Chinese History Research Articles

Teaching Transnational Asian American History Using a Human Rights Approach: Illustrating with Chinese American History

As an increasing number of states mandate or consider the incorporation of Asian American history into school curricula, educators and curriculum developers are actively responding to this growing demand. Recognizing the transnational nature of Asian American history and the explanatory power of Asian Critical (AsianCrit) Theory in addressing this complexity, I advocate for the pedagogical effectiveness of a human rights framework. This framework provides a valuable scaffold for students’ learning and the development of a transnational perspective. After reviewing multiple typologies of Human Rights Education, I propose that the C3 Inquiry framework offers a robust model for implementing Human Rights Education. This approach provides a comprehensive strategy for teaching about, through, and for human rights within the context of teaching and learning about Asian American history. To illustrate this approach, a sample unit plan focusing on key moments in Chinese American history is presented.

The collapse of the Ming Dynasty actually began with the Wanli megadrought: Insights from a hydroclimate reconstruction based on tree-ring δ18O over the past 460 years

Climate change has played a pivotal role in shaping Chinese history, especially during the Ming Dynasty. Previous studies have focused primarily on the Chongzhen megadrought, which is widely considered as the primary climatic perturbation behind the demise of the Ming Dynasty. However, relatively little is known about other severe drought events and their potential impact on the dynasty collapse. Additionally, the characteristics of an exceptional climatic anomaly termed the “Late Ming Weak Monsoon Period” are unclear. In this study, we reconstructed the historical variations of Palmer Drought Severity Index for July–September based on tree-ring stable oxygen isotopes (δ18O) from 1556 CE to 2015 CE in southwest Chinese Loess Plateau. Our study reveals a significant weakening of the Asian summer monsoon between 1561 CE and 1661 CE, consistent with the Late Ming Weak Monsoon Period, and unravels its structural characteristics in detail. Our reconstruction also captures a distinct humidification trend over northwest China since the early 2000s. Notably, in addition to the well-known Chongzhen megadrought, our study records the severe Wanli megdrought (1585–1590 CE) during the late Ming Dynasty, an event that rarely featured in earlier studies, exhibiting comparable duration and severity to the Chongzhen megadrought. Further analysis indicates that Wanli megadrought may have served as an early trigger for the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, our analysis implicates the El Niño–Southern Oscillation as a contributing factor in both the Wanli and Chongzhen megadroughts, and thus to the ultimate collapse of the Ming Dynasty by affecting the Asian summer monsoon intensity.

Study on the relationship between Kumarajiva and Mahayana Buddhism in western regions of China

Kumarajiva is a Chinese Buddhist master who came from the western regions of China. His religious thoughts went through a conversion from Hinayana Buddhism to Mahayana Buddhism. Based on the process of Kumarajiva’s thought transformation, this article creatively proposes the consistency between Kumarajiva’s thought transformation and the localisation process of Buddhism in the western regions of China. The article aims to explore Kumarajiva’s special historical status in Chinese Buddhism history, especially the important impact of his Buddhism thoughts on Mahayana Buddhism in the western regions of China, such as Kucha and Gaochang, etc.Contribution: This study reveals the thought transformation process of Kumarajiva, which is paralleled with the localisation process of Buddhism in the western regions of China. This study can offer references towards scholars in the field of religious history, especially in the field of Buddhist history in the western regions of China.

Book cluster: a new approach to explore the evolution of knowledge organization in ancient China

Abstract Chinese ancient book catalogs have persisted for over two millennia, serving as ancient knowledge organization systems and cultural heritage of great academic value. This article introduces the concept of “book cluster,” a novel approach to studying catalog classification evolution, offering a meso-level perspective that bridges books and categories. Drawing from computational methods, we identify clusters of books with similar categorization trajectories, enabling more efficient and intuitive exploration of knowledge organization trends. We review existing research on catalog classification, highlighting the traditional qualitative analysis and emerging computational methods. We then present our data source and processing methods. The concept of book cluster is defined, along with the algorithm for cluster identification and feature extraction. A case study demonstrates the potential of the book cluster concept in analyzing classification changes and knowledge inheritance. Additionally, we introduce an online analytical platform for further exploration. Through computational analysis of book clusters, we gain insights into the evolution of ancient book recording, circulation, and academic contexts. Book clusters offer clues about the content of lost books. This research lays the groundwork for future iterations. By pioneering the study of knowledge organization evolution using book clusters, we enhance our understanding of Chinese history's academic culture and knowledge preservation.

