Ancient China

The article discusses uses of xiu shen, one among a number of terms referring to practices of moral and mental discipline in early China. It sketches out the contexts and discourses in which the term appears and hopes thus to contribute, albeit in a limited way, to eventual broader assessments of the role which different concepts, ideals, and practices of self-discipline played in political and social thought.

В статье анализируется форма государства и система управления в первых государствах Южного и Северного Китая III-II тыс. до н.э.
In this article the form of the state and a control system in the first states of the Southern and Northern China III-II thousand BC is analyzed.

¿ Hubo democracia en China? Frecuentemente se dice que la democracia es algo exclusivo de Occidente y que no existió nada semejante en China.Sin embargo, si consultamos con detalle los textos del Periodo de Los Reinos Combatientes, podemos observar que existió algo semejante a la democracia en aquel entonces. Este texto nos muestra que el rey de Qi promulgó un decreto según el cual serían premiados aquellos que le criticasen.

Writers and scholars have periodically flirted with the idea of historic links between Rome and China. There is no denying the obvious parallels between the two great empires, each run by a bureaucratic civil service and served by a professional army, poised to defend long frontiers against the barbarians beyond. However, there has been a tendency to assume that two empires of such sophistication must have maintained communications between themselves. So, is it likely that the Romans had links with the Far East?

A detailed discussion and comparison of the two dynasties - Shang and Zhou - with reference to archaeological findings.

Please note:
If you are a student at any University, and you wish to cite my essay, do so prudently. It has not been published in any journal or paper, and will not be considered a properly peer-reviewed source by your teachers. Instead, I would advise you to bounce off my ideas; use them to deepen your own inquiries into the topic.

"Residents in Qin-Han rural society had close relationship with their land, kinship, and
neighbourhood. Leaving home was regarded as full of uncertainty and fear due to the
difficulty and danger of transportation. Thus, residents were not easily intended to
depart from their home or take a long distance journey. Their mobility was limited and
their movement was confined to a small area and maintained at the xiangli 鄉里 level.
The concept of antu zhongqian 安土重遷 (contenting with the land and cautious about
migration) is treated as one of the characteristics of Qin-Han rural society in modern
scholarship.

Concerning the occurrence of the movement of population (人口流動), modern
scholarship often places emphasis on the role of the government and the effect of civil
war and natural disaster, all of which can be considered as passive factors, pushing
people to leave their land reluctantly. This paper examines the active factor which could
encourage the movement of population in Qin-Han rural society. Here the author wishes
to argue the importance of the hired activities (僱傭活動) which is underrated by modern
scholars. Hiring labours was widely adopted and treated as one of the most important
trading methods in Qin-Han labour market. Hired activities appeared when there was high
demand for labourers and low qualification requirements for acceptance, hence creating
many job opportunities. Residents departing from their homes or travelling a long distance
could earn their living by filling such job vacancies. The anxieties and fear of leaving
home were thereby relieved. It would give rise to the movement of population.

However, the government’s objective was to keep the residents staying on their land
and devoting to agriculture. The appearance of liuyong 流傭 (migrant labourers) often
frustrated the ruler and was an important issue in local administration, but the government
was not intended to eradicate the hired activities completely. This author suggests two
ways to comprehend the government’s attitude. First, the government was the biggest
employer and demander in the hired labour market. Second, the hired activities had charity
function which can alleviate the social crisis during the hard times of civil war and natural
disaster. From the ruler’s point of view, an ideal measure to handle the hired activities was
to monitor and keep the labourers in check to the extent that they could benefit the rule of
the empire, not disturbing the order of the society."

"We're living in Ancient China". Book for kids about Chinese history from the very beginning up to Three Kingdoms. Basically I tell the same to my students in university.
Beautiful illustrations by Nadia Davydova.
Third edition, with some errors fixed and a chapter about funerals remade.

