Was the removal of antiquities from China simple theft or something more complicated? “After you have the institutionalization of the discourse of nationalism, a Chinese bronze that is buried in the ground belongs to the ancient Chinese nation. So now anyone who removes this artifact is a thief.” From the 1790s to the 1930s, archaeologists[…]
Studies on ancient Chinese science suggest that up till the 14th century CE it was much more advanced than Europe in a technological sense. Introduction Ancient China had seen little Western contact before the 16th century CE, the language, culture and science all being allowed to develop independently of foreign influence. By the time European Jesuit missionaries arrived in[…]
Photography arrived in China from Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. Introduction Can a photograph be appreciated in the manner of a Chinese painting? This is the question that Lang Jingshan (also spelled Long Chin-San, 1892–1995, born in Jiangsu Province), a pioneer of early art photography in China and the so-called “father of Asian photography,” asked[…]
In the general order of their appearance, there are: seal script, clerical script, cursive script, running script, and standard script. Art of the Line Calligraphy is the world’s oldest abstract art—the art of the line. This basic visual element can also hold a symbolic charge. Nowhere has the symbolic power of the line manifested itself[…]
How early burial customs and practices could not only reflect someone’s ambition, but also elevate their status. Introduction Imagine stumbling upon an undisturbed tomb filled with 15,000 items—from hundreds of jade and golden objects and enormous bronze wine vessels to massive lacquered coffins and a vast assortment of musical instruments. In 1978 in Leigudun, Suizhou,[…]
While China is trying to find ways to become the dominant superpower around the world, Donald Trump’s re-election would likely prove favorable for China’s growth. Trump has been consistently enraged with China following the spread of the virus and the resultant pandemic. He has consistently blamed the Chinese authorities, to an extent where the novel[…]
Non-Chinese workers in the United States came to resent the Chinese laborers, who they feared would squeeze them out of their jobs. Introduction In the 1850s, Chinese workers migrated to the United States, first to work in the gold mines, but also to take agricultural jobs, and factory work, especially in the garment industry. Chinese[…]
There was a general effort to convince the Chinese to adopt a more Western approach to diplomacy and governance. Introduction China and the United States concluded the Burlingame-Seward Treaty in 1868 to expand upon the Treaty of Tianjin of 1858. The new treaty established some basic principles that aimed to ease immigration restrictions and represented[…]
One must study Chinese Law within the context of Chinese social, cultural, political, and legal history. By Weng LiAssistant Professor, Department of LawHangzhou University Introduction Those unfamiliar with China’s legal system frequently raise two questions: whether “Chinese law” is a meaningful concept[1] and whether there is value in discussing the philosophical influences on China’s legal[…]
Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism would ultimately absorb other concepts and condemn previous schools of thought. Introduction The term Ancient Chinese Philosophy is generally understood to refer to the belief systems developed by various philosophers during the era known as the Hundred Schools of Thought (also The Contention of the Hundred Schools of Thought) when these[…]
Exploring imperial China during the period from about 221 BCE to about 1644 CE. Introduction The word imperial means “ruled by an emperor. ” During this time, China was under the control of a series of dynasties, or ruling families. China is located on the continent of Asia—the largest continent on Earth. China has three[…]
Exploring discoveries and inventions made by the Chinese between about 200 and 1400 C.E. Introduction Over the centuries, Chinese scholars and scientists studied engineering, mathematics, science, and medicine, among other subjects. Their studies led to scientific and technological progress that was often far ahead of advances in the rest of the world. To understand the[…]
During this period, China’s huge cities dwarfed the cities of medieval Europe. Introduction The Song period was a time of great prosperity in China. Changes in agriculture, especially a boom in the production of rice, fueled the growth of the economy. Trade and business flourished. These developments had started during the Tang dynasty. Under the[…]
Exploring how the Chinese both welcomed and rejected foreign contacts. Introduction At times, the Chinese welcomed foreign contacts. Great cultural exchange resulted as new ideas and products flowed into and out of China. Buddhism, which originally came from India, reached its height of influence during the Tang dynasty. A Chinese monk, Xuan Zang (zhwoo-AN ZANG),[…]
So, you found my ancestors? Are you sure this time? epsos There has been much debate about how cats went from hunting in the wild to a much-loved pet. By Akshat Rathi / 12.16.2013 Former Science and Data Editor The Conversation There has been much debate about how cats went from hunting in the wild to a much-loved pet. That is because[…]
