Search

This article examines two potential configurations of the constitutional state at the time of Constitutional Reform. One was from Sichuan Governor-General Zhao Erxun, who claimed that 'all political power belongs to the state.' The other was from the Sichuan assemblymen, who were inarticulate at first, but, when the meeting closed one and a half months later, firmly announced that 'there would be no taxation without supervision.' Both views emerged during the 1909 Provincial Assembly meeting in Sichuan; via rounds of debates over forty-two bills, the differences between them gained sharp articulation as a clash of divergent political principles. There emerged not only a reaction of elite bitterness toward high-handed state policies but also a repertoire of political skills now in the practiced hands of an expanding circle of political leaders. The Sichuan Provincial Assembly meeting was a staging area for the revolutionary activism of the Railway Protection Movement two years later as well as for the development of both a new Chinese citizenship and a new relationship between the citizenry and the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the political thought of late imperial Chinese philologist and political theorist Gu Yanwu, particularly commenting on his ideology in his book "A Record of Daily Learning" ("Rizhi lu") and its impact on Chinese political discourse. It addresses the way in which he negotiated between the fengjian model, which promoted familial and aristocratic power, and the junxian model, which was bureaucratic and meritocratic. Other topics explored include despotism in late imperial China, the impact of Confucian values on Gu's political theories, and the dichotomy between the rule of men and the rule of law.

The article discusses the use of European concepts regarding painting and theatricality in the Chinese court paintings and artwork produced during the reign of the Qing dynasty's Qianlong Emperor, with focus given to the paintings by Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione found in the European Palaces, a garden located within the larger imperial Eternal Spring Garden in Beijing, China. Because the paintings have been lost, the author analyzes a print series depicting them entitled "Pictures of the Waterworks in the European Palaces" ("Xiyanglou shuifa tu"). The author examines the use of linear perspective in the complex, and notes how the European Palaces exemplify the theatricality of Qianlong's political identity.

The article discusses the failed reconstruction of the Yuanming Yuan, the Imperial retreat for Chinese emperors, and the repair of its gardens during the reign of the Tongzhi emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The author views the reconstruction as an attempt to restore the power of the imperial court and explains how various actors responded to the project, including the emperor, treaty-port communities, provincial governments, and imperial advisors. Particular focus is given to the Chinese bureaucratic censorate, which advocated court reform, and the Imperial Household Department, or neiwufu.

The article discusses Chinese imperial government policy regarding illness and sick leave among civil bureaucratic officials during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. More broadly, the author is concerned with imperial Chinese human resource management in relation to this large bureaucracy. The author explains how the policies, which allowed for the re-appointment of officials who took sick leave, differed from those of the Ming Dynasty, which did not allow for leave, as well as the connection between health, illness, and Qing political culture. Focus is given to the local government reaction to the Qing policies.

Liang Qichao used the Taoist term zhenzhi to express his admiration for the Ma brothers who he felt personified his ideal of seamlessly blending together Chinese and Western knowledge. This article considers Liang's interaction with the Ma brothers as the vantage point from which to trace the formation and development of his concept of 'real learning' and to show the Ma brothers' influence on his understanding of the West and Western learning prior to the 1898 Reform. It further analyzes Liang's thought by examining the rationale and logic behind his great appreciation for The Ma Grammar and his dialogue with Ma Jianzhong on how to train qualified translators. The final section employs the reflections of Liang Qichao and Ma Xiangbo in the aftermath of the 1898 Reform to examine the differences as well as their shared views on the synthesis of Chinese and Western learning, and the relationship between language and scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the history of modern literature on China in the early modern period and European perspectives on Chinese methods for maintaining social order. It is suggested that authors such as Domingo Fernández Navarette, Louis-Daniel Le Comte, and Joachim Bouvet were attracted to imperial demonstrations of benevolence, civility, and self-possession that they equated with Chinese social and cultural distinction. Emphasis is given to the ways in which these Christian clergy indicate the limits of early modern European morality in their efforts as missionaries to educate and convert Chinese people.

The article focuses on the deterioration of the Qing dynasty from 1799 to 1820, focusing particularly on China's government policies in southern Shaanxi province after the White Lotus Revolt (1796-1804). The article argues that imperial policies regarding the frontier regions in Shaanxi were indicative of the handling of later 19th century crises. The article also discusses the Hans; Qinling mountains; the Daba Shan Range, or Greater Ba Mountains; the Han River valley area; Shaanxi's infrastructure, China's history and legends regarding Shaanxi, and Imperial Confucianism.

The article focuses on the imperial policies of the early Qing dynasty from 1645 to 1720 in China regarding scholars, scholarship, and public service examinations. During the previous Ming dynasty, scholars from the lower Yangzi Delta region were noted for their superior training and concomitant high grades on government administered examinations. The adaptive polices of the Qing dynasty regarding this group of scholars is explored. The article also discusses Confucianism, the Palace Examination of 1659, China's Kangxi emperor Aisin Gioro Xuanye (r. 1662-1722), and Jiangnan province scholars Xu Yuanwen (1634-1691) and Ye Fang'ai (1629-1682).