It is a proven historic fact that since the most ancient times in China there existed intensive methods of military troops’ preparation in extremely limited time, so that newly recruited troops were ready for military operations after 3-10 days of preparation. There are several hundreds of methods aiming fast troops preparation, but only one powerful military-educational idea could elaborate a concept that has become Far-Eastern Martial arts basis, this unique approach was structured, described and put into practice by Chinese general Qi Jiguang (1528-1587). He described his method in «The New collection of instructive examples» (Ji Xiao Xin Shu). The training approach consisted in consecutive performance of 32 techniques of bare hand combat, The technique execution was preceded by reciting a quatrian and visualization of a symbol. The technique and the symbol were described in the quatrain.

The article recollects the results of 22 years of research on translation and interpretation of 32 quatrains from the method for fighter preparation by Chinese general Qi Jiguang 戚继光 (1528-1587), presented in the " New Treatise of Examples to Follow " 纪效新书 (Ji Xiao Xin Shu). This unique method later became the basis for all the modern Chinese wushu styles. According to the Russian and international researchers the preparation for a fight after this method could require as little as 3-10 days. Till the present many attempts to translate and decipher the text into European languages have been done. Each of the translation has its advantages and drawbacks. The original article presenting the Method translation into Russian was published in 2016 in the specialized journal of the Military Institute of Physical Education [Voronov. I.A. (2016). Experience of translation and interpretation of Chinese general Qi Jiguang method for preparation of fighters (XVI c. A.D.). Actual Problems of physical and special preparation of order forces. Publication of the Military Institute of Physical Education. St. Petersburg, 1, p.129 - 138.], the actual English translation attempts to make the work available for wider English-speaking audience. The article targets military historians, martial arts specialists and amateurs. The biography and achievements of general Qi Jiguang 戚继光 (1528-1587), as well as his method of fighters preparation demand a special research. This article highlights only the aspect of translation and decipherment of the 32 quatrains from his method described in the

Воронов, И.А. Опыт перевода и расшифровки методики подготовки единоборцев китайского генерала Ци Цзигуана (XVI век) / И.А. Воронов // Научный рецензируемый журнал "Актуальные проблемы физической и специальной подготовки силовых структур". - СПб. ВИФК, 2016. № 1, с.129 - 138.
EXPERIENCE IN TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION OF
SOLDIERS TRAINING METHOD BY CHINESE GENERAL QI JIGUANG (XVI CENTURY)
Igor A. Voronov, doctor of psychological sciences, professor, vice rector for educational and scientific work "St. Petersburg institute of psychology and akmeology", St.-Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Annotation. The article describes the results of 22 years of work on the translation and explanation of the text - 32 quatrains of the methodology for the soldiers of General Qi Jiguang Chinese 戚继光 (1528-1587), as set out in "a new book of role models» 纪 效 新书 ("Ji Xiao xin shu "). The unique technique has become, in fact the basis of all modern Chinese Wushu. According to domestic and foreign experts, the timing of the accelerated mass training of troops to the fighting by this method took at times of 3 - 10 days. So far, made repeated attempts to transfer text and its interpretation into European languages. Each translation has its pros and cons. This article first offers translation and interpretation 32 quatrains Qi Jiguang in Russian. The article will be interesting for military historians and anyone who is interested in martial arts.
Keywords: Qi Jiguang, martial arts, 32 quatrains, the Chinese martial arts

Earliest views on political legitimacy in ancient China can be traced back to Western Zhou Dynasty period of 1050-777 BC. Though there was no comprehensive political thought at that time, a distinctive political tradition developed. Even sources predating the beginnings of true historiography in China can be said to refer on the problem of legitimacy: Which regimes were to be considered legitimate or not? Confucius in his writings touched on the problem of legitimacy and became one of the most prominent figures who made great contributions to the development of the political legitimacy of imperial system in China.

This paper introduces a new reading of the “Shi fu” (Hauling of Captives), a chapter in the Yi Zhou shu (Leftover Zhou Writings) that is commonly read as an early record of the conquest of China’s first historically attested dynasty of Shang by King Wu of Zhou in the middle of the eleventh century bce . I argue that this conventional reading does not give justice to the structural complexities of the “Shi fu” and disregards the fact that certain compositional units of the text are unrelated to the conquest event. I propose to analyze the “Shi fu” against a better studied corpus of the Near Eastern royal inscriptions where there are surprisingly similar examples of compositionally heterogeneous texts that constitute a textual celebration of successful universal kingship based on military valor. Notably, such a notion of universal kingship is largely alien to the later Chinese tradition where an emphasis is put on the kings’ reign by virtue. While there are no reasons to consider seriously the possibility of the “Shi fu” being immediately influenced by the Near Eastern inscriptions, this parallel can be explained by the structural similarity of the societies that produced them, in particular, the similarity of how royal power was understood, legitimized, and celebrated.