TRUTHFUL IS MORAL: PRACTICING ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY IN CHINESE HISTORIOGRAPHY

ABSTRACTIn recent years, efforts have been made to reevaluate the tradition of Chinese historical thought and writing. This article seeks to further these efforts and offer a new understanding of the characteristics of historical writing in traditional China. It argues that, at the level of practice, traditional Chinese historians, like their counterparts in the rest of the world, were deeply concerned with establishing and communicating facts in historical writing. Their separation of commentary and narrative in order to practice “straight writing” of the latter is a telling example, one that evolved into an enshrined tradition over the long span of imperial China. At the theoretical level, Chinese historians also consciously explored the ways in which truthfulness in history could be reconciled with the ethical responsibilities they perceived and sought to assume in and for their time. This quest did not stop at the level of “praise and blame” for past personalities and events. Rather, their practice amounted to an effort, epitomized by the historical practice of the Song period (960–1279), to search for the metaphysics of historical morality, or the immanent and overarching principles that guide human society.

North China Over the Last Thousand Years of Chinese History

North China Over the Last Thousand Years of Chinese History

Religion and Poetry in Medieval China: The Way and the Words Edited by Gil Raz and Anna M. Shields. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2023. 267 pp. €136.00 (cloth)

Religion and Poetry in Medieval China: The Way and the Words Edited by Gil Raz and Anna M. Shields. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2023. 267 pp. €136.00 (cloth)

Phytochemical constituents from root barks of Eleutherococcus henryi Oliv. and their anti-neuroinflammatory effect

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe cortex of Eleutherococcus henryi (EH, Araliaceae), also known as "Wu-Jia-Pi", is known for its effects such as dispelling wind and dampness, calming the mind and enhancing intelligence, removing heat and toxin, strengthening muscles and bones, and nourishing the liver and kidneys. Throughout Chinese history and tradition, it has been used for conditions like amnesia, mental fatigue, arthritis, hepatitis, and rheumatism. However, research evaluating its neuroprotective effects and pharmacological properties remains scarce. Aim of the studyThe goal is to explore the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of EH in vitro and to discover precisely the bioactive natural products within the medicinal plant that are relevant to its traditional usage. Materials and methodsUtilizing chromatographic techniques, a phytochemical exploration was conducted. The phytochemical structures of the natural products were then elucidated through an analysis involving comprehensive spectra and a comparison with relevant data from published studies. Network pharmacology combined with molecular dynamics simulations (MDs) and docking were applied to forecast potential anti-neuroinflammatory targets of active compounds. In vitro, the anti-neuroinflammatory efficacy was evaluated via the suppression of inflammatory mediators activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV2 microglia. ResultsThe methanol extract of E.henryi (EHME) restrained the NO release in LPS-activated BV2 microglia, demonstrating anti-neuroinflammatory activity. Subsequently, chemical composition analysis revealed the separation and elucidation of 31 secondary metabolites, comprising 7 new compounds (1–7) and 1 new natural product (8). Based on LPS-induced BV2 cell in vitro activity tests, compounds 4–17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 29 and 31 were found to exhibit potential anti-neuroinflammatory activity, with compound 6 showing the highest efficacy. Furthermore, employing network pharmacology in conjunction with both molecular docking and MDs, potential anti-neuroinflammatory targets of compound 6 were predicted to include TLR4, Src, MAPK, and NF-κB. Finally, validation through in vitro experiments confirmed that the anti-neuroinflammatory mechanism of compound 6 is associated with the TLR4/Src/MAPK p38/NF-κB p65 signaling pathways. ConclusionsThe study affirmed the traditional efficacy of E. henryi and unveiled novel lignans as potent agents against neuroinflammation.

