Double Functions

To walk you through
the Ming-Qing
Transition

To show you how to
put together an
essay in a logical
manner
Components in a Chinese Garden
Complement each other
Rocks
Yang
Plants/Flowers
Nature
Water
Yin
Architecture/
Literature/Art
Culture
Epiphanies from
Chinese Gardens




1. Appositional vs.
oppositional:
Internal relationship
among those major
components: they
complement each
other;
External relationship to
its environment
Fusion of subjectivity
and objectivity



2. One Can Never See
the Whole Scene of a
Chinese Garden—
Same/Different flowers
in different seasons;
Same plants and tress
in different seasons
Our knowledge is
forever partial as fresh
combinations in scenes
are infinite; Symbolic
meaning of bamboo:
Focal Point/Emphasis
Figure/ground Contrast

Definition: A focal point is
the element in a painting
that pulls in the viewer's eye,
that is the center of attention
or the main subject. You can
emphasize a focal point
through the painting's
composition, through color,
and through the range of
tones you use.
Figure/Ground Switch
Depending on perspectives

Rubin's vase
(sometimes known as
the Rubin face or the
Figure-ground vase)
is a famous set of
cognitive optical
illusions developed
around 1915 by the
Danish psychologist
Edgar Rubin.
“Find the Moth” 39
Ralph A. Clevenger/Corbis Images 16
Figure-Ground Contrast Blurred/Blended
Empathy: A fusion of
subjectivity and objectivity



UW
Fountain/Mountain
View
To complement
something is not a
passive act;
View-borrowing is
two-way traffic
Empathy
an encounter between the self
and the other


1. the intellectual identification with or
vicarious experiencing of the feelings,
thoughts, or attitudes of another.
2. the imaginative ascribing to an object,
as a natural object or work of art,
feelings or attitudes present in oneself:
By means of empathy, a great painting
becomes a mirror of the self.
Empathy and Sympathy



are relationships based on Shared Emotions &
Understanding. Empathy is understood as the ability
to mutually experience the thoughts, emotions, and
direct experience of others without them being
directly communicated intentionally.
Sympathy is a feeling of care and understanding for
suffering beings.
Both have similar usage but differ in their emotional
meaning.
Empathy vs. sympathy

The ability to coexperience and relate
to the thoughts,
emotions, or
experience of
another without them
being communicated
directly by the
individual

The ability to
understand and to
support the
emotional
situation or
experience of
another being
with compassion
and sensitivity
Principles for
architectural designs


The Wall/Memorial is blended in as part of
the landscape instead of asserting its
dominant presence regardless its
environment: one end points at the Lincoln
Memorial, and the other points at the
Washington Monument; together, they make
up a trilogy—the self becoming part of the
other or wise versa;
Pay attention to interrelations;
The Vietnam Memorial Wall
Names on the Wall
Chronologically Listed
An act of Empathy
Act of Empathy/Lack of Empathy




The self and the
other is
fused/delicately
balanced;
Two features in
Confucius’ five-fold
relationship:
1. Hierarchy
2. Reciprocity


Lack of empathy
leads to endless
troubles in human
affairs;
Tyranny of the
minority/individual;
tyranny of the
majority/community
(Before) taking one step,
examine (at least) three steps ahead
zǒu yí
bù
kàn sān bù
走
一
步， 看
三
步

In Tao Te Ching, Laozi
states that “Governing
a large state is like
boiling a small fish.”
Laozi, Tao Te Ching.
Trans. by D. C. Lau.
(1963; rpt. Hong Kong:
The Chinese University
Press, 2001), 87.
http://nothingistic.org/lib
rary/laotzu/ (60)






Governing a (large)
state is like playing
chess.—Weizhi Gao
No short-sighted/
Band-Aid solutions;
A headache is a just
symptom;
Causes may vary.
Function like a Chinese
doctor/woodpecker
The Function of “The Sisters” in Dubliners
Diagnosis for the entire book








Diagnosis
Write like a woodpecker
Four ways to diagnose:
Observe
Smell
Ask
Feel the pulse
Comprehensive
treatment/root
Synergy




Synergy (positive,
careful planning)
Plan ahead;
Plant a piece/seed
here and there;
Create a symphony
out of all synergy;


Synergy (negative)
Short-sighted
measures/moves or
Band-Aid solutions
could create some
ripple effect; its
consequences
could burst like
pent-waters;
Quantitative & Qualitative
Changes and Transformation




Before a situation tips, there are signs of
troubles that often escape our sight;
As a leader for the next generation, you
need to diagnose a situation like a
woodpecker but treat the illness like a
Chinese doctor—comprehensively/root
防患于未然【fánghuànyúwèirán】
nip in the bud (state).
Transition in Dynasties




1. The enduring challenge is how to unify
and govern China/How to Tame the
Yellow River—the Loess Plateau;
2. Dynasties embrace ancient virtues:
benevolence (Confucianism); the Natural
Way (Daoism); and the Law (Legalismreward and punishment)
3. What happens in the transitions?
A case study of the Ming-Qing Transition
Question 1 (group presentation)
What leads to the Fall of Ming?

