Early Ming Dynasty Research Articles

Analysis of “Crazy Aesthetics" of Painting in Ming Dynasty

After the long-term ethnic confrontation and the havoc that occurred during the Southern Song, Liao, Jin, Xia, Mongolian, and Yuan Dynasties, the rulers of the early Ming Dynasty once devoted themselves to the revival of the long-decayed Royal Academy of Painting and intended to reproduce the grand occasion of the former academy-style painting, to enjoy being the royal family. For a period of time, the painting in the early Ming Dynasty was shrouded in the retro style of academy style painting. From the perspective of region and time, the academy-style painting system represented by Liu, Li, Ma, and Xia in the Southern Song Dynasty was undoubtedly the most easily accepted and learned painting style from the psychological and cognitive levels of painters in the early Ming Dynasty. However, from the mid-Ming Dynasty, the painting style of the Zhejiang school gradually became wild, and its painters often regarded themselves as "immortal drunk", and their brush and ink language were indulgent and unruly, like a golden snake dancing wildly. Pursue the ink splash effect mixed with ink and wash, and even show the sense of power and speed of sweeping and swaying freely like a performance in front of people. And its form also began to be rude and frugal, resulting in the slander of "mad monster" and "crazy evil school". The "madness" of the painters during this period was not an accidental case, but an artistic phenomenon that was precisely opposed to the Wumen literati painting school that began to occupy the mainstream of the painting circle in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The artistic pursuit and the aesthetic tendency of the orthodox social mainstream thinking. Under the unprecedented strengthening of centralization during the Ming Dynasty and the ideological control of the eight-legged scholars, the art world was full of "madness". This phenomenon makes people think about the two-way interaction between the times and art, and whether mainstream art can reflect mainstream consciousness. form? Between "cult" and "orthodox", who can better express the demands of an era? I hope to have a preliminary discussion here.

The Reconstruction of Ideology and the Political Intervention in Literature in the Early Ming Dynasty

In the Ming Dynasty, Confucianism was the basic principle of ethics, and the whole social culture was dominated by Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism. Coupled with the development of ancient education and the reform of the imperial examination system, the education at that time also made Neo-Confucianism develop and spread continuously. In this atmosphere, the thoughts of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have been gradually politicized under the interference of the imperial power and become a favorable tool to strengthen the centralization of power. At the same time, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty liked to interfere in literature, which also affected the natural development of literature, resulting in the early Ming dynasty literati’s “living-a-life” starting from politics rather than literature.

The Introduction of North China’s Ceramic Culture to 15th Century Joseon and the Influence on Buncheong Ware

This paper is a study on Korean Buncheong ware in relation to the ceramic culture of North China. The focus on drawing connections between the ceramic industries of Korea and North China expands on views presented in previous scholarship. Research thus far has traditionally ascribed the origin of Buncheong forms and decoration techniques to the influences of inlaid celadon from the late Goryeo Dynasty and the Cizhou ware of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The ceramic culture of North China was quickly transmitted to Korea due to the naturalization of the Jurchen people, who took part in founding the early Joseon Dynasty. Another factor was the migration and settlement of immigrants from North China, which began from the late Goryeo Dynasty and continued into the Joseon Dynasty or the fifteenth century. Therefore, the influence of North China is evident in various aspects of Buncheong ware from the early fifteenth century as observed in the forms of inlaid examples produced during this period. In the latter half of the fifteenth century, increased cultural exchange between the two regions and the growing number of migrants from North China were two important factors in the development of Buncheong in Korea. This is particularly true for examples featuring underglaze iron-brown (cheolhwa), sgraffito (bakji), slip-brushed (gwiyal), and slip-coated (deombeong) decorations fired in kilns populating the region of Chungcheong-do and parts of Jeolla-do. Traces of ‘Bunjang (粉粧)’ ceramics, which served as the transition from celadon to White Porcelain, is detected not only in the fifteenth century Buncheong ware of Joseon, but also in the porcelain of North China produced in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. Though South China also experienced a quick transition from celadon to White Porcelain, the inclusion of ‘Bunjang’ ceramics is unique to North China. In conclusion, early Joseon Buncheong originated and developed from the inlaid celadon of late Goryeo–a progression that occurred under the ceramic culture of North China, whose influences prompted innovations in form and technique vital to the development of Buncheong ware.