Cost of resilience to climate change: migration, conflicts, and epidemics in imperial China

Abstract A growing scholarship is focusing on the cost of social resilience to climate change in the past. Among different resilience strategies, migration could be effective for nomadic societies despite the potential consequences of conflicts and epidemics. Thus, this study utilizes historical records to statistically investigate the linkages among nomadic migrations, nomad–farmer conflicts, and epidemics under climate change and population pressure in imperial China (200 BCE–1840 CE) on the national and provincial scales. The current study will first attempt to empirically identify and analyze the cost of resilience to climate change mainly in the direction from nomadic societies to agrarian societies in historical China. In particular, we show the cost of nomadic migration passed in a chain mechanism as ‘climate change → nomadic migration → nomad–farmer conflicts → epidemics.’ Nomad–farmer conflicts were one direct effect of nomadic migration, while epidemics were an indirect one. Spatially, more provinces were affected under the direct effect than under the indirect effect. Furthermore, the first level of chain ‘nomadic migration → nomad–farmer conflicts’ covers more provinces than the second level ‘nomad–farmer conflicts → epidemics’. These empirical results remind us to identify and avoid the cost of resilience as early as possible before the cost may transmit further in a chain manner. However, the provinces outside the concentrated nomad–farmer conflicts did not demonstrate significant linkages between conflicts and epidemics, which highlights the importance of peaceful cross-civilizational and inter-societal interactions against common challenges of climate change. This study with a cross-scale perspective in geography provides a theoretical implication to improve the current understanding on climate justice and have a practical value to avoid or minimize the cost of resilience.

사회통제 : 예악(禮樂)과 악교(樂教)

The relationship between ritual music and music education is not only an important term in Chinese music history, but also a research field of concern in disciplines such as literature, history, and philosophy. At present, due to their knowledge structure, the research of scholars in literature, history, and philosophy is usually limited to “ritual” and neglects “music”; Musicologist, following the paradigms of literature, history, and philosophy, doing repetitive work. The commonality between these two types of research groups is that they prefer to use the words of the ancients to explain them, which goes against the direction of “humanity moving towards truth”. To address the above issues, this article attempts to explore the relationship between ritual and music education through interdisciplinary research methods such as conceptual derivation and the determination of straight lines between ancient and modern concepts.

China’s Modern Ecological History: Bringing the Politics Back In

Stevan Harrell’s systems approach contributes a revelatory metaphor for our understanding of modern Chinese ecological history, upending traditional periodization and geographic conventions. There are risks to this approach, however, in that we lose some of the centrality of the state as an environmental actor. By moving the analysis up a level of abstraction as Harrell does, we risk depoliticizing the environmental history of the Mao Zedong years and beyond.

Integrating Traditional Craftsmanship in Modern Product Design

In today's rapidly advancing globalisation, the protection and inheritance of regional culture is particularly important. Art design, as an important form of cultural expression, is responsible for transmitting and reviving regional culture. Han embroidery in the Jingchu region is one of the intangible cultural heritages in China, which is a display of skills and a carrier of emotions and philosophies of Jingchu culture. With this in mind, this study explores the specific case of Jingchu Han embroidery and analyses how regional culture expresses and transmits emotions in art design. By analysing the historical background of Han embroidery, its technical characteristics, and its application in modern art design, this paper reveals how regional cultural elements can achieve emotional penetration and stylistic influence in art design. The study also focuses on how the emotional aspects of Jingchu Han embroidery can be borrowed and innovated in modern design practice to enhance artworks' cultural depth and emotional resonance. Jing Chu is one of the important birthplaces of China's history and culture, with a rich cultural heritage and unique regional characteristics. Han embroidery is an important part of Jingchu culture. It is not only a kind of traditional handicraft but also a medium for the people in the Jingchu area to express their emotions and transmit their culture. In modern art design, elements of Han embroidery are widely used, showing its unique artistic charm and cultural value. However, academic and practical circles are still exploring how to express better and convey regional culture's emotions in art design.

