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15 May 1999, Volume 0 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Belief Space and the Evolution of Community: The Example of the Zhanglin Temple System CHEN Chun-Sheng 1999, 0(2): 1-13.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1028KB) ( )   This paper discusses the history of a famous commercial village in eastern Guangdong from the mid-Ming to the late Qing, and the corresponding development of a system of temples. It endeavors to show that the relationship between spatial arrangement and internal workings of rural temples observed in the course of field research was the outcome of cultural accumulation and settlement in a long process of historical change. This “belief space” existed in a state of unceasing development. Related Articles | Metrics

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National Order in Regional Space: The Formation of the "Sand Flat-Private" Pattern in the Pearl River Delta LIU Zhi-Wei 1999, 0(2): 14-24.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1184KB) ( )   This article atgues that the “sand glat-private field” pattern was the outcome of interaction between lical society and national power in the course of exploitation of the Pearl River Delta. People used various orthodox cultural symbols to maintain their own economic power and political influence. Thus, this arrangement of geographical space was in reality a local power structure in a context of national identity. Related Articles | Metrics

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Jiangnan Society and News from Beijing in 1644 AN Ben-Mei-Xu, DI Yan, ZHAO Shi-Yu 1999, 0(2): 25-32.  Abstract ( )   PDF (2983KB) ( )   The destruction of the Ming Dynasty by peasant armies brought about many of the important historical events of the early Qing. Scholars generally analyze this issue in a framework of class or ethnic struggle. In face, as normal channels for the transmission of information were disrupted, news of the Ming collapse made its way to Jiangnan through diverse channels, giving rise to all sorts of different and even abnormal reactions there. This article follows the news filtration procress to offer a new vantage point for the explanation of social change in Jiangnan at the beginning of the Qing. Related Articles | Metrics

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Social Upheaval and the Local Gentry:　The Chens of Yongcheng, Shanxi During the Ming-Qing Transition ZHAO Shi-Yu 1999, 0(2): 33-39.  Abstract ( )   PDF (730KB) ( )   Taking the example of a Shanxi gentry family’s behavior during the social turmoil of the late Ming and early Qing, this essay examines the importance the gentry attached to community construction projects stability, and the effects of this emphasis on their sentiments and behavior at a time of dynastic transition. The author also relates these matters to the importance of the “small community” in traditional China. Related Articles | Metrics

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Changing Concepts of Marriage and the Family in the Late Qing XU Yong-Zhi 1999, 0(2): 40-44.  Abstract ( )   PDF (2757KB) ( )   The essay examines the interconnected advances and reversals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s assault on traditional marriage and family customs, the introduction of western concepts, and the new views of the early Chinese bourgeoisie to trace changing concepts of marriage and family in the late Qing, analyzing an important link in the formation of modern Chinese society Related Articles | Metrics

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The Functions and Character of Guild Halls in Qing Jiangnan FAN Jin-Min 1999, 0(2): 45-53.  Abstract ( )   PDF (978KB) ( )   The article investigates regional and occupational differences among Jiangnan guild halls to examine their functions and character. It argues that the guild hall was an extra-provincials’ social organization that, centered on merchants, possessed at the same time considerable economic capacities. Related Articles | Metrics

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An Investigation of Agrarian Labor and Land in North China during the Qing XU Hao 1999, 0(2): 54-61.  Abstract ( )   PDF (692KB) ( )   The traditional view holds that the root cause of North China’s low agricultural productivity was the scarcity of land relative to population. This article argues, however, that even a broader empirical study of North China in the Qing would be hard-pressed to reach this conclusion. Lower agricultural productivity and poverty were not necessary results of population pressure. These conditions had to have been the result of deeper constraining factors. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Rise and Fall of Huizhou Pawnbroking in the Ming and Qing WANG Shi-Hua 1999, 0(2): 62-70.  Abstract ( )   PDF (965KB) ( )   Pawnbroking was one of the major businesses that Huizhou merchants engaged in during the Ming and Qing. Some scholars have studied this phenomenon in the past, but there is space for further from a different angle. This article analyzes the character of Huizhou pawnbrokers and the causes of their decline. Related Articles | Metrics

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Qing Railroad Policy before the Sino-Japanese Wa ZHU Hu 1999, 0(2): 71-78.  Abstract ( )   PDF (714KB) ( )   It is generally believed that it was only after defeat by Japan that the Qing embraced a policy of large-scale railroad construction. This paper shows, however, that the pre-war administration of I-xuan, Prince Chuan had already firmly established railroad development as part of national policy. Thus, rather than argue that China’s railroads were a response to military defeat, it is more accurate to say that the outbreak of the war interrupted their normal development. Related Articles | Metrics

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Nurhaci’s Belief in Heaven and is Influence LU Hai-Ying 1999, 0(2): 79-82.  Abstract ( )   PDF (408KB) ( )   Nurhaci believed in the mandate of Heaven. His thought originated partly in Jurchen primitive religion—Shamanism—with its belief in heavenly gods, and partly in the Confucian thought of the Han Chinese landlord class. His belief in heavenly gods played a rallying and cohering role in his unification of the Jurchen tribes. Related Articles | Metrics

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Yongzheng and Alchemy LI Guo-Rong 1999, 0(2): 83-89.  Abstract ( )   PDF (737KB) ( )   Of all the Qing emperors, Yongzhng was the most outstanding believer in Daoism. On the one hand, he used Daoism as an imperial tool for the indoctrination of the people. On the other, he hoped to use it to extend his own lifespan—though it is said that this killed him in the end. This article employs textual research to argue that it probably was Daoist remedies that killed the emperor. Related Articles | Metrics

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Research on the Thought of Hui Don YIN Tong-Yun 1999, 0(2): 90-98.  Abstract ( )   PDF (911KB) ( )   Hui Dong achieved fame as an early champion of Han learning. His promotion of Han classicism, method of starting from written words and sounds, goal of applying classical scholarship to statecraft, and his works themselves—all of these attainments made him a model for later scholars and created a new research tradition, laying the foundations for the subsequent development of Qing scholarship. Yet the shortcomings of Hui Dong’s thought and methodology both reflect the limits of the time and suggest the inadequacy of scholarship itself Related Articles | Metrics

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Weng Tonghe’s Spirit and Changshu Local Culture XU Guo-Qiang 1999, 0(2): 99-101.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1834KB) ( )   The famous late-Qing statesman Weng Tonghe, acclaimed by Kang Youwei as “the first guiding master of Chian’s reform,” left a precious spiritual legacy for later generations. Weng imbibed the rich cultural nourishment of Changshu, his home town, both as a young student and when he returned in his later years. His experience offers a mirror for consideration of Changshu’s cultural development today. Related Articles | Metrics