명대(明代) 곤룡포(袞龍袍)와 곤룡문(袞龍紋)의 색(色) 연구

초록·키워드 목차 오류제보하기 A Gunlong-pao means a long dress expressed with a Gunlong pattern, and the Gunlong pattern expresses a "Gunlong," a dragon in a winding form as a pattern. Since the Gunlong-pao was worn daily by the emperor, the crown prince, and the prince of the Ming Dynasty, it was most often worn among various types of court fashions. Therefore, even for researchers and the general public, the Gunlong-pao is a very familiar dress. However, it was so familiar that a royal fashion history field did not conduct in-depth research on this dress. Therefore, this study investigated the color of the Gunlong-pao and the Gunlong pattern. As the research data, literature, relics, and paintings were comprehensively utilized. The research results are as follows. First, the shape and type of the Gunlong-pao and Gunlong pattern in the Ming Dynasty diversified from the former to the latter period, and this phenomenon also appeared in their colors. Second, in the early Ming Dynasty, the color of the Gunlong-pao was determined as five colors based on the season, and in a “Yongle 3rd year’s Ding(永樂3年定)” system, the color of the Gunlong-pao was determined as yellow (emperor) and red (crown prince and below classes) based on the status. However, in the actual use in the mid to late period of the Ming Dynasty, it was confirmed that the emperor"s Gunlong-pao had various colors, such as red and reddish-black, in addition to yellow. It was confirmed that the fashion colors of the crown prince or below classes were only the red according to the system. Third, the emperor"s "Gunfu", which appeared in the mid to late period, used the five colors, applying the coexistence of five elements to four Gunlong patterns on its upper body. Fourth, the Gunlong-pao gave to the status of the crown prince or lower by the emperor, was classified into three classes based on the color in the late period of the Ming Dynasty. #dragon pattern(龍紋) #Gunlong-pao[Gonryongpo](袞龍袍) #Ming dynasty(明) #traditional robe(袍) ABSTRACTⅠ. 서론(緖論)Ⅱ. 명대 곤룡포 제도와 실제Ⅲ. 곤룡포(반령착수포) 복색(服色)의 제도와 실제Ⅳ. 곤룡문의 색에 적용된 오행사상과 신분구별Ⅴ. 결론참고문헌

A Look at the Architectural Cultural Exchange Between East and West During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties from the Brick-Vaulted Bathroom Outside Nanjing’s Zhonghua Gate – A Secondary Publication

There is a brick-vault roofed bathroom building, commonly known as the Cistern Hall (Wengtang), opposite the Grand Baoen Temple Heritage and Scenic Area near the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing. This article analyzes its shape and characteristics by means of a 3D scan that surveys and maps out 2019 data on the site. On this basis, this article suggests that the bathroom may have been built as an annex to the Grand Baoen Temple in the early Ming dynasty. This kind of bathroom design originated in West Asia, entered China during the Yuan dynasty (1271‒1368) and became popular in the Jiangnan region during the Ming (1368‒1644) and Qing (1644‒1911) dynasties. In a lively exchange of architectural ideas, it bore witness to rich, in-depth architectural cultural exchanges between China, Central Asia, and West Asia in the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

Masterpiece of reconstruction of theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine-revelation of LOU Ying's Yi Xue Gang Mu (An Outline of Medicine)

For the first time, at the early Ming Dynasty, the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are integrated with clinical diagnosis and treatment system in Yi Xue Gang Mu (An Outline of Medicine) written by LOU Ying. Under this unified theoretical framework, the integration of acupuncture prescription with herbal medicine formula is achieved, thus, a complete reconstruction of theoretic system of TCM is accomplished. Such reconstruction brings an extensive and profound impact on the development of medicine in the Ming and Qing dynasties, even influences implicitly the compilation of modern TCM textbooks. Through in-depth study of the theoretical innovation mode of An Outline of Medicine, the valuable revelation is provided for the inheritance and innovation of TCM in modern times.