Tracing Political Implications of the Color Red in China From 1919 to 1976

This study explores the political implications of the color red in China from 1919 to 1976, analyzing its usage and significance within published literature through the lens of historical events and ideological shifts. Utilizing the Google Book Ngram Viewer and Voyant tools, this research traces patterns in the frequency and context of the term "红色" (red) in Chinese texts. The analysis identifies significant peaks in usage corresponding to key historical moments, including the Nanchang Uprising, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the establishment of the People's Republic of China, and the Cultural Revolution. The study finds that the color red is uniquely intertwined with political discourse in China, contrasting with other politically charged colors such as black, white, and yellow. Despite the color’s symbolic prominence, its direct references in pivotal political texts like Mao Zedong’s Quotations are relatively sparse, suggesting a complex interplay between visual symbolism and textual representation. The findings highlight the color red’s profound role in reflecting and shaping political ideologies during this transformative period in Chinese history.

Artistic interventions: Art, community, and media in China and beyond

Artistic interventions in communities have become increasingly prevalent in the context of quality-led urbanization and rural revitalization in China over the past decade. These art practices reflect a narrative of resistance toward the institutionalization, professionalization, and marketization of contemporary art through direct interventions in social reality. Community is the most common site from which public aesthetic action and social activism emerge to increase public awareness and promote community engagement. With the rise of new media technologies, multi-media have gradually been combined in socially engaged art projects, which has blurred the boundaries between concrete materials and virtual media as well as that between physical places and the online community. This article first outlines a literature review on the changing avant-garde spirit in both global and Chinese art history to better understand the concepts of artistic interventions. Second, as a major intervention in this field, the focus on community reflects the interflow of the theoretical search for communicative ethics and community reconstruction movements worldwide. Third, the role of the media in socially engaged art and its future implications are discussed. In the conclusion section, a variety of specific contexts in China and beyond and the various intervention aims and methods of five selected articles are introduced.

Developmental Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Guzheng Performance Techniques

The guzheng, as one of the traditional Chinese musical instruments, has developed and evolved its playing techniques throughout the thousands of years of Chinese history. This paper starts from the origin of guzheng, and then analyses the development characteristics and influencing factors of guzheng playing techniques. In general, the development and evolution of guzheng playing technique is an important part of Chinese music culture, we should continue to pay attention to and promote its development, so that the guzheng playing technique will bloom more brilliantly in the new era.

The Allocation of Talent and Financial Development, 1897 to 1936

We examine how the supply of talent affected financial development based on an experiment that abruptly changed the allocation of talent in historical China. Under the meritocratic civil examination system, government service was the main employment for the Chinese intellectuals. The abolition of this system in 1905 reduced the status and wealth attached to government service, which led the intellectuals to turn to modern banking as a high-status sector of employment. We find that regions where there were more candidates for the civil examination produced more financial professionals after 1905, which translated to a greater development of modern banking. This paper was accepted by Lin William Cong, finance. Funding: C. Lin and C. Ma acknowledge the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong [Grant AoE/B-704/22-R], Y. Sun acknowledges the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72203037] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in UIBE [Grant 20QD14; CXTD12-01], and Y. Xu acknowledges the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72203013] for financial support. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.00456 .

Synthesis of human isotopic data (8000–5000 BP) reveals subsistence strategies and social complexity at the southeast edge of the Loess Plateau, China

AbstractThe southeast edge of the Loess Plateau (SELP) is a crucial area for studying subsistence strategies and social complexity in prehistoric China. Currently, no systematic isotopic study has been conducted to reveal shifts in subsistence strategies and their link to the trajectory of social complexity. This paper compiles previously published isotopic data from human and fauna bones at 24 sites dating from 8000 to 5000 BP, aiming to uncover diachronic changes in subsistence strategies and their relationship with social complexity. The results indicate a gradual increase in millet consumption by humans and an increasing utilization of millet‐based byproducts as feed for domestic animals (pigs and dogs) over time. The isotopic data of humans and animals demonstrate the establishment of millet agriculture during the Early Yangshao period (7000–6000 BP). Millet agriculture creates a crucial material foundation for population growth and cultural prosperity. Two modes of millet cultivation, intensive and extensive, are proposed to explain the continuous development of millet agriculture since the Early Yangshao period. Finally, significant dietary heterogeneity among the human population during the Late Yangshao period strongly suggests the emergence of social differentiation and complexity, supported by other archaeological evidence such as settlement hierarchies and the presence of exquisite objects in burials.

