Chinese History Research Articles

Large-scale lexical and genetic alignment supports a hybrid model of Han Chinese demic and cultural diffusions.

The Han Chinese history is shaped by substantial demographic activities and sociocultural transmissions. However, it remains challenging to assess the contributions of demic and cultural diffusion to Han culture and language, primarily due to the lack of rigorous examination of genetic-linguistic congruence. Here we digitized a large-scale linguistic inventory comprising 1,018 lexical traits across 926 dialect varieties. Using phylogenetic analysis and admixture inference, we revealed a north-south gradient of lexical differences that probably resulted from historical migrations. Furthermore, we quantified extensive horizontal language transfers and pinpointed central China as a dialectal melting pot. Integrating genetic data from 30,408 Han Chinese individuals, we compared the lexical and genetic landscapes across 26 provinces. Our results support a hybrid model where demic diffusion predominantly impacts central China, while cultural diffusion and language assimilation occur in southwestern and coastal regions, respectively. This interdisciplinary study sheds light on the complex social-genetic history of the Han Chinese.

The Development Process of Wushu Under the Influence of Wuju Selection System

Wuju, historically known as Wuke, was began in Tang Dynasty, the second year when Wu Zetian became empress. It was developed in successive dynasties. However, with the invasions of Western colonists in 19<sup>th</sup> century, the traditional martial arts were clearly no longer suitable for the needs of modern warfare, finally, it was abolished in the 27th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty. The abolition of Wuju system caused a fierce debate in the imperial court. Although there is still little research on the influence of Wuju to the development of martial arts in various dynasties, as the earliest main way to select martial arts talents, it has existed for more than 1,200 years in Chinese history and has improved the selection criteria for talents that are adept with both the pen and the sword. Wuju in Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, military martial arts and folk martial arts are the earliest martial arts system in China. The rise and fall, as well as combination of Wuju and martial arts have a profound impact on the history of martial arts. Therefore, the paper tries to explore to the development process of martial arts by explaining the five stages of Wuju: rise, development, imprisonment, prosperity and defeat, then provides a theoretical basis for future scientific research on martial arts.

Some problems of research of the Yuan Dynasty copper red enamel porcelain (you’li-hong)

In the scholarly exploration of Chinese ceramic history, the Yuan Dynasty emerges as a pivotal era, distinguished by its remarkable advancements in porcelain artistry, culminating in the mastery of porcelain craft. This period is notably marked by the emergence and refinement of underglaze red porcelain, a quintessential embodiment of Yuan ceramic excellence. The inception of underglaze red porcelain, a technique entailing the application of copper-containing colorant to porcelain before overlaying it with a transparent glaze and firing at temperatures exceeding 1350°C in a reducing kiln atmosphere, is historically attributed to the Yuan Dynasty. This technique, which flourished subsequently during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, represents a significant evolution in ceramic art. Each Chinese dynasty contributed uniquely to the ceramic arts, with the Yuan Dynasty particularly enhancing the underglaze red porcelain technique during its middle and late periods, as evidenced by the sophisticated coloration in surviving artifacts. This study aims to thoroughly examine the underglaze red porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty, highlighting its artistic uniqueness and exceptional craftsmanship. The paper commences with an overview of the Yuan Dynasty’s historical context—its political, economic, and cultural landscape—setting the stage for a deeper understanding of the underglaze red porcelain’s development. This is followed by an exploration of the porcelain’s creation process, including material selection and firing methods, to underscore the intricacies of its craftsmanship. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the artistic and decorative elements of the underglaze red porcelain will be undertaken, focusing on aspects such as form, design motifs, and glaze hues, to unpack its stylistic and aesthetic dimensions. The culmination of this paper will be an evaluation of the historical significance and artistic merit of the Yuan Dynasty’s underglaze red porcelain, offering insights into its enduring legacy and influence on subsequent ceramic traditions. Through this comprehensive investigation, the study not only enriches our understanding of the Yuan Dynasty’s ceramic artistry but also underscores the importance of preserving and promoting traditional Chinese ceramic heritage. Additionally, it provides a foundation for further scholarly inquiry and conservation efforts in the realm of ancient Chinese ceramics.