Ancient Chinese golf / Creative Commons The traditional culture not only influences the life of modern people, but also promotes the sports undertakings in China. By Dr. Jianqiang Guo and Dr. Rong Li / 10.12.2017 School of Physical Education Changzhou University Abstract The traditional culture not only influences the life of modern people, but also promotes[…]
Downtown Tokyo in the 1920s / Creative Commons During the 1920s, Soviet cultural authorities sought to develop a new, post-imperialist literature that would acknowledge a “new East”. By Dr. Katerina Clark Professor of :Comparative Literature and of Slavic Languages and Literatures Yale University Abstract Sergei Tretiakov (left) and Boris Pilniak (right) / Public Domain During[…]
Nanjing Jinling Arsenal 1865, built by Li Hongzhang / Wikimedia Commons In the 19th century, after a long period of isolationism, China and then Japan came under pressure from the West to open to foreign trade and relations. By Giulia Valentini / 12.2012 Contracts and Administrative Assistant European Climate Foundation In the 19th century, after a long[…]
Several of the newly identified stone tools – unearthed from a museum collection. Hu Yue A fresh look at museum artifacts fills in a gap in the Asian archaeological record and refutes the idea that an advanced technique was imported from the West by early modern humans. By (left-to-right): Dr. Ben Marwick, Dr. Bo Li, and Hu Yue /[…]
Chinese stamps commemorating Deng Xiaoping, a leader widely regarded to have modernized the country and made it a formidable economic power, 1998. Shutterstock China is one of the world’s largest economies, and Deng Xiaoping was arguably the man who made that happen through his visions of economic reform. By Dr. James Laurenceson / 10.07.2018 Deputy Director and Professor Australia-China[…]
This elaborate set of ritual bronzes, consisting of an altar table and thirteen wine vessels, illustrates the splendor of China’s Bronze Age at its peak. Shang dynasty–Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 B.C.). / Metropolitan Museum of Art China witnessed a sudden surge in mining, smelting, refining, and casting after a lengthy period of incipient development. By Dr. Ralph[…]
Ladies of a Mandarin’s family at cards, by Thomas Allom (1843) / Wikimedia Commons The emergence of nature tourism in early medieval China can be attributed to four major factors. By Dr. Libo Yan / 06.25.2018 Associate Professor Macau University of Science and Technology Introduction The origins of tourism have been a fascinating area for[…]
This article provides a clue on China’s criminal policy on lenient punishments in history, including the Confucianization of law and the alternatives to punishments in imperial era, the attack on Confucianism and the praise of the legalism in Mao era, and the shifts of criminal policy since reform and opening up, which may shed light[…]
Neolithic Banpo Village, Xi’an, China, flourished 5,000-3,000 BCE. / Photo by Ian Armstrong, Flickr, Creative Commons Chinese culture is one of the oldest in the world today. Over 6,000 years ago this culture began to develop in the Yellow River Valley and many of those ancient practices are still observed in the present. By Emily[…]
Handscroll, ink and color on silk, 24.4 x 343.8 cm / British Library Exploring some of the theories that arose in classical China concerning the ways in which normativity could be construed in ritual terms. By Dr. Michael Pruett / 09.19.2015 Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology Harvard University Introduction The goal[…]
The Japanese Tea Ceremony / Photo by mrhayata, Creative Commons Tea was first drunk by Chinese monks to aid meditation and those who valued its medicinal qualities. By Mark Cartwright / 07.10.2017 Historian Introduction Tea, still probably the world’s most popular prepared beverage, was first drunk by Chinese monks to aid meditation and those who[…]
Scene from the Song Dynasty Illustrations of the Classic of Filial Piety, depicting a son kneeling before his parents. / National Palace Museum, Wikimedia Commons Filial piety is a typical feature of Chinese civilization. By Dr. Miao Chungang China University of Political Science and Law Abstract Filial piety is a typical feature of Chinese civilization.[…]
The Mongol Empire expanded through brutal raids and invasions, but also established routes of trade and technology between East and West. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.29.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Rise of the Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire: Expansion of the Mongol empire from 1206 CE-1294 CE During Europe’s High Middle Ages the Mongol[…]
Luoyang longmen grottoes / Photo by Tgasrio, Wikimedia Commons Examining the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.23.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief The Tang Dynasty, 618-907 CE Rise of the Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty, generally regarded as a golden age of Chinese culture, was founded by the Lǐ family,[…]
The Great Wall of China / Photo by Jakub Halun, Wikimedia Commons The concepts and technology of defensive fortifications fitfully but continually evolved. By Dr. Ralph D. Sawyer Senior Research Fellow University of Massachusetts The Fortifications LONG VIRTUALLY DEFINED by the mythic aspects of its Great Wall, China’s tradition of wall building far exceeds the most exaggerated[…]