Predicament of the Hongwu Emperor and his Defense for the Regime’s Legitimacy

Known for his shrewd and calculating nature, Emperor Hongwu faced a critical challenge concerning regime legitimacy at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, scholars generally adopted a non-collaborative attitude while Zhu’s humble origin was despised by the gentry. Using official historical books, intellectuals’ commonplace books, and poetry anthologies of that time, this article demonstrates that Zhu Yuanzhang’s explanation for the validity of the Yuan-Ming transition comes from the perspective of scholars on the Mandate of Heaven, and reveals that Zhu took a series of measures to solve this crisis by obtaining scholars’ support for the Ming court. The textual research in this article, which differs from the focus on policy, law, system, and other perspectives in previous works, offers another approach to the discussion in the field of early Ming Dynasty.

The origins of imperial yellow glazed porcelain in the Ming Dynasty (1,368 to 1,644) China: Technical comparison to low‐fired tile with yellow glaze

AbstractThe imperial yellow‐glazed porcelain of the Ming Dynasty originated in the early15th century AD. Its high status and fine material quality make its beginnings, glaze characteristics and technological development worthy of further study. In this research, EDXRF, optical microscope and spectrophotometer were used to investigate both yellow‐glazed tiles and imperial porcelains of the early Ming Dynasty. It was found that the imperial yellow glaze is essentially similar to that used on glazed tile, both of which are high‐lead, low‐temperature compositions. However, there is a clear high‐temperature glaze between the coloured glaze and the body paste of imperial yellow‐glazed porcelain, which makes the glaze brighter and provides a warm jade‐like texture. In addition, the slightly bluish tones of the clear glaze and body paste of imperial yellow‐glazed porcelain correct the colour of the iron‐based, low‐temperature lead glaze, which has a reddish component. Therefore, compared with the early Ming Dynasty glazed tiles, imperial yellow‐glazed porcelain achieves a higher glaze brightness and a purer yellow hue. In summary, imperial yellow‐glazed porcelain can be seen as a combination of lead‐glazed tile and Jingdezhen porcelain technology in the early Ming Dynasty.

A short but glorious porcelain glaze of Early Ming Dynasty: New finding of raw material and colorants in the copper red glaze

Copper red glaze is considered to be Chinese unique high-temperature copper colored glaze. The sample of Hongwu underglaze red of the Ming Dynasty was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), synchrotron radiation micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-μ-XRF), synchrotron radiation micro-X-ray diffraction (SR-μ-XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the results show that there are nano-scale metal copper particles in the diffusion layer of the glaze, and irregular copper sulfide particles at the bottom layer. The presence of metal copper nanoparticles shows the glaze red, but under the influence of black copper sulfide, the appearance of underglaze red is relatively dull and dark. It is assumed that the pigments in Hongwu underglaze red are natural copper ores due to the existence of irregular particles. Referring to the record of "Bright red clay" in ancient literatures, a mixture of cuprite and chalcopyrite are probably the raw materials, the exhaustion of which may be the main reason for the interruption of copper red glaze after the mid-Ming Dynasty.