A New Example of Early Medieval Multiculturalism: The Tomb of Qu Qing and His Wife in Anyang

The materials of a new burial complex in Anyang (Henan Province, China) combining features of the tombs of Northern Qi and Sui, and of the “Sogdian” tombs of the 6th century AD are presented. From the text of the epitaph placed in the burial chamber it is known that aristocrat Qu Qing and his wife Lady Han were buried there. Qu Qing was the grandson of Qu Jia, the founder of one of the ruling dynasties of the Gaochang Kingdom. His wife came from a noble family, possibly with Wuhuan roots. The set of stone items, including door leaves, an engraved panel above them, an engraved screen, and a burial bed decorated with engravings, reliefs and paintings, serves as a valuable source of information about the heterogeneous culture of Early Medieval China. The images on the door and the panel above it are similar in content and style to the murals of the Northern Qi tombs. The plots of the compositions on both sides of the stone screen came from early collections of xiaoshuo prose, that can be classified as zhiguai xiaoshuo (“tales of the miraculous”). The stone bed is similar in design and partly in decorative motifs to the objects from the “Sogdian” burials of the Northern dynasties and Sui. The tomb demonstrates an example of adaptation and transformation of borrowed elements of funeral rites under the influence of Han culture. The combination of Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist and Zoroastrian images and motifs reflects the situation of religious syncretism typical of the early Middle Ages.

The Integration and New Structure of Chinese Historical Ethnic Cultures in Animation

In recent years, the development speed of Chinese animation is remarkable. In the past ten years, relying on the cultural treasures formed by the precipitation of China's long history, domestic animation creators have created a number of excellent animation works based on Chinese legends, which have caused a stir in the domestic and international animation markets. However, China's animation works in the past decade still have problems such as insufficient story creativity and single art style. Based on the above problems, the article discusses the problems and challenges facing the current development of Chinese animation and the significance of animation development for the inheritance of Chinese history and national culture from the application and innovation of Chinese history and national culture in animation, to provide new ideas for the creation of Chinese animation.

‘One country, two narratives’ of China as a nation: comparing Chinese history education in mainland China and Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This study explores the narration of China as a nation in history education in two regions – mainland China and Hong Kong – that share cultural roots but different socio-political contexts. Inductive analysis of data from junior-secondary Chinese history textbooks used in the regions in the late 2010s revealed that whereas mainland China’s textbooks constructed China as a nation by stressing its constitutive territory and ethnic inclusiveness, Hong Kong’s highlighted its constitutive ethnicity and changing territory, more frequently and directly narrated interethnic conflicts, and more explicitly promoted Han superiority. The study proposes constructing the nation in history education as a contextualised and socio-political exercise of reinterpreting the past to reflect current contexts and needs.

Interplays and Interactions on the Maritime and Overland Silk Roads in the First Millennium ce

This article concerns the contacts and interactions that took place on the Maritime Silk Road during the first millennium ce. The term ‘Maritime Silk Road’, like the ‘Silk Road’ itself, can be quite vague. It has come to mean any trade or travel from Japan and Korea across the sea routes of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, to the Mediterranean and Europe. The focus here, however, follows the subject of the October 2021 ‘China, India and Iran’ conference in Cambridge, where the article was first delivered, and is confined to China, Southeast Asia, India and Persia. It first explains how my interest in this topic came about. Then it highlights some of the ways in which these interconnections manifested themselves during the first millennium by analysing examples from the Chinese dynastic histories and the travel accounts of Buddhist pilgrims. Finally, it discusses two sets of examples of these phenomena mentioned in Rong Xinjiang’s 榮新江, Sichou zhilu yu dong-xi wenhua jiaoliu 絲綢之路與東西文化交流. One of these examples concerns China’s relations with the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 ce) during the Tang period (618–907), and the other concerns the overland and maritime movement of Persian nobles and merchants to China after the fall of the Sasanian Empire (224–651 ce), and their integration into Chinese society.

