Early Medieval China - A Sourcebook

This innovative sourcebook builds a dynamic understanding of China's early medieval period (220--589) through an original selection and arrangement of literary, historical, religious, and critical texts. A tumultuous and formative era, these centuries saw the longest stretch of political fragmentation in China's imperial history, resulting in new ethnic configurations, the rise of powerful clans, and a pervasive divide between north and south. Deploying thematic categories, the editors sketch the period in a novel way for students and, by featuring many texts translated into English for the first time, recast the era for specialists. Thematic topics include regional definitions and tensions, governing mechanisms and social reality, ideas of self and other, relations with the unseen world, everyday life, and cultural concepts. Within each section, the editors and translators introduce the selected texts and provide critical commentary on their historical significance, along with suggestions for further reading and research.

List of contents

Chronological ContentsAcknowledgmentsA Note on the TranslationsAbbreviationsIntroductionPart I. The North and the South by Jessey J. C. Choo1. Return to the North? The Debate on Moving the Capital Back to Luoyang, by Jessey J. C. Choo2. The Disputation at Pengcheng: Accounts from the Wei shu and the Song shu, by Albert E. Dien3. Between Imitation and Mockery: The Southern Treatments of Northern Cultures, by Jessey J. C. Choo4. Literary Imagination of the North and South, by Ping WangPart II. Governing Mechanisms and Social Reality by Yang Lu5. Managing Locality in Early Medieval China: Evidence from Changsha, by Yang Lu6. Classical Scholarship in the Shu Region: The Case of Qiao Zhou, by J. Michael Farmer7. Ranking Men and Assessing Talent: Xiahou Xuan's Response to an Inquiry by Sima Yi, by Timothy M. Davis8. On Land and Wealth: Liu Zishang's "Petition on Closing Off Mountains and Lakes" and Yang Xi's "Discussion on Abolishing Old Regulations Regarding Mountains and Marshes", by Charles Holcombe9. Crime and Punishment: The Case of Liu Hui in the Wei shu, by Jen-der Lee10. Marriage and Social Status: Shen Yue's "Impeaching Wang Yuan", by David R. Knechtges11. Religion and Society on the Silk Road: The Inscriptional Evidence from Turfan, by Huaiyu ChenPart III. Cultural Capital by Wendy Swartz12. The Art of Discourse: Xi Kang's "Sound Is Without Sadness or Joy", by Robert Ashmore13. Poetry on the Mysterious: The Writings of Sun Chuo, by Paul W. Kroll14. The Art of Poetry Writing: Liu Xiaochuo's "Becoming the Number-One Person for the Number-One Position", by Ping Wang15. Six Poems from a Liang Dynasty Princely Court, by Xiaofei Tian16. Pei Ziye's "Discourse on Insect Carving", by Jack W. Chen17. Classifying the Literary Tradition: Zhi Yu's "Discourse on Literary Compositions Divided by Genre", by Wendy Swartz18. Zhong Rong's Preface to Grades of the Poets, by Stephen Owen19. Book Collecting and Cataloging in the Age of Manuscript Culture: Xiao Yi's Master of the Golden Tower and Ruan Xiaoxu's Preface to Seven Records, by Xiaofei TianPart IV. Imaging Self and Other by Wendy Swartz20. Biographies of Recluses: Huangfu Mi's Accounts of High-Minded Men, by Alan Berkowitz21. Classifications of People and Conduct: Selections from Liu Shao's Treatise on Personality and Liu Yiqing's Recent Anecdotes from the Talk of the Ages, by Jack W. Chen22. The Literary Community at the Court of the Liang Crown Prince, by Ping Wang23. Self-Narration: Tao Yuanming's "Biography of the Master of Five Willows" and Yuan Can's "Biography of the Master of Wonderful Virtue", by Wendy Swartz24. On Political and Personal Fate: Three Selections from Jiang Yan's Prose and Verse, by Paul W. Kroll25. The Shadow Image in the Cave: Discourse on Icons, by Eugene WangPart V. Everyday Life by Jessey J. C. Choo and Albert E. Dien26. Dietary Habits: Shu Xi's "Rhapsody on Pasta", by David R. Knechtges27. The Epitaph of a Third-Century Wet Nurse, Xu Yi, by Jen-der Lee28. Festival and Ritual Calendar: Selections from Record of the Year and Seasons of Jing-Chu, by Ian Chapman29. Custom and Society: The Family Instructions of Mr. Yan, by Albert E. Dien30. Adoption and Motherhood: "The Petition Submitted by Lady [nee] Yu", by Jessey J. C. Choo31. Estate Culture in Early Medieval China: The Case of Shi Chong, by David R. KnechtgesPart VI. Relations with the Unseen World by Robert Ford Campany32. Biographies of Eight Autocremators and Huijiao's "Critical Evaluation", by James A. Benn33. Divine Instructions for an Official, by Stephen R. Bokenkamp34. Tales of Strange Events, by Robert Ford Campany35. Texts for Stabilizing Tombs, by Timothy M. Davis36. Reciting Scriptures to Move the Spirits, by Clarke Hudson37. Confucian Views of the Supernatural, by Keith N. Knapp38. Encounters in Mountains, by Gil RazList of ContributorsIndex

About the author

Wendy Swartz is an associate professor of Chinese literature at Rutgers University. She is the author of Reading Tao Yuanming: Shifting Paradigms of Historical Reception (427--1900) and articles on early medieval Chinese poetry and classical literary thought and criticism. Robert Ford Campany is a professor of Asian studies and religion at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of Making Transcendents: Ascetics and Social Memory in Early Medieval China and three other books and numerous articles on the history of Chinese religions and the comparative study of religion. Yang Lu has taught at Princeton University and the University of Kansas and is currently a professor of Chinese history at Peking University. He specializes in the history of medieval China and of Buddhism. His publications include works on the cultural and political history of the Tang dynasty, Buddhist scholasticism in China, and Chinese historiography.

Summary

Capturing the unusual cultural character of a formative period and its intellectual ferment across multiple disciplines.

Product details

• Authors: Wendy Swartz, Wendy (EDT)/ Campany Swartz, Wendy Campany Swartz
• Assisted by: Robert Ford Campany (Editor), Campany Robert Ford (Editor), Jessey J. C. Choo (Editor), Jessey Jiun-Chyi Choo (Editor), Yang Lu (Editor), Lu Yang (Editor), Wendy Swartz (Editor)
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 11.03.2014
• EAN: 9780231159876
• ISBN: 978-0-231-15987-6
• No. of pages: 744
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; China, History, RELIGION / Eastern, HISTORY / Asia / China, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Asian / Chinese, Ancient History, Asian History, BCE period – Protohistory