkers in their works reflected their approaches to understanding law. Shang Yang in "Shang jun shu" ("The Book of the Ruler of the Shang Region") considers the law as the only regulator of social relations. Legalists equate the concept of law and law, law is considered as a set of rules of conduct emanating from the state and protected by it, which corresponds to the normative concept of legal understanding.
 Another version of legal understanding was developed by representatives of Taoism. Lao Tzu in his work “Tao Te Ching” (“The Book of the Way and Grace”) paid special attention to the exposition of his teaching about Tao as the highest law of the development of the universe, nature, society and man. Tao acts as a natural law of immediate, direct action. Taoists are supporters of the natural law concept. In Confucius' work "Lun Yu" ("Conversations and Judgments"), the main regulator of social relations is not the Tao or the law, but the norms of ritual li. The right is not reduced to the law, but is considered as a set of legal relations, and the legal order that develops on the basis of them. Legal understanding of Confucius can be attributed to the sociological concept.
 In the work of Xun Tzu, there are attempts to bring together the Confucian rules of the ritual "li" and the Legalist law "fa". A new, orthodox Confucianism is emerging, which no longer completely denies the law, but advocates management both on the basis of li and on the basis of fa, with the dominant role of li. In China, a new type of legal understanding is emerging - integrative or synthetic.
 The article concludes that within the framework of the political and legal thought of Ancient China, there were various approaches to understanding law. After the proclamation in II BC. updated Confucianism with the official ideology of China, the integrative type of legal understanding becomes dominant, both in theory and in law enforcement practice.

Jian–Rhetorical Seeing, Recognition, and Transnational Reimagining of Rights

ABSTRACT This essay proposes “jian-rhetorical seeing”—an art of invention—to foster genuine dialogs about human rights in transnational spaces and to challenge asymmetric distributions of power that so often course through these spaces. Building on and extending recent scholarship on human rights rhetoric and comparative rhetoric, the essay reinterprets an ancient Chinese concept, jian 鉴, as reflective/reflexive “rhetorical seeing” and brings it into dialog with Confucian ethics and rhetorical theories of recognition. Through an analysis of the Chinese translations and interpretations of rights in a few distilled historical moments during the Late Qing period (1840–1912), the authors demonstrate jian-rhetorical seeing and illuminate the implications of this rhetorical art for human rights debates in today’s global context.

Справедливость в коммуникативной практике китайцев

As part of the study of the twelve basic values of socialism with Chinese characteristics, approved by the State Council of China in 2013, studies related to the understanding and interpretation of each of the values become relevant. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the main vectors of development of the value concept 公正 / justice in the context of the development of modern Chinese institutional discourse. The data of dictionary definitions, texts of ancient Chinese treatises, speeches of leaders of the Communist Party of China, as well as texts located in the national corpora of the Chinese language, and propaganda posters posted on the Internet served as the material for the analysis. The word 公正 / justice consists of two characters, the graphic appearance of which reflects the ancient Chinese ideas of justice and correctness; the word first is used in an ancient Chinese treatise and denotes the mode of government of a wise ruler. The formation of the concept of "justice" in Chinese linguistic culture is influenced by Confucianism (reasonableness) and legalism (equality before the law); within the framework of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is associated with law and equality. A comparative analysis of the data from the National Corpus of the Chinese Language and the Corpus of Syntactic Structures of the Chinese Language shows the actualization of the ancient Chinese concept of justice, which is manifested in the relations between the state and society; the high frequency of the analyzed mental education in modern Chinese periodicals, which in the current conditions represent the Chinese media and political discourse. Within the framework of this discourse, 公正 / justice is defined as the justice of representatives of law enforcement agencies and justice, and the unfairness of judicial practice is condemned. Within the framework of scientific, pedagogical, economic and other discourses, this mental formation is practically not used.

Istoriya pravovogo regulirovaniya gosudarstvennoj sluzhby Kitaya: ot drevnosti do sovremennosti

This article examines the historical process of Chinese civil service development from ancient dynasties to the present. Ancient Chinese concepts and thinking about the management of the state and officials are considered, the system of state examinations in imperial China “keju" is presented, the process of formation and development of the system of state service in recent history after the formation of the PRC is analyzed, the specifics of the modern institute of management of civil servants are revealed. It is emphasized that at each stage of historical development, the public service system ensured the effective exercise of power and the adaptation of state institutions to the changing external and internal conditions of existence and sustainable development of the state.