A New Examination On "Abridgment Of Song Dynasty History"

이 논문은 편자와 편간연대 미상의 고서 『宋朝史詳節』에 대한 고증을 시도하였다. 북송 태조부터 남송 말제까지 宋朝의 주요 史事와 사론을 수록한 편년체 형식의 이 사서는 국내 다수의 대학 도서관과 해외 기관에 소장된 활자본 및 필사본으로 현전하고 있다. 필자는 일제강점기 조선총독부통역관 겸 서지학자였던 마에마 교사쿠(前間恭作, 1868~1942)의 『古鮮冊譜』 (1944)로부터 중요한 단서를 발견할 수 있었다. 즉, 『宋朝史詳節』은 “正祖 가 동궁에 있을 때 편찬한 『송사촬요』의 저본이 된 초고본”이라는 해제 내용이다. 정조는 즉위 이전 동궁에 있을 때부터 『宋史』를 탐독하며, 이를 조선의 입장에서 재차 개찬하려는 뜻을 여러 차례 밝힌 바 있다. 그는 기전체사서인 『宋史』의 오류를 수정하고 압축하고자 『宋史筌』을 편찬했는데, 그과정에서 ‘詳節’과 ‘撮要’의 작업을 차례로 진행했다. 정조가 “나는 일찍이宋朝의 風氣와 人物이 우리 왕조와 서로 유사하여 ‘감계’로 삼기에 다른역사보다 宋史가 더욱 절실하다고 말하였다. 이 때문에 正史를 刪定하여『宋史筌』이 나왔고, 편년체 사서를 節略하여 『宋史撮要』가 나온 것이다” 라고 밝힌 것은 그 편찬의 취지와 과정을 단적으로 보여준다. 본고는 위와 같은 논거를 중심으로 『宋朝史詳節』에 대한 새로운 고증과해제를 시도하였다. 이를 위해 먼저, 현전하는 판본의 현황과 특징을 살펴보고, 규장각의 장서목록과 대조하였다. 그리고 『日省錄』에서 발견된 새로운 기록을 통해 『宋朝史詳節』의 정확한 편찬 시점을 고증하고, 『宋史撮要』 와의 비교를 통해 이 사서가 갖고 있는 체재와 구성의 특징을 논술하였다. 끝으로 이 사서의 편찬 취지와 목적을 밝힘으로써 종전 解題의 결함을 보완해 보도록 하겠다.“Abridgment of Song Dynasty History”(宋朝史詳節), whose author and publishing time is unknown, is kept in a number of domestic university libraries, including Seoul National University s Kyujanggak and the National Library of Korea. and it s metal prints are also on display at the National Library of China, the East Asia Library of Columbia University in the U.S. and the National Institute of Language and Culture in France. According to “Bibliography on books of ancient Joseon”(古鮮冊譜) written by a Japanese interpreter of Korean and bibliographer, Maema Kyosaku(1868~1942) under the colonial administration of imperial Japan, it was a draft version of “Summary Of Song Dynasty History”(宋史撮要) which was compiled by King Jeongjo when he was in the palace. This book chronicles the main facts from the founding to the end of the Song Dynasty(960~1276), and adds to some facts from Yao Dynasty, Jin Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. Also, one of the characteristics of the book s contents is that it contains a large number of historical reviews written by renowned Confucian scholars in the Song Dynasty and thereafter. Before his ascension to the throne, King Jeong-jo devoted himself to studying the history of the Song Dynasty in China. The Song Dynasty was founded based on Confucian ideas, and the ideology of Confucianism dominated almost all areas, including politics, society, culture and education. Jeong-jo considered the factors of success and failure shown by Confucian politics in the Song Dynasty in the course of history, and thought that Joseon, a Confucian country, could provide an important direction and indicator of reality. This history book is not just a blind follower of the Republic of China, but rather a review of the history of Confucian politics from an independent point of view, and compiled to set important lessons and indicators of reality.