The development of branding and advertising has always been mutually conditioned. The goal of this research is to determine the origin and show historic development of branding and advertising in the ancient civilizations of Africa, Asia and Europe. The historical method of research was used. New evidence on various means of branding, advertising and other promotional activities application in the ancient history is presented. What was found is that social development imposed a need for marking of goods and promotional activities. It was done in a similar manner in all ancient civilizations, regardless of different time span. There were two types of branding and advertising: commercial and personal. The roles of branding and advertising were versatile and similar to their contemporary roles.
Keywords: brand, advertising, branding history, advertising history, old civilizations

"We're living in Ancient China". Book for kids about Chinese history from the very beginning up to Three Kingdoms. Basically I tell the same to my students in university.
Beautiful illustrations by Nadia Davydova.
Second edition, slightly bigger then the first one - and with many corrections.

Traditionally, in both East and West, laughter, and in particular its causes, have been studied under the category of humour. However, ideas on and practices of laughter itself have been largely ignored. This paper intends to lead readers beyond the topic of humour and focus on the act of laughter in the Zhuangzi as a starting point for the study of laughter in early China. It examines frequently ignored areas, such as how laughter draws readers into the text; how it functions to exclude people with different social value judgements; how it is used as a tool to challenge political power; how it serves rhetorical functions as a means to construct a conversation among people of different social or political status; and how it is used as an important signal and marker for a change of perspective. By examining questions such as: “What are the types of laughter?”, “What are the functions of laughter?”, and “How does laughter operate in different situations, and between different persons?” we can see a new idea of laughter in the Zhuangzi with multi-layered philosophical significance. Using the Zhuangzi as a case study, we can envision a series of well-crafted, intentional practices of laughter for various purposes throughout early Chinese texts.

Após a experiência bem sucedida com o livro 'Cem Textos de História Chinesa', fiquei a pensar se não seria interessante fazer uma espécie de versão resumida, centrada principalmente no período da antiguidade.  Então, na passagem do verão de 2015/2016, dediquei-me a recolher os textos para elaborar uma nova coletânea, mais sucinta [em torno de cinquenta textos], com fragmentos mais curtos e diretos. A ideia era compor um quadro da civilização chinesa por suas próprias fontes, atravessando o vasto período de Zhou [-1027 a -221], Qin [-221 a -206] e Han Anterior [-206 a +9]. Obviamente, esse quadro é idealístico, e precisa ser contraposto as fontes arqueológicas e aos estudos mais aprofundados. Contudo, os fragmentos textuais são um excelente instrumento didático para que possamos compreender as imagens que os chineses antigos criaram de si mesmos. Um dos objetivos centrais dessa coleção de trechos é, justamente, o seu caráter educativo.  Ao elaborá-la, eu pensei nos estudantes de Sinologia, mas também, nos professores que porventura desejem, um dia, lecionar temas relacionados à China Antiga.
Tentei evitar a repetição dos textos de 'Cem Textos de História Chinesa', apresentando algumas novidades. Devo ressaltar, sou devedor de algumas traduções anteriores que facilitaram sobremaneira esse trabalho [e que apresentaremos na parte das referências]. Quanto ao contexto temporal, como dito, circunscrevi a escolha das passagens até a primeira parte da Dinastia Han, quando se consolida a instituição do império chinês. Essa é uma cronologia bem conhecida, que já discuti em outros textos, como 'História da China Antiga' [2000], 'Mirações do Celeste' [2009] e no próprio 'Cem Textos de História Chinesa' [2009].

This essay argues that the valuation of translation as an intellectual phenomenon is conditioned by the assumptions generated by the myth of Babel, and where literary and historical conditions exist outside of that mythic influence, translation is less fraught.