Spatial-Temporal Evolution Relationship between Water Systems and Historical Settlement Sites Based on Quantitative Analysis: A Case Study of Hankou in Wuhan, China (1635–1949)

When deciding on and creating their own settlement environment, humans’ relationships with water resources have evolved. From the earliest times when they observed water and learned about its characteristics and laws to create artificial rivers, to the gradual development and use of water resources to create water plants and pumping stations, to the management of water resources to set up customs and dams to prevent and manage water hazards.To lay the groundwork for more sustainable development of the relationship between humans and water in the city, it is important to understand and summarize this state of change. Wuhan, known as the “City of a Thousand Lakes”, is a typical case of studying the traditional relationship between Chinese people and water, and can better provide modern cities with the value of historical experience in sustainable development. Therefore, this study takes the Hankou town of Wuhan from 1635 to 1949 as the research object, uses historical maps and written materials as data sources, and creates a database of historical information based on the water system of Hankou and the sites of artificial settlements such as buildings and streets. It takes quantitative analysis and map visualization techniques of the GIS platform from the perspective of quantitative historical research. Firstly, it creates a database of historical information based on the water system of Hankou and the sites of artificial settlements such as buildings and streets. Secondly, it gives the quantitation about the human–water relationship in Hankou by applying the spatial analysis methods of buffer analysis. The study’s findings demonstrate that from 1635 to 1864 there were an increasing number of artificial settlement sites that were distributed along the water system, keeping a reasonable distance from the water; from 1684 to 1905, people constructed dikes to prevent flooding, which resulted in an increase in urban space; and from 1905 to 1949, the development of Hankou shifted toward the Hanjiang River and the Yangtze River. The procedure shows a change in the relationship between avoiding water and subsequently managing water and using water. The results of the study indicate the following: (1) Water is essential for the environment of human settlements. (2) Human activities have an impact on the structure of water systems. (3) There is a high degree of coupling between the Hankou urban water system and the sites of artificial settlements. It proves that the relationship between humans and water is very close in the process of modern urbanization in Hankou. In building a traditional habitat environment to regulate water, it is consistent with the ancient Chinese concepts of “harmony between man and nature” and “the best place to live is close to water conservancy but also avoid flood.” This paper is helpful for re-examining and establishing the harmonious relationship between humans and water to encourage sustainable urban growth and reshape the urban spatial environment with Chinese characteristics. It also provides a method based on quantitative analysis for studying the evolution history of urban settlement environments.

Lüshi Chunqiu and the Value-Based Leadership Model in Ancient China

The paper presents an analysis of the concepts of leadership in the Lüshi Chunqiu, a 3rd century B.C. text which integrates elements of various schools of political thought of pre-imperial China and thus can be considered as representative of the period. The analysis uses the framework of value-based leadership (VBL) borrowed from modern organisational psychology and leadership studies. Ancient Chinese concepts of leadership are analysed using textual evidence from the Lüshi Chunqiu in three VBL dimensions: ethical, authentic, and servant leadership. The ideal leader in the Lüshi Chunqiu is not a tyrant, but a responsible, well-educated and humble person who perceives moral integrity as a necessary element of his rulership, exhibiting most of the qualities described in the modern VBL model. He is a credible role model, enjoying the strong support of the people and surrounded by virtuous and talented individuals, highly motivated to serve him. Such a leader advocates a long-term management perspective, and is strongly supportive of his subjects’ personal development. He gives plenty of space to open critique and the autonomous decisions of experts and sages to whom he delegates his power. In the Lüshi Chunqiu, such a VBL approach is considered far more effective in the long-term than transactional leadership or rule by force and coercion. Therefore, it is recommended in the text not only on moral, but also pragmatic grounds as a practical recipe for success, both for the ruler and for his country.

Philosophical Thought and Educational Implication of the Ideas of Zhong (中)

Highlights The ideas of Zhong (中) have profound cultural implications beyond the Chinese character of Zhong (中) in traditional Chinese culture. This study explores the philosophical significance of Zhong for education. This study is based on the textual research of the original meanings of Zhong, its wisdom, and explanations of Zhong philosophies in Chinese rites and music culture as well as various schools of thought, including Yi-ology, Confucianism, and Daoism. Zhong has significant influence on the ancient Chinese concept of education, and its views on the field of education coincide with many contemporary educational views. Studying the educational and philosophical significance of Zhong provides important guidance and reference for current basic education reforms.