Guanxi as a literary archetype in Chinese fiction

In China, guanxi is a unique and ubiquitous informal social network. Previous research on guanxi has focused on management, sociology and economics in China. This paper proposes for the first time that guanxi is a significant literary archetype in Chinese fiction. The guanxi archetype originated from the coincidence between an upsurge in fiction writing and the social turbulence created by the economic transformation that occurred in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Confucianism, the cultural root of guanxi, was fortified during the violent ethical upheaval of this era, reinforcing guanxi’s status in both social realities and fictional narratives. As a form of social capital, guanxi was interwoven into the expanded commercialization in this transitional epoch, becoming a shortcut for securing one’s material interests through information asymmetry and flaws in the legal system and thus creating social inequity. Culturally, guanxi therefore earned derogatory implications during the late Ming dynasty, when commercialism prospered, in contrast to its positive evaluation in the early Ming dynasty, when commercialism was less significant. As guanxi is a ubiquitous institution that has been embedded in the social structure of China for more than 2000 years and thoroughly permeates quotidian life, the guanxi archetype persists in modern and contemporary fiction. With the increasing importance of guanxi in China, it will not only remain a significant literary archetype but also be an avenue to interpret Chinese literature.

Zhao Luanluan and Her Tale

Abstract Zhao Luanluan 趙鸞鸞 is the main protagonist of an early Ming dynasty work of fiction, the “Luanluan zhuan” 鸞鸞傳 or “The Tale of Luanluan” by Li Changqi 李昌祺 (1376–1452), which is found in his collection of twenty-two short stories: Jiandeng yuhua 剪燈餘話 (More Stories Written While Trimming the Lamp). Zhao Luanluan is here described as a woman poet who is caught up in the fall of the Yuan dynasty, but subsequently she was further fictionalized as a Tang dynasty courtesan, and her poetic works reattributed to this imaginary person. Furthermore other related fictional female poets of the Ming dynasty have also been treated as genuine historical individuals, and their writings are included in many major anthologies of women’s poetry. This paper argues that the boundaries between genuine female poets and fictional female poets created by male writers have been consistently ignored.

A Study on the Quan-Shan-Shu in Early Ming Dynasty

A Study on the Quan-Shan-Shu in Early Ming Dynasty

원말 · 명초 한중간의 요동국경지대연구 -東寧府, 東寧路, 東寧衛와의 상관성을 중심으로-

필자는 원대의 東寧府, 東寧路, 명대의 東寧衛가 상호 연관되어 있다는 관점에서 동녕의 위치를 재고해 보고 이와 관련하여 고려와 원, 조선과 명의 국경 문제를 검토해 보고자 하였다. 검토해 본 결과 원대 설치된 동녕부에 대한 중국의 사료와 한국의 사료가 다르게 기록되어 있음을 알 수 있었다. 『高麗史』나 『高麗史節要』의 경우 동녕부와 관련하여 기록은 많으나 그 위치를 명확하게 기록하지 않고 있다. 반면 새롭게 발굴된 중국 사료들은 장수왕이 천도한 平壤城, 동녕부의 위치, 동녕부와 동녕로와의 상관성, 그리고 명대 동녕위에 이르기까지 그 연속적인 시간 속에서 모두 현재의 요녕성 요양과 그 부근을 그 중심지로 서술하고 있다.BR 중국의 방대한 사료들은 원대 동녕부는 장수왕의 평양성이 있던 장소이며 장수왕의 평양성은 후에 西京으로 되고 이 서경을 최탄 등이 60여 성과 함께 귀부하여 동녕부가 되었다고 기록하고 있다.BR 『고려사』의 기록은 1270년에 동녕부가 되었다가 1290년을 전후하여 폐치되는 것으로 기록하고 있다. 그러나 중국의 기록들은 동녕부가 동녕로로 승격되었다고 기록하고 있다. 그리고 이 동녕로는 遼陽行省을 구성하는 7개의 路중의 하나인 동녕로가 되었다고 적고 있다.BR 고려 말의 고려의 동녕부 정벌은 지금의 환인과 요양을 포함하는 요동 지역이 대상이었으므로 동녕부가 동녕로로 승격해서 원 후기까지 요동에 동녕이 남아있었다고 보아야 한다.