Random list (314)





Rational List
Chronological
Inverted Pyramid
Climactic
(Progressive
intensive)
Internal/external
Types of Cause



1. multiple contributory causes (it is rare
that a single cause can fully explain a
complex phenomenon);
2. Causal chains: a set of linked causes
in which one cause leads to another and
then another until a result is achieved;
3. interactive causes: causes rarely
operate independently; they affect each
other
Ripple Effect of
Natural Disasters







The Little Ice age (1300-1850) on a larger scale
Food shortages
Aggravated by laid-off soldiers in search of food;
Instead of easing the pressure, the government
increased taxes
Li Zicheng uprising: “Equal-field/Tax Exemption 均田
免赋” his popular slogan attracted thousands;
In 1644, Li Zicheng took over Beijing, and Emperor
Chongzhen committed suicide in Jingshan Park.
“The Shun Dynasty” founded by Li Zicheng lasted
from February 8 to June 5 in 1644.
End of The Ming Dynasty
Role of Li Zicheng: Direct Catalyst




“The time is out of joint: O
cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it
right!”—Hamlet (Irony)
Natural disasters/food
shortage due to the “Little
Ice Age”;
Dong Zhongshu’s
“correlative cosmology”
Li Zicheng (1606–1645)
Uprising (Shun Dynasty 大
順, “suitable” for about four
months); Nicknamed as a
“dashing king” brain vs. bran
Emperor Chongzhen崇祯
killing his daughter before
committing suicide 1644
Fiscal Problems 314
Riots over Rent vs. supplies of silver

Internal/Domestic
issue/disorder



Linked/connected to
external/diplomatic
relationship with Japan
Japanese invasion of
Korea (1592–1598)
Result: Korean and
Chinese victory;
Japanese withdrawal
from the peninsula.
1639, cut-throat move
Part and Whole


牵一发而动全身
[qiānyífà‘érdòngquánshēn]
pull one hair and you move the whole
body; a slight move in one part may
affect the situation as a whole
Internal Power Struggle
If there is no tiger in the mountains, a
monkey will claim the throne

Eunuchs control the
court—Wei
Zhongxian
(1568~1627)




Donglin Academy: fighting
corruption (1624)
Impeachment of Wei
Zhongxian (24 crimes)
(Yang Lian 杨涟
/Zuo Guangdou/左光斗、
Huang Zunsu 黄尊素、Zhou
Shunchang 周顺昌
Weaknesses of the Imperial
Institution (273-274)







Question 3 in Worksheet 7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emperors_of_the
_Ming_Dynasty
20 emperors, most of them
good-for-nothing
Review “Canon of Yao”--禅让【shàn ràng】
abdicate or hand over the crown to another (virtuous
and capable) person and 世袭【shì xí】
(generational) hereditary.
斑竹【bānzhú】 mottled bamboo (éhuáng/nǚyīng
娥皇/女英: Emperor’s Shun’s wives)
Two Steps/Three Levels
Precision and Generalization




Precision (Step up
(to it) at three levels
Textual analysis
Contextual
Information
(historical/biographi
cal, etc.)
Inter-textual
connections




Generalization
Step back (from it)
Broader perspective
Identify/Infer larger
patterns that apply
to other
dynasties/dynastic
changes
Question 2
“The Yangzhou Massacre” vs.
Qing’s glorious accomplishments



“The Yangzhou
Massacre” (East Asia
317; Sourcebook 271279)
Shi Kefa史可法
Question on the
source/number of
people actually killed




Territorial expansion
Prosperity and
peace--4 times the
annual land tax was
canceled (319)
Maintaining Chinese
language and
cultural heritage/
architecture
The Qing Dynasty
1644–1911 (268 years)




The second dynasty
ruled by a minority
ethnic group;
The first one is the
Yuan Dynasty ruled
by Mongols (1271–
1368)
12 emperors
Qing’s national flag
Territorial Expansion
during the Qing Dynasty







