Chinese Studies Commons^™

The Rise And Fall Of The Small Bronze Tripod Used For Pouring Heated Libations (A Pre-Confucian Libation Rite), Elizabeth Childs-Johnson

Art Faculty Publications

The rite of pouring out heated alcohol in honor of spirits begins during the Late Neolithic but matures as a formal institution known in writing and in cast bronze during the earliest phases of the historic Bronze Age, namely the Erlitou (ca. 1900-1600 BC) and Shang periods (ca. 1600-1046 BC). As will be analyzed, the libation rite known as ... [示 + 爵 = ...] (jue/guan) in Shang oracle bone divinations involved the use of the tripod jue爵 (bronze vessel). Although the rite [...] continues to appear in written inscriptions through most of the Western Zhou era, by the 9th-8th …

He Rengao Super-Consciousness Imagery, A Global Touring Exhibition, Jun Dong

MA Projects

Focusing squarely on He Rengao’s long-developed visual philosophy, this exhibition will take the form of a solo presentation introducing Super-Consciousness Imagery to New York audiences. As one of China’s most established contemporary artists, He has spent decades refining a highly introspective and philosophically grounded painterly language. This exhibition aims to situate his mature body of work within an international conversation, foregrounding painting as a site where civilizational imagination, spiritual inquiry, and aesthetic experimentation converge. The exhibition title, Super-Consciousness Imagery, encapsulates two key elements central to He’s artistic practice; it refers to the expanded state of awareness the artist seeks to …

China's Economic Retaliation Against Norway After Liu Xiaobo's 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Ian Murphy, Shaomin Li

Management Faculty Publications

This case study analyzes China's geoeconomic retaliation against Norway after the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo. China employed non-tariff barriers, diplomatic freezes, and restricted exchanges, severely impacting sectors like salmon exports. This occurred despite the Nobel Committee's independence from the Norwegian government. Although Norway's overall economic impact was mitigated by market adjustments, the six-year diplomatic freeze significantly influenced its human rights foreign policy. This case exemplifies China's strategic use of informal economic tools to punish and deter, showcasing the link between political sensitivities and economic leverage in international relations.

News Media Sentiment Toward Chinese Ai: A Comparative Analysis With Belt And Road Initiative Involvement And Public Opinion On China, Asya Vaisberg

Pomona Senior Theses

This study evaluates different countries' news media’s sentiment towards Chinese AI, between May 2023 and May 2024, by using Microsoft Azure NLP Sentiment Analysis. The results are then compared with the country’s public opinion on China and its involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). For this study 12 countries have been selected which are USA, Australia, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Romania, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Philippines, Brazil, and Egypt. For each one, GNews Application Programming Interface (API), which has access to more than 60,000 global news sources, was used to aggregate relevant news articles based on queried keywords. The collected …

The Low Human Rights Advantage And The Failure Of Globalization: The Challenge Of China Inc., Shaomin Li

Management Faculty Publications

Purpose

We develop a framework of the low human rights advantage – labor repression, state discretionary expropriation and total control – that reduces factor costs and enables coordinated resource mobilization. These mechanisms generate economic advantage only when combined with access to global markets, which provide demand, capital and technology. By leveraging this low human rights advantage, the Chinese state has transformed China into a giant corporation that combines the agility of a firm with the resources of a nation, thereby reshaping global competition. Economic integration without corresponding political integration is a major contributor to the failure of the current wave …

Making Sense Of East Asian Languages, Keiko Konoeda, Linh Hoang, Geizuo Mahai, Nary Phon, Georgia Green, Ana Grieve, James Soifer

Open Educational Resources

In Winter 2026, the Bates College Asian Studies course “Making Sense of East Asian Languages” launched this open collection of supplementary readings. This collection helps students of Chinese and Japanese explore the histories behind the languages they study. Often, language courses focus on mastering a "standard" version without looking at its context. These readings bridge that gap.