Advances in research  into the origins of monetisation in the Mediterranean have shown that even with state-controlled currency circulating, (coinage-less) credit economies existed in parallel, using written documents for transactions well into the Roman period. The current paper documents that a credit economy facilitated the Phoenician commercial expansion in the Mediterranean (9th-7th c. BCE), becoming the vehicle by which the Phoenician 'alphabet', a West Semitic abjad, was rapidly adopted and adapted into various phonetic and syllabic scripts in the Mediterranean. This led to the rapid spread of literacy in societies that had reverted to full illiteracy by then, such as the Greek one, or that had never developed literacy. In contrast with previous explanations that saw the spread of literacy in the Mediterranean as a corollary to international trade, the present study postulates that literacy played a functional role within the credit economies that grew with international commerce, thereby providing the impetus for the spread of literacy, given that it offers documentation that substantiates this hypothesis. In essence, the study links the rapid spread of literacy to the institutional role of the script within the context of monetised commercial transactions, utilising archaeological evidence from both ends of the Mediterranean, and interpreting it within its historical context.

Traducción académica comentada del libro clásico chino 'Lijing' (Tratado de los Ritos). En este primer volumen se encuentran los primero ocho libros de la obra, traducidos de la versión en inglés encontrada en 'Chinese Text Project'. Los comentarios y crítica histórica son referentes a algunos de los personajes del contexto literario de la China antigua: Kong Yingda, Lu Deming, Liu Xin, el rey Xian de Hejian o Dai Sheng entre otros.

Quotations from the Hanfeizi, ancient China's most prominent Legalist philosopher, mostly based on the W.K. Liao and Burton Watson translations of the work (although note that I convert W.K. Liao's romanization into pinyin). These quotes are pulled from a database I am building tracking all of the pre-Qin Chinese texts and therefore verse number notations may be different than those found in other versions of the text. Quotes are selected subjectively, but based on my focus studying warfare and statecraft in the Spring & Autumn and Warring States eras.

Im antiken Griechenland ebenso wie im alten China wurde das jeweils andere Ende des Eurasischen Kontinents als Heimat übernatürlicher Wesen betrachtet. In den historiographischen Werken beider Kulturen mischten sich diese mythischen Vorstellungen oft mit neuem Wissen über fremde Völker, das im Rahmen von Entdeckungsreisen und Fernhandel gewonnenen wurde, aber nur schwer in das bestehende geographische Weltbild eingeordnet werden konnte.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden wichtige historiographische und geographische Schriftquellen aus dem griechischen und chinesischen Kulturraum parallel auf ihre Darstellung des jeweils Anderen untersucht. Die aus den Texten extrahierten Fremdbilder werden in ihrer Entwicklung analysiert und in ihren kulturellen Funktionen miteinander verglichen. Neben Gemeinsamkeiten und Besonderheiten der Fremdvorstellungen steht der Einfluss der zentralasiatischen Seidenstraßen als Hauptverbindungen zwischen Europa und Ostasien im Mittelpunkt der Betrachtungen.

В статье дается рецензия на первые шесть глав монографии Джона С. Мэйджора и Констанс Кук «Древний Китай: история», изданной в 2017 г. в США. Авторы предприняли попытку краткого обзора истории древ- нейшего и древнего Китая на основе компиляции фактических данных из трудов виднейших исследователей указанных периодов в Европе и США. Показано, что авторы компиляции во многом следуют традиции исто- рического предания китайцев, повторяя основную информацию из классических конфуцианских канонов ран- неимперского времени. Особенно значимым представляется то, что авторы совершают ошибки, указывающие на складывание собственной традиции написания истории Китая в США.

To the extent that contemporary scholars Feng Youlan, Wang Shumin, and Cui Dahua
recognize Xunzi’s engagement with Daoism, they have focused on his debt to the
Zhuangzi. While Xunzi did borrow from the Zhuangzi, the phrases and nature of this
borrowing have not yet been completely understood.

Xunzi did pay a great deal of attention to theories of argument. In the “Fei
xiang” chapter, Xunzi said, “A gentleman would definitely argue.” However, in
the “Bu gou” chapter, he stated, on the contrary, that a gentleman with high virtues
could make himself understood even by saying nothing. This article attempts to
bring out the discussions on Xunzi’s theories of argument which intended to engage
a debate with Zhuangzi. On the other hand, by pointing out the evidence, this article
also proves that Xunzi did borrow some phrases and expressions about theories of
argument from the Zhuangzi.

