You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Explores the shifting terrain of Confucianism in Chinese history.
History and legend are interwoven in this classic folk novel that both entertains and explores the philosophy and practices of Taoism Written by an unknown author, Seven Taoist Masters is the story of six men and one woman who overcome tremendous hardships on the journey to self-mastery. These characters and their teacher, Wang Ch'ung-yang, are all historical figures who lived in the Southern Sung (1127–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties. Wang is regarded as the greatest patriarch of the Complete Reality school, a highly purified branch of Taoism having a strong affinity with Zen Buddhism. At once an entertaining novel and a Taoist training manual, Seven Taoist Masters brings to life the essentials of Taoist philosophy and practice, both through the instructions offered by Wang—on topics such as the cultivation of mind and body, meditation techniques, and overcoming the obstacles to enlightenment—and through the experiences of its unforgettable characters.
Of all the products associated with the material wealth and cultural splendor of traditional Chinese civilization, none was so quintessentially Chinese as silk. From the most ancient times silk played a role in Chinese history, both as a symbol of imperial tradition and as a mainstay of the peasant economy. This study analyzes the development of China's silk industry in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Der M�nchskalligraph Huai-su (ca. 725-ca. 782) gilt als einer der Begruender der "Wilden Konzeptschrift" (k'uang-ts'ao), die den exzentrischen Stil innerhalb der chinesischen Kalligraphiegeschichte pr�gte und zur Herausbildung einer vom klassischen Ideal der Wang-Schule abweichenden Traditionslinie fuehrte. Die vorliegende Studie gibt erstmals Einblick in die Prim�rquellen: neben Briefen und anderen Zeugnissen des Huai-su zahlreiche Lobgedichte von Beamten und Gelehrten. Alles deutet darauf hin, da� es sich bei seinem Hauptwerk, der sog. Autobiographie, um ein Empfehlungsschreiben in eigener Sache handelt. Neben einer annotierten �bersetzung der Autobiographie und s�mtlicher Koll...
This is a study of the circuit intendant or taotai under the Ch'ing, particularly the Shanghai taotai. It examines the institutional and historical settings within which the taotai operated and traces the development of the Shanghai taotai office from 1730 through the nineteenth century. The focus of investigation is in examining the adjustment of functions and responsibilities of the taotai and his changing role in the post-Opium War era, particularly in the contexts of foreign relations, modernisation, and local politics. Central to the author's interpretation is the concept of "linkage man" or "linkage position". The Shanghai taotai as a "linkage man" provides vital connection and channel of communication and interaction between two or more separate worlds or value systems and often works as a conflict manager.
The realignment of the Chinese social order that took place over the course of the Sung dynasty set the pattern for Chinese society throughout most of the later imperial era. This study examines that realignment from the perspective of specific Sung families, using data on two groups of Sung elites--the grand councilors who led the bureaucracy and locally prominent gentlemen in Wu-chou (in modern Chekiang). By analyzing kinship relationships, Beverly Bossler demonstrates the importance of family relations to the establishment and perpetuation of social status locally and in the capital. She shows how social position was measured and acted upon, how status shaped personal relationships (and vice versa), and how both status and personal relationships conditioned—and were conditioned by—political success. Finally, in a contribution to the ongoing discussion of localism in the Sung, Bossler details the varied networks that connected the local elite to the capital and elsewhere.