Research Article
1. From Frontier History to Taiwan History: An Aspect of Kuo Ting-yi’s Historiography in Changing Perspectives of the World
Yi-Shen Chen Associate research fellow, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
2. The “Example” as a Political Myth and the New Socialist Men Shaping: The Production, Operating Mechanism and Public Memory of Lei Feng
Guang-Feng Yuan School of government Ph. D. candidate of political science, Nanjing University
3. Japanese Archaeology and Nationalism: Ideologies behind the Early Paleolithic Frauds in Japan
Wai-Ming NG Department of Japanese Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong
4. Huangting jing and Transformation of Taoist Monasticism in Tang
Ping Li Research assistant of Law and Culture Research Center, School of Law, Tsinghua University, Beijing
5. To Trace the Origin of “The Way of Man and Heaven” of North Song Neo-Confucianism: Taking “Qi, the Heaven, and the Book of Changes” in Middle Period of Tang Dynasty as the Clues
Jhih-Ching Liu Ph.D. student, Department of Chinese Literature, National Chengchi University
6. How Can One Advance in a Historical Spirit a Sociological Question? A Case of Studies on Weber in Taiwan
Cheng Lin Department of Sociology, Fo Guang University
Research Article
From Frontier History to Taiwan History:An Aspect of Kuo Ting-yi’s Historiography in Changing Perspectives of the World
Yi-Shen Chen
Associate research fellow, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
Owing to the fact that the War against the Japanese during 1937-1945 had been the peak of China’s struggle for survival in the twentieth century, with the subsequent study of frontiers as its important part, Mr. Kuo Tingyi (1903-1975) as a faculty member of the National Central University had to move to Sichuan to escape the war rampage. According to the view of his former student Wang Yi-chün, who was later to become Head of the Institute of Modern History at Academia Sinica, Mr. Kuo’s most interesting and learned lectures were on the problems of frontiers. This seems corroborated. In the wake of the War, Mr. Kuo had twice visited National Taiwan University for short lectures, all of which were concerned with Taiwan’s history, and this fact, with its special reference to Taiwan as such, can, as seen from the perspective of the China proper, also be regarded as China’s “frontier”.
This paper takes the text of Outline of Historical Events in Taiwan, going through its range from ancient to modern times, while concentrating on those views that have attracted more attention and raised controversies for the needed highlighting and commentaries in the light of researches from other authors. It is held in this paper that despite the brilliancy of his study of the history of Taiwan, Mr. Kuo could not hold the perspective of the autonomy of Taiwan, as he was limited by the“spirits of age”, and this is shown in his view on the Peng Ming-min Event of 1964, as well as his out-of-expected attitude towards the same related Wei Ting-chao’s incarceration. After all, Kuo Ting-yi’s emotions of life lay with China, not with Taiwan.
Keywords: Kuo Ting-yi, the study of frontiers, Outline of Historical Events in Taiwan, limited by the“spirits of age”
The “Example” as a Political Myth and the New Socialist Men Shaping:The Production, Operating Mechanism and Public Memory of Lei Feng
Guang-Feng Yuan
School of government Ph. D. candidate of political science, Nanjing University
Political myth, which can construct and maintain the legitimacy of the ruling order, is a part of the political life of mankind. Political myth can be a set of ideology discourse system, as well as a concrete paragon. In the political domination mode of Chinese Communist Party, a series of political myths have been created. During that special period, these political myths were close responsible for shaping new socialist people, at the same time, they played an important role on political mobilization and gathering strength and popular support for various political movements.
Political myth has become a political symbol since it is created. And the social memory of the symbol is produced by various festivals and rites in daily life. The public absorb the values which are attached on the political myths and form their own behavior via learning and imitating those political myths. After a long period of persistence, they will form the political personality of new socialist people by self-transformation, in line with the needs of the political party to maintain its ruling order.
The thesis takes the produce of "Lei Feng" as a case and "People's Daily" related reports as the analysis texts, discusses the produce, communication and specific operational skills of modern political myth. Meanwhile, the paper also focuses on the fade-away of "Lei Feng" myth in the background of the changes of relationship between the state and society. Taking "Lei Feng" myth as an example, the thesis aims to explore the interaction between the official and the folk in totalitarian era, how did the power changes between the two set up new features of party ideology, and influence its effectiveness.
Keywords: Lei Feng, political myths, political mobilization, social memory, New socialist man
Japanese Archaeology and Nationalism:Ideologies behind the Early Paleolithic Frauds in Japan
Wai-Ming NG
Department of Japanese Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong
The year 2000 was a bad year in Japanese archaeology. The stone artifacts in early and middle Paleolithic sites in Japan were found to be forgeries planted by the amateur archaeologist Fujimura Shinichi. This scandal destroyed the credibility of the existence of the early and middle Paleolithic in Japan. The disgraced Fujimura took all the blame and responsibilities. Playing the victim role, government agencies, regional governments, the media and academia joined the chorus of Fujimura bashing.