The particular focus is on the conceptual relationship between the argument
theories in the Xunzi and that in the Zhuangzi. The author points out that in taking
these stances Xunzi did follow Zhuangzi and this element was incorporated into the
thought of the Xunzi. However there were cases where Xunzi did reject Zhuangzi’s
assumptions.

馮友蘭、王叔岷、崔大華均指出荀子採用《莊子》的道家觀點，此可從二書相合用語
得見。然而，相關研究並不全面，荀子在取用莊周用詞、觀念時，又如何對莊周論
說提出駁詰？

荀子強調言辯，〈非相篇〉嘗言：「君子必辯。」然而，〈不苟篇〉又謂：「君子至
德，嘿然而喻。」兩相牴牾。本文探究《莊子》、《荀子》二書言辯論說關係，考證荀
子部分言辯論說其實與莊周相涉，其中二書措詞用語相合者，其例甚多，以見
《莊》、《荀》言辯論說確有關係。

本文作者通過文本對讀，提出荀子於莊子言辯論說確有採信接納，亦受其哲學
思想影響。然而，荀子對部分莊子言辯論說又痛加詆訿，並提出駁詰。

相馬拓也（2013）東アジアにおける古式鷹狩の民族考古学　

《キーワード》
民族考古学、古代中国、古代日本、鷹狩、文化人類学、民族鳥類学、画像石、鷹匠埴輪

《Keywords》
Ethno-archaeology, Ancienty China, Ancient Japan, Falconry/ Hawking, Cultural Anthropology, Ethno-Ornithology, Stone Curving, Haniwa Figurine of Falconer

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This paper focuses on trans-regionality of ancient falconry culture in East Asia. The falconry might be invented primary by nomadic pastoralists along Eurasian steppe territory in the middle of the 1st millennium B.C.. Nevertheless widely practiced among Asian regions, the origin or its classical mode is little known yet.
MATERIAL & METHODOLOGY: To understand historical depth of “The Human-Raptor Interactions” in East Asia, this research introduces ethnoarchaeological approach. (1) Archaeological figures of falconry and falconers in ancient China and Japan were assembled mainly from publication and museum sources. (2) Cultural interpretation and analysis are given through anthropological and ethno-ornithological fieldwork at the Lake Issyk-Kul Region in Kyrgyz (May~June/ October~November 2006), and Bayan Ulgii Prefecture in Mongolian Altai (July 2011~January 2013).
RESULTS & DISCUSSION: According to archaeological aspect, early falconer motifs were mainly depicted on stone wall carvings of graves from the Western Han Dynasty period (206 B.C. ~ 9 A.D.), and later seen as some haniwa clay figurine in the Tumulus Period of Japan (6th century). To analyze from ethnographic and anthropological aspect, these trans-regional evidences confirm some cultural alteration in local individual falconry from its original context deeply anchored in nomadic herder’s way of tradition and livelihood. Such sedentary falconry is characterized by “non-use of horse mounting”, “left-hand perching of raptors”, and “potential connection to social status”.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, ancient falconry practice seems to be started in China and Japan successively with transformation adapting to local society and environment while it was occurred primary in the steppe territory.　This research clarifies a wide range adaptation of falconry culture, recognizable not only as an evidence of deep human-raptor interaction for centuries, but also as a cosmopolitan cultural heritage in East Asia.

В статье рассмотрена историография истории государства Западное Чжоу (конец XI– VIII вв. до н.э.) на русском языке в советский период и в современной России. Были выделены этапы развития и направления исследований, охарактеризованы основные работы внутри этапов.

This paper was designed with two purposes in mind. The first is to convey the idea that there may have been a tribe of Indo-Europeans that conquered the Shang of the Yin dynasty, resulting in the establishment of China’s longest lasting and possibly most influential dynasty, the Zhou. The second purpose is to investigate, if this is the case, whether the myths and legends of China are in fact those of this Indo-European conquering tribe, and to suggest also that their systems of science and philosophy heavily influenced the ancient Chinese.