The Historical Expression and Aesthetic Trends of Lotus in Literati Painting during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The lotus, celebrated for its cultural symbolism and aesthetic allure, has been a recurring muse for flower and bird painters in Chinese art history. This article explores lotus paintings during the Ming and Qing dynasties, pivotal periods of ideological liberation and societal complexities. Traditional lotus artworks across dynasties have woven a rich tapestry in Chinese painting. Focusing on the lotus, the article intricately combines symbolic meanings and historical contexts, unraveling the flower's intrinsic artistic essence. It sheds light on the evolving aesthetic qualities within lotus depictions, using this exploration as a lens to understand cross-cultural exchanges and clashes between Chinese and Western influences. Emphasizing the inherent artistic will of lotus-themed painting, the research delves into the nuanced development and aesthetic significance of this genre. By elucidating the beauty expressed in the evolution of lotus images, the study provides valuable insights with contemporary relevance. It highlights the symbolic significance of the lotus in Ming and Qing China, incorporating concrete examples of renowned lotus paintings and artists. This comprehensive approach aims to enhance reader-friendly comprehension and explicitly articulates the contribution of these findings to current artistic practices. The research not only deepens our understanding of lotus culture but also serves as a reference for contemporary lotus-themed creative endeavors, connecting historical expressions with modern artistic sensibilities.

Women’s affective labor in the Red Army’s war propaganda in the early 1930s

ABSTRACT This paper demonstrates that women’s affective labor was widely and deeply appropriated in the Red Army’s war propaganda in the early 1930s. This appropriation allowed women to emerge as free humans, visible social producers, empowered political subjects, significant war participants, and active shapers of history on an unprecedented scale in Chinese history. The selected cases examined in this paper are drawn from the songs, plays, and posters employed in the Red Army’s war propaganda of the early 1930s. By highlighting the recurrent symbols of women’s affective labor in these rudimentary yet innovative examples of wartime propaganda, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the complex and dialogic messages regarding women’s contribution to social production and reproduction conveyed through the Red Army’s propaganda. Additionally, this paper explores the liberating potential of gendered affective labor as a non-capitalist concept.

The building system and modeling evolution characteristics from the stacked patios to the pingqi of the grotto

ABSTRACT This paper takes the cave top Pingqi as the breakthrough point, discusses the relationship between the building system and the shape evolution from the lantern roof in the dwellings of Central Asia to the caisery in the grottoes of Xinjiang and then to the Dunhuang cave top Pingqi, discusses and analyzes the process of the integration and mutual learning, absorption and tolerance, innovation and development of Chinese and western cultures in the process, and combines them. Through the comparative analysis of the historical background, structural characteristics and spatial layout of various types of architectural forms, as well as the investigation of their evolution from focusing on functional needs to focusing on decorative art in different periods, we strive to sort out the origin and evolution of the decorative style of cave top Pingqi. The final conclusions of the study are as follows: Dunhuang Mogao Grottoe-roof decoration has experienced the imitation, inheritance, reference and innovation of the architectural style of the roof of Central Asia, Xinjiang and the Central Plains. It can be traced back to the wooden architectural style of “lantern well” in India and Central Asia, as well as the basic functional style of “chimney” in the early Central Plains. The evolution process of roof decoration in different periods is completely preserved in the existing grottoes. Showing the overall evolution process of “chimney”, “lantern well”, “stacked patios”, “sculpture Pingqi” and “drawing Pingqi”, the style of Pingqi in Mogao Grottle-No. 428 has become a typical representative of the evolution of “drawing Pingqi” in the Northern Dynasty, highlighting the deep integration of Chinese and western culture and architectural art, which is of great significance to the study of Chinese traditional architectural history and grotle-decorative art.