The ethnic aspect of the Yuan Empire’s liquidation

This paper examines the importance of Chinese ethnicity through the example of the historically first dynasty named the Yuan Dynasty, where the rulers were nomadic conquerors and not of Han descent. The aim of the paper is to explore the ethnic aspect of the process of liquidating the Yuan Empire and the importance of the unity of the Chinese people. The methodology of the paper includes the use of different resources, including chronicles, historical research and sources showing the realities not only from the Chinese side, but also from the Mongol side. This approach makes it possible to consider the issue from both sides and obtain more objective conclusions. The results show that the importance of the unity of the Chinese people became evident as early as the Han era, when the concept of "Han man" became politically significant. For the first time, cultural attributes were no longer the only factor uniting people, and nationality became crucial to the unity of the state. The scope of the work includes the study of Chinese history, ethnic relations and nationality issues. The novelty of the work lies in the use of different sources and consideration of the issue from different angles, which allows for a more complete picture of historical process. The conclusions of the paper emphasise the importance of nationality as a sign for state unity and show that national problems can become a factor that can weaken and destroy even the most powerful states.

Toponymic Representation Of Central Asia In Xuan Zang’s “Great Tang Records On The Western Regions”

This article is dedicated to the book “The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions” which recounts the historical journey of the Chinese traveller Xuan Zang to Central Asia in 627 AD, as he embarked on a travelling to India to study Buddhism. Throughout his travels, Xuan Zang meticulously documented the events he witnessed, the geographical locations of various countries, as well as the ethnography and daily life of the medieval inhabitants of the region. The travelogue provides detailed accounts of the distances and routes to several Central Asian countries, offering valuable topographical insights into the history of the region. Xuan Zang's extensive journey encompassed territories that now belong to the Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, offering unique perspectives and impressions of the places he visited. Furthermore, this article delves into comparative analyses of the accounts provided in Xuan Zang’s “The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions” and the Chinese historian Ouyang Xiu’s “Xin Tan Shu” presenting findings from scholarly works by Uzbek, Russian, and Chinese historians. This study sheds light on the rich historical and geographical information preserved in these pivotal sources.

샤오훙 단편소설에 나타난 비극성 연구

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the tragic elements in the short stories “Wangasujeoksa,” “Gyo,” and “Soseongsamwol” by Xiao Hong. All three works connect their characters to the tragedy of death. This reflects how, despite China's attempts at new progress and innovation through the Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement in the early 20th century, lower-class women remained in poverty and became victims of an irrational social structure. This study aims to examine the tragedy in Xiao Hong's short stories within the unique historical context of China's modern and contemporary era. In particular, her short stories such as “Wangasujeoksa,” “Gyo,” and “Soseongsamwol” depict characters who, amidst the backdrop of China's transition during the modern and contemporary era, all meet tragic ends, succumbing to poverty, despair, misfortune, and suffering. Therefore, it seeks to explore the tragedy in the context of Chinese modern history by examining Xiao Hong's tragic worldview, her consciousness of tragedy, and the tragic experiences of her characters. If the previous research analyzed the tragedy in Xiao Hong's mid-length novels, this study focuses on the tragedy depicted in Xiao Hong's short stories within the context of modern and contemporary China. This research aims to find ways to study Xiao Hong's short stories from various perspectives.

The Status and Changes of the Relationship between Ink and Color in Traditional Landscape Painting

Color has always played a key role in the evolution of Chinese painting history. With the rise of ink painting and the development of literati painting, the expression of landscape painting gradually transformed, green and heavy colors gradually lost their dominant position, and ink painting gradually became the dominant style in the Chinese painting world, with the use of color gradually weakening. Especially in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The change and application of color in landscape painting is in line with the changes in society and aesthetic concepts, reflecting the aesthetic interests and cultural backgrounds of different times.