Each entry investigates how certain language varieties became the national standard and what happened to other varieties and languages that were left out. By looking at these historical and colonial contexts, the collection helps students understand the power dynamics that shape language today. …

Representation And Cross-Cultural Mediation Of Contemporary Ink Art In New York’S Primary Art Market: A Case Study Of Fqm Gallery, Mengtian Melody Yang

MA Theses

This study investigates the representation and cross-cultural mediation of contemporary Chinese ink art within New York’s primary art market. Using Fu Qiumeng Fine Art (FQM) as a core case study, the research adopts a qualitative methodological framework that integrates document analysis, visual analysis, and semi-structured field interviews to examine how the gallery operates as a cultural intermediary. It explores how FQM defines and frames “Contemporary Ink Art,” selects and presents artists, and translates the aesthetic and philosophical foundations of this tradition for Western audiences. The findings show that FQM positions ink art not merely as a medium-based practice but as …

Missionary Body Politics: Physical Education In West China, 1905-1950, Cory Willmott

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Republican Era China saw a radical transformation in Chinese physical culture as it aimed to compete in the global geopolitics of nation-states. Employing an historical ethnographic approach, this paper outlines how the unique conditions of Sichuanese warlordism and secret societies affected missionary relations with the Guomindang (GMD) as they implemented increasingly militarized physical education programs. Before the 1928 GMD consolidation of power, missionaries and GMD educators aligned with the YM/ WCA in physical education programs. After the GMD moved their headquarters to Chongqing in 1938, relations soured between the GMD and the Sichuan missionaries. Although the latter had been the …

From Monasteries To The Market: The Legal And Spiritual Economies Of Himalayan Art In China, Hengshi An

MA Theses

In recent years, the Himalayan art market in China has shown a remarkable transformation, emerging as one of the most dynamic segments within the broader Asian art economy. While much of the global and domestic art market has stagnated, Tibetan and Himalayan artworks have achieved sustainable growth and high auction price with major collections been published, showing structural strength rather than speculative enthusiasm. This paper examines the drivers behind this phenomenon through a qualitative analysis of auction data, dealer networks, and collector behavior across key hubs in China such as Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The findings suggest that …

Strategic Decoupling: How Great Power Competition Reshapes Domestic Economic Policy In The United States And China, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Objectives:
The core idea of this research is that states react to great-power competitions using institutionally dependent paths: the U.S. uses regulatory tools such as export controls, investment screening, and targeted subsidies based on its fragmented, legally mediated-governance structure; whereas, China uses state-driven tools such as central planning directives, State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) mandates, and Policy Bank lending driven by its hierarchical Party-State structure

Methods:
This research utilizes a qualitative comparative case study model to compare how the U.S. and China have developed different forms of domestic economic policy in reaction to competing interests of being a global superpower. A comparative …

The Contested Kinmen Model, Ian Murphy

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Kinmen County, Taiwan, stands as an anomaly in East Asia- it is an archipelago administered by Taipei but visually and geographically tethered to the coastline of the People's Republic of China (PRC). For over seven decades, these islands have served as the physical frontline of the unfinished Chinese Civil War, functioning first as a kinetic battleground and later as a laboratory for cross-strait engagement. Yet, to view Kinmen as a relic of the Cold War is to miss it's contemporary strategic significance. The region has now become the primary theater for the PRC's "Kinmen Model" (Jinmen Moshi, symbols redacted), …

Traversing The Internal And External Worlds: An Analysis Of Du Fu’S Use Of Nature Imagery, Arwen Mox

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

Born in 712, the Chinese poet Du Fu lived in the cultural peak of the High Tang and the devastating events and aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion in 755. This essay explores how Du Fu employs nature imagery as a medium for reflection the internal and external worlds. By tracking the use of this motif across the three major periods of his work as embodied in three different poems, the nuanced shifts in his portrayal of nature and humanity becomes apparent. This essay argues that nature is a versatile medium within Du Fu’s work.