Rethinking China's Rise: A Liberal Critique

Rethinking China's Rise: A Liberal Critique

A Theory of Objects: Transformations in Northern Song Conceptions of “Emblematic Forms in the Construction of Tools”

At the turn of the twentieth century, scholars put forward the idea of Chinese artifacts from different perspectives in order to overturn the prejudice against "artifacts" in traditional Chinese philosophy. In particular, they considered the normative role of artifacts for public literacy. Recent scholarly research shows that contemporary scholars are increasingly inclined to use Chinese artifactological ideas to explain ancient Chinese concepts and beliefs about artifacts. In fact, however, this idea of artifact design and production can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. The scholars of the Song Dynasty interpreted the contents of the I Ching about "ware" from a new perspective, legitimizing the study of "ware" and forming the original Chinese idea of artifact theory, which was widely applied to various disciplines in the Qing Dynasty. In this essay, I explore the changing conceptions of ‘object’ and ‘emblem’ through the Song, through differentiation and analysis of the differing contexts in which the phrase ‘zhi qi shang xiang’ occurs. Through close readings of the context in which it appears in Song official histories, incidental writings (biji) and essay collections, I am able to tease out the concrete significance of the phrase, allowing us to analyse it transformations over time. I start with analysis of the original source of the phrase to seek its earliest connotations as a basis on which to distinguish and classify the later, alternative readings it gains. Subsequently, I move into an analysis of Chen Xiliang’s Zhi qi shang xiang lun and the debate it generated to explore the Song transformations of the meaning of the phrase and the reasons for the semantic shift which occurred during this period. From this, I determine that between the Northern Song to the Southern song there was a shift in the approach to tools, from uncertainty to a definite affirmation of their importance and aesthetic value.

無為 – On the Eurasian Roots of the Laissez-Faire Doctrine

Abstract This paper focuses on the diffusion of 無為/ wu-wei (an ancient Chinese concept of political economy) throughout Europe, between 1648 and 1848. It argues that at the core of this diffusion process were three significant developments; first, the importation and active transmission of wu-wei by the Low Countries during the seventeenth century. It is revealed that the details of Chinese expertise entered Europe via the textual diffusion of Jesuit texts and the visual diffusion of millions of so-called minben-images during the ceramic boom of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Thus, the hypothesis is advanced that the diffusion of wu-wei, co-evolved with the inner-European laissez-faire principle, the Libaniusian model. In the second part, it is shown that the intellectual foundation of Europe’s first economic school, Physiocracy, is a direct replica of the imported Chinese economic, agrarian craftsmanship of wu-wei; subsequently, it is denied that the indigenous European Libaniusian ideology can be considered the intellectual master-model of Physiocracy and his founder Quesnay. Finally, we argue that Switzerland can be identified as the first European paradigm state of wu-wei. The crystallization process of wu-wei inside Europe ultimately ended with the economic-political reorganization of the newly formed Eidgenossenschaft in 1848. The Swiss succeeded in institutionally transforming traditional Chinese agrarian wu-wei into the modern version of European “commercial wu-wei”. In due course, this alpine paradigm enabled the endogenous Libaniusian model to verify and reflect upon its theory of commercial society. Additionally, this third focus also demonstrates that the later development of Europe’s laissez-faire doctrine has to be seen as a Eurasian co-production – without importing China’s wu-wei, Europe’s pro-commercial ideology might never have matured.

Legitimation, Legitimacy and Legality of Law in the Chinese Legal System

The article analyzes the problems of legitimation, legitimacy and legality of law in the light of the Chinese legal system. It is noted that the above theoretical and legal categories, which have been developed in the framework of various types of legal understanding, need serious clarification, taking into account the peculiarities of the Chinese political and legal reality. From the historical point of view attention is being paid to Confucianism and Legalism, which have laid the foundations of the Chinese legal tradition and are influencing China’s law system until now. The author is examining the possibility of further updating the ancient Chinese concept of the «Heaven mandate» in modern conditions. A significant place in the article is devoted to analyzing the role of the Chinese Communist Party in giving legitimacy to the legal norms established by the legislator. The author analyses the legal nature of the program documents of the Communist Party of China, emphasizes the existence of the suggestive elements of legitimization of laws being adopted in China. In conclusion the article focuses on the process of legitimization of one of the Constellations of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, which abolished the terms limits of the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, and it sums up that the constitutional amendment was legal from the formal point of view.