Expanding Perspectives in the Study of Chinese Social History

Over the past 20 years, the study of social history has become the most remarkable direction in the field of modern Chinese history. The research of modern Chinese social history has gone through three stages: disciplinary revival, system construction, and steady development. The era features of modern Chinese social history research mainly manifest in: prominent achievements in regional social history, with increasingly deepening theoretical research; the burgeoning research on modern rural history, moving towards in-depth exploration; and the attention-grabbing study of social gender history under new concepts. For traditional disciplines of modern Chinese history, the perspective of social history research has greatly expanded, mainly manifested in: breaking through traditional dogma, exploring new fields; shifting the perspective of observation, returning to the people themselves; and paying more attention to small events in the macro background, emphasizing a micro perspective.

The Problem of Conservation of Ethnopedagogical Traditions in the History of China

The importance of the research is that the problem of preserving national identity within a multi-ethnic state, such as China. The ideology of the united Chinese nation is a developed and constantly improved system of coexistence of several ethnic groups within the framework of one state. The purpose of the study is to analyze the formation of ethnopedagogical traditions in the modern education system of China. The modern national policy of China focuses not only on the restoration and preservation of the national identity of each of the peoples as the cultural heritage of the whole country, but also on the coexistence of all peoples in the concept of a single Chinese nation. The idea of harmonious coexistence can be traced throughout Chinese history, which has historically been seen as an economic and social problem. At present, education has become one of the most important aspects of the national policy of the PRC, not only as a mechanism for educating the citizens of the republic, united by a single idea, but also the ability to preserve the culture of each national minority within one country. Research methodology and methods. The basis of the research is done by using such methods as Historical and theoretical analisis and also the method of content analisis of scientific and academic sources. The results of the study can be used in the field of cultural linguistics and social sciences and also as a basis for further study and analysis of the features of the historical stages of the formation of sinology in Russia. The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the role of active teaching methods in the development of reading competencies of students in the field of study “Journalism”.

Is a New Chinese Literary History Possible? A Critical Investigation of The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature

Is a New Chinese Literary History Possible? A Critical Investigation of The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature

Bamboo, Landscape, Monumentality: Guan Daoscheng's View by the Bamboo and Streams Scroll

In this paper, I aim to reappraise the status of Guan Daoshen, one of the most well-known women artists across Chinese art history. Previous scholarship on her and her works has not only been scarce but also limited to her identity as a woman. I attempt to enrich the academic conversation on Guan through an examination of her painting View by the Bamboo and Stream Scroll (竹溪攬勝軸, 1309 b.c.). I argue that she contests the canonical modes to represent bamboo and the established conventions associated with the formats of scrolls. Specifically, the painting illustrates Guan’s innovative interpretation of shu hua tong yuan and obfuscation of the boundaries between hanging scrolls and handscrolls. In conclusion, the innovations presented by this painting broadened the repertoire of Yuan Dynasty literati paintings, which posits her as a significant figure within the genealogy of Chinese art history instead of a mere female counterpart of the male-dominated literati milieu. 

Curating the Chinese ancient book catalogs: Leveraging the dual roles of humanities scholars as experts and users in collaborative practice

AbstractChinese ancient book catalogs are important cultural heritage and academic resources for the study of ancient Chinese history and culture. These catalogs need to be curated so that their value can be fully exploited in today's digital environment. This study is based on a collaborative curation project where eight representative ancient catalogs were curated into a diachronic dataset and tools to discover and analyze the data were developed. We reviewed literature and consulted humanities scholars to derive the characteristics and curation requirements of the ancient catalogs. A collaborative model was proposed based on the requirements to guide the curation process. This model reveals the duality of humanities scholars' role in collaborative curation and depicts main curation activities including metadata and description, appraisal and selection, data processing, developing tools, access and use, and evolution. Lessons learned from the curation practice include two main issues—project personnel and humanities scholars' acceptance of visualization. The study also yields a dataset and a set of tools that can be directly used by scholars interested in knowledge organization and ancient catalog related topics.