A World Between Worlds: The Hidden Disconnect Of Chinese Autistic Individuals, Joy Lu

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper examines the complex challenges faced by Chinese autistic individuals navigating both Western autism communities and broader Chinese cultural contexts. Drawing on personal experience, community observation, and cultural analysis, it explores how language barriers, cultural stigma, and differing values create a unique form of disconnection for the Chinese autistic community. This paper argues that current neurodiversity discourse is dominated by Western frameworks that often fail to account for this disconnect, resulting in the exclusion of entire groups. By centring Chinese perspectives, it calls for a more culturally responsive approach to autism advocacy: one that bridges linguistic, cultural, and historical …

《大慈恩寺三藏法師傳》材源考, Te Chen

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

《大慈恩寺三藏法師傳》是記録玄奘生平最全面詳實的傳記，檢討其書與《續高僧傳》、冥祥（詳）《大唐故三藏玄奘法師行狀》關係可知：《續高僧傳》有關玄奘的傳記最早寫成，但對玄奘一生只有大致的概括；慧立、彦惊之《大慈恩寺三藏法師傳》經歷了許多波折方纔寫就，其傳最爲詳實，且應當參考了《續高僧傳》；冥祥（詳）之《大唐故三藏玄奘法師行狀》最晚出，本於《慈恩傳》而參考《續高僧傳》。在此基礎上進一步考察可知，十卷《大慈恩寺三藏法師傳》之前五卷，主要依據《大唐西域記》；後五卷則主要根據玄奘回國後和朝廷往來的公文書撰成。此外，來自玄奘本人的回憶與口述以及當時社會上流行的有關玄奘的傳説故事，也零散貫穿全書。综合把握《大慈恩寺三藏法師傳》的兩類史料來源——書面與口傳，可進一步分疏其間的歷史、宗教與文學元素。

The Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci’en Monastery is the most comprehensive and detailed record of Xuanzang’s life. By examining its relationship with The Further Biographies of Eminent Monks and Mingxiang’s The Deeds of the Late Tripitaka Master Xuanzang of the Great Tang, we can discern the following: The biography of Xuanzang in The Further Biographies of Eminent Monks was the earliest to be written, but it only provides a general outline of his life. The Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci’en Monastery by Huili and Yancong underwent many difficulties before its …

“據譯單重”到多軌並途 : 漢文佛教目録分類之演變, Guodong Feng, Hui Xia

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

典籍的分類方式，是佛教目録最重要的表現形式，也是佛教目録撰作者學術思想、觀念與撰録因由最爲直接的體現。漢文佛教目録最初本爲記録經典傳譯，於是產生了根據經典產生方式的“據譯單重”分類法。其後随著認識的深入，根據經典性質分爲經、律、論三藏,根據經典體制分爲大、小乘的“乘藏分類法”逐漸取得统治地位。明代末年，出現了依據天台五時判教分類經典的“依義銓次”分類法。近現代以來，由於西方學術觀念的傳入與知識生產方式的變化，漢文佛教目録的分類方式日趨多元。

The method of categorizing scriptures is the most crucial feature of Buddhist catalogs, directly reflecting the academic thought, perspectives, and motivations of their compilers. Initially, Chinese Buddhist catalogs were created to document the translation of scriptures, leading to the emergence of the “single-layer translation-based classification” method, which categorized texts based on their origins in translation. As understanding deepened, the “Tripiṭaka classification method” became dominant, dividing scriptures into the three categories of sutras (teachings), vinayas (disciplinary rules), and śāstra (treatises) based on their nature, and further into Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna texts according to their doctrinal frameworks. By the late Ming …