This paper examines the ideologies behind the early and middle Paleolithic frauds in Japan, showing that it was indeed a conspiracy involving government agencies, regional governments, the media, and academia. Fujimura’s problematic archeological discoveries were used by the officials, scholars and journalists to pursue their political and intellectual agenda. Through textbooks, museums and designated cultural assets, the officials of the central government used Fujimura’s findings to enhance national pride and cultural nationalism. Regional governments strove to promote local identity and tourism. The academia and media added fuel to the fire by supporting and promoting Fujimura’s findings.
Keywords: Japanese archaeology, nationalism, political ideology, academic fraud
Huangting jing and Transformation of Taoist Monasticism in Tang
Ping Li
Research assistant of Law and Culture Research Center, School of Law, Tsinghua University, Beijing
The academy has pained attention to Huangting jing (The Yellow Court Scripture) for a long time, however, the study on its use status in the Tang Period hasn’t fully developed. Basing on the deep discussion on theory from the Taoism itself in the early and middle Tang, the understanding about Immortality was changed. In correspondence with influence of the academic achievements, the original distinct margin between “long life” and “Immortality” began to disappear. The relevant technology and classical books in accordance with the theoretical tendency was considered as the method to Immortality, Huangting jing was one of the classical examples. The turning point occurred mainly in the late Tang and it gained primary statute in the Northern Song Dynasty. The changes appeared in many aspects, and this article will include the following three: the process of people to recognize the statute of Huangting jing as the highest scripture, the changing of its role in the Taoist practice activities, and the gathering and massive appearance of relevant events of Immortality. And on that basis, in the late Tang, through amalgamation with Method of “Qi” in the practice of Tao, Huangting jing had enforced its statute as way of immortality by displaying its holiness in the representative of holy events. From the bottom to the top, the new development from the grass roots influenced the Monasticism Taoist and even the criterion of Catechism and official attitude of Tang, and finished establishment of the statute of scripture in the field of Taoism.
Keywords: Huangting jing, Taoism, Taoist Monasticism, Qi, Tang
To Trace the Origin of “The Way of Man and Heaven” of North Song Neo-Confucianism: Taking “Qi, the Heaven, and the Bookof Changes” in Middle Period of Tang Dynasty as the Clues
Jhih-Ching Liu
Ph.D. student, Department of Chinese Literature, National Chengchi University
From the thought of the universe full of Qi, people in Tang Dynasty started to ponder on the relationship between man and heaven. There might be differences; however, these ideas were based on the presumption of integrity of man and heaven. Then, in what way should a person do in this world? People of Tang Dynasty had diverse opinions and theories about it. Especially after the middle period of Tang Dynasty, the Taoists considered Qi and the Book of Changes as the key points of making pills of immortality, took the heaven as their model, regarded the human body as a microcosm that could respond to the macrocosm outside, and the unique place of practice lay in that. On the other hand, the Zen sect of Buddhism proves with heart directly, and realizes the falseness of the world as illusion; yet similarly, it does not break away from the viewpoint of integrity of man and heaven.
Following this tradition, the theory of Qi was Neo-Confucianists’ foundation of world outlook, temperament was their basis of self-cultivation, and the Book of Changes and the diagram of cosmological scheme was the way of entering Tao that they showed the students of younger generation. No doubt that these features could be traced back to the Pre-Qin Confucianism; however, we cannot deny that the Neo-Confucianists used the thinking mode and resources of those after the middle period of Tang Dynasty, then looked far into Pre-Qin Confucianism, and constructed their own theories. The research was to explore and retrace the origin of North Song Neo-Confucianism from the angles of Qi, the Book of Changes, and the heaven, and attempted to explain the development.
Keywords: Qi, heaven, the Book of Changes, Taoism, the Zen sect (of Buddhism), Neo-Confucianism
How Can One Advance in a Historical Spirit a Sociological Question? A Case of Studies on Weber in Taiwan
Cheng Lin
Department of Sociology, Fo Guang University
Developments known by sociology relates in his debut discipline history. Whatever Marx, Durkheim and Weber, their works are all inseparable from an historical interest. As and when it has a tinge of positivism, the sociology strives to be translated into objectivity, compared to that of natural sciences which have nothing from now on to do with an understanding of character singular but general. The situation has changed considerably since the late ’70s, when some of the scholars begin to emphasize the historical dimension of sociological research, by drawing ours inspiration on classical lessons. In the case of Taiwan, without doubt, among the master-thinkers, Weber’s work carries on this great influence and allows the sociologist community to develop a historical sociology. But how to reconcile appropriately the sociology with the history will be a significant challenge. For this new sociology is not content to complement the key concepts by more historical materials. On the other hand, how Weber deals the Buddhism in particular in China attracted the attention of a historian who is also one of the translators of Hinduismus und Buddhismus. It is on the solution of this question that this historian suggests a possibility that the concern historian is able to bring up a sociological problematic, provided there is a problem common and accessible both to the sociologist than historian.
Keywords: Max Weber, Buddhism, relationship sociology/history, Kang Le
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