Reconstruction of Single-Bay Buddhist Architecture Based on Stylistic Comparisons in Northeast Fujian, the Core Hinterland of the Changxi River Basin—Using Gonghoulong Temple as an Example

In the Changxi River Basin in eastern Fujian, a few stone elements remain and Buddhist buildings with one bay in width and three bays in depth have been preserved dating from the timespan of the Tang to the Song dynasty. These features are characterized by a regional form of early Buddhist architecture seldom seen in Chinese history. The article focuses on the reconstruction of a Song dynasty Buddhist building at the Gonghoulou Temple site in Huotong Town, Jiaocheng District, Ningde City, and aims to analyze the potential characteristics and rules of single-bay Buddhist architecture. From the styles of the remaining stone columns, the direction of the lotus carving at the column base, and the mortises of the plinth stone, a spatial arrangement is indicated that includes an open front corridor and a closed rear section. A “reconstruction” of the ruler used in the original building reveals the possibility that a local Fujian ruler was used, shorter than the standard measurement device employed elsewhere. The analysis of the frame construction indicates that this hip-gable roof-covered Buddhist hall utilizes the horizontally layered logic of multi-storied palatial-style halls. Key elements include its gentle roof slope, restraint from the practice of shortening the roof ridge, use of the traditional chuji method, and the interior columns use of internal longitudinal architraves secured to beam supporting brackets. This research brings to light a unique architectural type that has disappeared in the course of history and was previously unknown to the academic community. It holds significant importance and value for deepening the understanding of the history of timber frame architecture technology in Fujian.

Bayesian networks for inferring the relationship between individual behavior and social influence: A case study of early 20th century British travels in China

This study investigated the possibility of applying the Bayesian networks (BNs) in analyzing the relationship between individual behavior and social influence among early 20th-century British travelers in China. While historical studies have provided valuable details about social interactions, existing research using such studies has shown limitations in quantifying and analyzing complex relationships. This study attempts to address this gap by employing Bayesian networks (BNs) to construct a framework for modeling the probabilistic relationships between various factors influencing the travel patterns of British travelers in China in the early 20th century. These factors include political climate, economic considerations, and cultural interactions, which are sourced through historical studies, travel diaries, and other contemporary sources. The performance of the proposed Bayesian network model is evaluated using established statistical methods, including confusion matrices, cross-validation, and sensitivity analysis (SA). The results have shown the significance of the chosen model in analyzing the complex relationship selected analysis.

Cultural nationalism and its effect on Chinese higher education: continuity and variation

AbstractSince 1840, Chinese political leaders have struggled to draw effectively from Western culture without abandoning the Chinese essence in their design of higher education. In this paper, we use cultural nationalism as the theoretical framework to examine how Chinese political leaders have responded to this challenge. Our analysis shows that cultural nationalism closely links to politics, and although the form taken by cultural nationalism has varied throughout Chinese history, it has significantly influenced Chinese higher education. In particular, we identify a strong cultural nationalism in today’s China, which has already influenced teaching and research in Chinese higher education. Finally, we discuss the implications and limitations of this paper, and call for critical reflections of cultural nationalism and its impact on Chinese higher education.

Volumising territorial sovereignty: Atmospheric sciences, climate, and the vertical dimension in 20th century China

Works in Political Geography have focused on the exercise of territorial sovereignty beyond land, emphasising the voluminousness and dynamism of material forces that condition how territory is governed. In comparison, works on modern territorial statehood in IR have generally overlooked the question of materiality. By combining the attentiveness to more-than-human materiality in Political Geography with IR's focus on the role of epistemic transformations in the history of the modern international system, this article proposes a more comprehensive understanding of territorial sovereignty and modern statehood as constituted by the technoscientific management of the territory's materiality. Using the development of atmospheric sciences in the 19th century as an example of science-state entanglement in the emergence of the modern international system, this article shows that the integration of atmospheric knowledge production with state and international governance produced the vertical dimension as a realm of governmental concern. Through a detailed case study of the development of atmospheric sciences in early 20th-century China and scientific ideas about China's climate, this article demonstrates how the scientific discovery of the vertical dimension reconfigures territorial sovereignty as sovereignty over volume.