北周尉遲迥相州舉兵的多重敘事構造 : 以《周書．尉遲迥傳》《尉遲迥廟碑》及《集神州三寶感通録》爲中心, Ling Tong

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

周隋革命的前夜，楊堅在帝都長安較爲順利地清除了異己，但在北周宣帝去世之後的三個月内，地方上先後有三支北周勤王之兵，即：相州總管尉遲迥、益州總管王謙、鄖州總管司馬消難。其中對於楊堅來説，最大的威脅來自鎮守東方的尉遲迥。本文詳細考察三類文獻：中古正史（《周書．尉遲迥傳》）、碑刻文獻（《尉遲迥廟碑》）、佛教史（《集神州三寳感通録》）對北周大象二年（580）六月尉遲迥相州舉兵這一事件的不同敘事。從北周到唐代，這一事件具有多重的敘事構造，每一種敘事構造的背後，體現了不同書寫者或者敘述者的需求與認同。

最值得留意的是唐代高僧道宣《集神州三寳感通録》，他通過對尉遲迥舉兵失敗之後的佛寺“感通”敘事，折射出了佛教史學與中古正统國史（碑刻）之間的内在張力，這種張力導致了多重敘事構造間的巨大差異。

On the eve of revolution between the Northern Zhou and the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian eliminated the dissidents in the imperial capital Chang’an smoothly, but within three months after the death of Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, three armies which aimed at protecting the emperor were organized at the local level: Yuchi Jiong, the governor of Xiangzhou; Wang Qian, the governor of Yizhou; and Sima Xiaonan, the governor of Yunzhou. Among them, the biggest threat to Yang Jian came from Yuchi, who was guarding the east. This paper examines different narratives of Yuchi Jiong’s rebellion in …

引言, Yinchi Chen

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

佛教自兩漢之際傳人中土，逐漸深人中國文化之生命脈動，與儒、道諸固有精神傳統并存而匯流，蔚爲壯觀。中國古典文學堪稱中國文化最爲精粹之一脈，佛教文化與之交融，自兩晉以下，既爲客觀之事實，亦因而構成令人目不暇接之無數景觀，鄭振鐸先生通觀其所謂中世紀之六朝至明代的文學歷程，曾言 : “中世紀文學史裏的一件大事，便是佛教文學的輸人。從佛教文學輸人以後，我們的中世紀文學所經歷的路線，便和前大不相同了。我們於是有了許多偉大的翻譯的作品以外，在音韻上，在故事的題材上，在典故成語上，多多少少的都受有佛教文學的影響。最後，且更擬仿著印度文學的‘文體’而産生出好幾種弘偉無比的新的文體出來。”

20世紀以來，以現代的學術立場，專注、研討佛教文化因素在文人之精神世界、文學之形式内涵諸多方面之影響與作用，既多大師巨子，成果亦斐然可觀，在相當的程度上刷新了對若干文學演進關鍵環節乃至各時段文學 史面貌的認知與理解。迄今百餘年，“佛教與中國文學”之學術探究，依然呈現廣而深之前景。

謝靈運《辨宗論》融合儒釋及其思想史意義, Zhixi Qian

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

謝靈運《辨宗論》的“求宗”本體論與融合儒釋方法都與慧遠有濶源關係。慧遠認爲雖然儒之名教與釋之道法最終的趨向是相同的，但道法幽微則是堯孔所未曾闡述的。這是强調佛教的獨特價值及真理性，其闡述本體的立場仍在佛教。謝靈運雖然説自己的理論是折中於儒釋雙方，但實際上將真理問題的討論重心更大幅度地移向了儒家。他提出儒家的聖道無階級可達之論，以此來闡釋真理的完全性，闡明竺道生的求宗唯在頓悟的學説。謝靈運的基本思想，是以頓悟屬儒，而以漸悟屬釋，認爲儒釋雖然同歸，但儒家明真理而釋家重教化。因此，《辨宗論》更具有普遍的哲學本體論的性質。其在學術上的意義，是仿照實相、涅槃等佛教本體論建立起儒家的道論，其思想在儒家的原典是可以找到依據的。謝靈運還從華、夷民性之不同，即華民難於受教而易於覺理、夷人難於覺理而易於受教來説明儒、佛立教頓漸的不同。這觸及中國思想傳统的問題，即頓悟之説實是中土接受佛教或説佛教中國化過程中產生的問題。這一思想史的事實，需要進一步討論。竺道生的“一闡提人皆得成佛”説與其頓悟説相關，謝靈運應慧遠之請所作的《佛影銘》中“闡提獲自援之路”正是呼應道生之説。這一點似未被論者所注意。《佛影銘》比《辨宗論》早十年寫作。由此也可推論謝氏接受道生的頓悟及一闡提成佛之説的大致時間。