1661—Zheng Chenggong chased the Dutch out of Taiwan that
fell under the Dutch rule since 1602;
1681-1683: Battle against the Ming loyalists and incorporated
Taiwan into China proper;
Since 1696, Mongolia accepted Qing rule due to its military
supremacy—cannons/muskets vs. bows and arrrows; in 1921,
Outer Mongolia split away;
1718, military presence in Tibet that was under Mongol’s rule;
Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces
Manchus’ own territory: Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang
provinces, part of Korea (in 1616, Nurhaci declared war on the
Ming Dynasty)
Part of Sichuan (Zhang Xianzhong)
Map of the Ming Dynasty
1368 to 1644
Territory of the Qing Dynasty
Rise of the Manchus

After thirty years of struggle,
the Jurchen 女真 chief
Nurhaci ([ˌnʊəˈhɑːtʃɪ] 努爾哈
赤) combined the three
Jurchen tribes and founded
the Later Jin Dynasty (1616–
1636). Nurhaci's eighth son
and heir, Huáng Tàijí (皇太
極), later changed the name
of his people from Jurchen
to Manchu in 1635. The next
year, he changed the name
of the Later Jin to Qing in
1636.
Why Nurhaci Rebelled against
the Ming Dynasty




In 1616, Nurhaci
declared war on the
Ming Dynasty
“Seven Grievances”
http://www.culturalchina.com/chinaWH/ht
ml/en/History2732bye7
940.html
Over Ming’s favoritism
over Yehe tribe
Qing’s Army:
the Eight Banners (East Asia 321)
Production/Military Combined




Qing’s military organization is based on
Jurchen’s model of hunting/troops
dispatching: every ten men as a group.
In 1601, Nurhaci established four banners:
Yellow, red, white and blue.
In 1615, it is expanded to eight.
Plain Yellow/Boarded Yellow; Plain
Red/Boarded Red/Plain White/Boarded
White; Plain Blue/Boarded Blue
Originals & derivatives
The Eight Banners (321)
Evaluation of
The Banner System

Although the banners were instrumental in the Qing
Empire takeover of China proper in the 17th century
from the Ming Empire, they began to fall behind
rising Western powers in the 18th century, and were
to ultimately become highly ineffective in modern
warfare by the second half of the 19th century. The
later banners proved unable to defeat Western
powers, such as Britain, in the Opium Wars and
were also seriously challenged by the Taiping
Rebellion.
Imperial Summer Resort
1703 -1792, Hebei Province
The Kangxi Dictionary (1716)
Standardized 214 Radicals

The supplemented dictionary
contains 47,035 character
entries, plus 1,995 graphic
variants, giving a total of 49,030
different characters. They are
grouped under the 214 radicals
and arranged by the number of
additional strokes in the
character. Although these 214
radicals were first used in the
Zihui, due to the popularity of
the Kangxi Dictionary they are
known as Kangxi radicals and
remain in modern usage as a
method to categorize traditional
Chinese characters.
The Complete Tang Poems

In 1705, on Kangxi's
order, a compilation
of Tang poetry, the
Quantangshi, was
produced.



1. Not complete
2. overlapping
3. no
references/sources
given
四库全书 Siku Quanshu
the Complete Books of the Four
Treasures


During the height of the Qing
Dynasty in the 18th century
CE, the Qianlong Emperor
commissioned the Siku
quanshu, to demonstrate
that the Qing could surpass
the Ming Dynasty's 1403
Yongle Encyclopedia, which
was the world's largest
encyclopedia at the time.
The editorial board included
361 scholars, with Ji Yun (紀
昀) and Lu Xixiong (陸錫熊)
as chief editors. They began
compilation in 1773 and
completed it in 1782.
Emperor Qian Long
(East Asia 320-321) http://uwch4.humanities.washington.edu/~WG/~18
8/Source%20Book%20for%20Sinology/




Jĩng (经 "Classics") Chinese
classic texts—green color
Shǐ (史 "Histories") histories
and geographies from
Chinese history—red color
Zĭ (子 "Masters") philosophy,
arts, sciences from Chinese
philosophy—blue color
Jí (集 "Collections")
anthologies from Chinese
literature—grey color



322
“Random Notes
from Prison”
丛书【cóngshū】 a
series of books;
collection
“Random Notes from Prison”
By Fang Bao1668-1749

East Asia 322


the Complete Books
of the Four
Treasures, grand in
scale
Many books are
also damaged due
to censorship;
Three Ancient Projects
The Three “Great Walls”