明初 韓中關係와 貢女 : 洪武 · 永樂年間의 懷柔와 宥和策

明初 韓中關係와 貢女 : 洪武 · 永樂年間의 懷柔와 宥和策

Making History in Borneo: Ong Sum Ping and His Others During the Late Yuan and Early Ming Dynasties

Making History in Borneo: Ong Sum Ping and His Others During the Late Yuan and Early Ming Dynasties

원말명초 재상제 논의와 이학경제의 정주학 확정

원말명초 재상제 논의와 이학경제의 정주학 확정

Tributary Ceremony and National Security: A Reassessment of <em>Wokou</em> Diplomacy between China and Japan during the Early Ming Dynasty

The diplomatic relationship between China and Japan during the early Ming may serve as a connecting link between the preceding Yuan dynasty and the following periods. When past scholars have studied the international relations of ancient East Asia, traditionally, they have explored it from the perspective of the tributary system, and emphasized ceremony and trade as the crucial factors in the tributary system. However, it should be realized that this monochromatic and static model does not fit into the realistic relationship between China and Japan of the early Ming dynasty. The Wokou were a serious threat to China’s security, and it was the most important factor influencing the relations between China and Japan during the Hongwu 洪武 reign. If the Japanese authorities had been able to suppress the Wokou, Hongwu would have been interested to maintain good relations with Japan, and would have rewarded them with money, silk, and other good things. Failing the desired good relations, Hongwu excluded Japan from the China-centered tribute system. It is obvious that national security, rather than ceremony and trade, was the primary element of Northeast Asian diplomacy at the time. There are still some misunderstandings of the historical realities of the topic. Therefore, it is very necessary to reassess the tributary system model by exploring the special diplomatic relations between China and Japan during the early Ming dynasty.

Microscopic analysis of “iron spot” on blue-and-white porcelain from Jingdezhen imperial kiln in early Ming dynasty (14th-15th century)

"Sumali," as an imported cobalt ore from overseas, was a sort of precious and valuable pigment used for imperial kilns only, which produces characteristic "iron spot" to blue-and-white porcelain in early Ming Dynasty (A.D. 14th-15th century). Although there were some old studies on it, the morphology and formation of iron spot has not been fully investigated and understood. Therefore, five selected samples with typical spot from Jingdezhen imperial kiln in Ming Yongle periods (A.D. 1403-1424) were analyzed by various microscopic analysis including 3D digital microscope, SEM-EDS and EPMA. According to SEM images, samples can be divided into three groups: un-reflected "iron spot" without crystals, un-reflected "iron spot" with crystals and reflected "iron spot" with crystals. Furthermore, 3D micro-images revealed that "iron spots" separate out dendritic or snow-shaped crystals of iron only on and parallel to the surface of glaze for which "iron spot" show strong metallic luster. Combining with microscopic observation and microanalysis on crystallization and non-crystallization areas, it indicates that firing oxygen concentration is the ultimate causation of forming reflective iron spot which has a shallower distribution below the surface and limits crystals growing down. More details about characters of "iron spot" used "Sumali" were found and provided new clues to coloration, formation mechanism and porcelain producing technology of imperial kiln from 14th to 15th centuries of China.

Study on the property of the production for Fengdongyan kiln in Early Ming dynasty by INAA and EDXRF

A lot of official wares carved “Guan” or the dragon patterns were excavated on the strata of Ming dynasty of the Fengdongyan kiln site at Dayao County. The imperial porcelain was fired in Hongwu and Yongle eras. However, the emergence of this imperial porcelain has triggered academic debate about the property of Fengdongyan kiln in the Early Ming dynasty. Based on the differences of the official kiln management, some scholars have determined that the property of the production for this kiln was the civilian kiln. According to the historical textural records and typology, others preliminary confirmed that Fengdongyan kiln was the official kiln. In this paper, the elemental compositions of body and glaze in imperial and civilian porcelain are study by INAA and EDXRF for determining the property of the production for this kiln in Early Ming dynasty. After the processing of experimental data by geochemical analysis and principal component analysis, the result show that the raw materials for making body and glaze in imperial porcelain are similar with those of the civilian porcelain and the degrees of elutriation for body can be slightly different in HW-M period of Ming dynasty. The analytical results support the view that the Fengdongyan kiln is civilian not official.