Xie Lingyun’s Bianzong Lun (On Distinguishing Ultimate Truth) [《辨宗論》] inherits its ontological framework of ‘‘apprehending philosophical truth” (求宗) and its syncretic methodology of reconciling Confucianism and Buddhism from Huiyuan. While Huiyuan asserted that Confucian teachings and Buddhist Dharma ultimately converge, he emphasized Buddhism’s unique metaphysical profundity, which surpassed the insights of Yao and Confucius, thereby affirming Buddhism’s distinct truth and ontological grounding. Although Xie Lingyun claimed to mediate between Confucianism and Buddhism, he subtly shifted the discourse on truth toward Confucianism. By proposing the Confucian notion of the “sagely path” as an ungraded, immediate realization of complete …

慧遠像論對中土象論的超越, Zong-Qi Cai

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

慧遠的“像論”以“神道無方，觸像而寄”爲核心，强調本體（神）通過具體形象（像）顯現，並成爲宗教修行與美學實踐的中介。本文從三方面探討其理論：其一，對比佛教東傳前中國傳统的“未形之象”（見於《楚辭》《老子》《莊子》）與《易經》的“卦畫之象”，指出慧遠像論突破中土的象論，賦予有物質形態的造像和山水以終極本體義；其二，分析其思想來源，包括小乘有部“法體恒有”説（神不滅論）、大乘化身説（佛像即法身顯現）及中觀思想（真俗相即），構建了“體―觀―像”的理論框架；其三，揭示其影響，如推動佛教觀想念佛的“感通”實踐，並催生謝靈運“山水佛教”等創作審美實踐。慧遠像論融合多元的佛教觀念，爲日後佛教文藝理論的發展奠定了基礎。

Huiyuan’s (334—416) theory of the image posits that the noumenon (the divine) becomes perceptible through specific forms, which in turn serve as a medium for both religious cultivation and aesthetic practice. This paper examines his theory from three perspectives.

First, it contrasts the pre-Buddhist Chinese concepts of the “imageless image” (未形之象) — found in texts such as the Songs of Chu, Laozi, and Zhuangzi — and the “hexagrammatic images” (卦畫之象) of the I Ching (Book of Changes). In doing so, it argues that Huiyuan’s theory transcended these native conceptions of the image by endowing physical forms, such as Buddha …

多元性視野下謝靈運的精神世界, Xiaoting Shi, Yinchi Chen

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

中古貴族文士往往具有多元的知識與思想背景，謝靈運博學多才，出自家學濶深的陳郡謝氏家族，又通達儒學、佛教、道教及老莊玄學等，本爲時代思潮之前沿人物。但謝靈運本人的精神世界始終複雜多端，頗由外界因緣驅動而起伏興變。這一特點投射於作品文本中，亦呈現出多元交織卻無以歸宗的思想風貌。

Aristocratic literati of the medieval period often possessed diverse knowledge and intellectual backgrounds. Xie Lingyun, a highly learned and talented individual, hailed from the prestigious Xie clan of Chen Prefecture. He was well-versed in Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the metaphysical teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, making him a figure at the forefront of the intellectual trends of his time. However, Xie Lingyun’s spiritual world remained complex and multifaceted, often shaped and influenced by external circumstances, leading to fluctuations and transformations. This characteristic is reflected in his literary works, which exhibit a diverse and interwoven yet unanchored intellectual style.