How to use Index for a quick access
Expand your group project/midterm/final
paper
The Great Wall (51/275-276*) from the Qin to
Ming Dynasty—military function
The Grand Canal (East Asia 377)—economic
function
The Complete Books of the Four Treasures
(East Asia 321)—cultural significance
Types of Evidence
To enrich your essay




1. Statistical evidence
2. Anecdotal evidence (humorous stories)
3. Testimonial: Commercials that use
spokespersons to testify about the quality of
a company’s product, lawyers who rely on
eye-witness accounts to win a case, and
students who quote an authority in their
essays are all using testimonial evidence.
4. Analogical evidence (reason with analogy)
Question 3
The Wrath of Wu Sangui vs.
The Wrath of Achilles (Homer)



1. the role of Individual
leaders at a critical
moment
“The Law of the Few”—
The Tipping Point
Power of an idea/ideal-12 representatives at
the first conference of
the Chinese
Communist Party (1921
in Shanghai)



2. What influence
one’s
decision/change
one’s perspective at
a critical moment?
Ethos/Pathos/Logos
The Wrath of Wu
Sangui vs. the
Wrath of Achilles
What is the right thing to do
at a critical moment?




What would be the alternative?
Imagine if Wu Sangui did not open the
gate to Shanhaiguan, how could history
be rewritten?
DVD on the Great Wall
Is it a curse or blessing for the Chinese
people?
Role of Wu Sangui
(1612 – 1678)

a Ming Chinese general who
was instrumental in the
succession of rule to the
Qing Dynasty in 1644.
Considered by traditional
scholars as a traitor to both
the Ming and the Qing
dynasties, Wu declared
himself Emperor of China as
ruler of the Zhou Dynasty in
1678, but his revolt was
quelled by the Qing Kangxi
Emperor.
Review of Li Zicheng’s Program
Did not last very long



Li Zicheng uprising: “Equal-field/Tax
Exemption 均田免赋” his popular slogan
attracted thousands;
In 1644, Li Zicheng took over Beijing, and
Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide in
Jingshan Park.
“The Shun Dynasty” founded by Li Zicheng
lasted from February 8 to June 5 in 1644.
Another Civil War?
Another age of Division





The last Ming emperor committed suicide;
Li Zicheng’s dynasty lasted about four
months;
Zhang Xianzhong broke up with Li Zicheng
and went to Sichuan (his Daxi Dynasty lasted
from 1644 to 1646)
Manchu was rising up in the northeast;
Were the gate of Shanhai Pass not open, it
would take longer time for Manchu to make it
all the way to Beijing;
Peasants Uprising in China



http://en.wikipedia.o
rg/wiki/List_of_rebell
ions_in_China
No coherent
program
Mostly concerned
with land
reform/equal field;

Mao Zedong made
his name by
organizing peasants
movement
Shanhaiguan 山海关
【shānhǎiguān】 Shanhai Pass


the eastern end of the
Ming Dynasty Great
Wall. The "First Pass
Under Heaven“
In 1961, Shanhaiguan
became a site of China
First Class National
Cultural Site. Along with
Jiayuguan嘉峪关 and
Juyongguan, it is one of
the major passes of the
Great Wall of China.
The First Pass Under Heaven

It is nearly 300 km
east of Beijing and
linked via the
Jingshen
Expressway 京沈高
速公路 (658 km in
length, constructed
from 1996 to 2000).
Li Zicheng Held Wu Sangui’s father
as hostage to force Wu Sangui to surrender




Wu Sangui’s father
Wu Xiang, Ming’s
general in charge of
Liaodong Region,
now Liaoning and
Jilin province
1631, defeated
The Battle of Daling
River大淩河之役

Wu Sangui’s
concubine Chen
Yuanyuan was also
in Beijing
1651 “Song of Yuanyuan” by Wu Weiye 吴伟业
Statue of Chen Yuanyuan
in Gold Hall Park in Kunming
Wu’s Reward

Wu was rewarded with the position of Pingxi Wang (
平西王) in Yunnan by the Qing imperial court, after
he conquered the region from the remnants of Ming
loyalists. It had been extremely rare for someone
outside of the royal family, especially a non-Manchu,
to be granted the title of Wang (king). Those being
awarded the title of Wang who were not members of
the royal family were called Yixing Wang (異姓王,
literally meaning "kings whose surnames are
different from that of the emperor").
Wu Sangui’s Rebellion
against the Qing Dynasty





Wu Sangui—Yunnan Province
Shang Kexi—Guandong Province
Geng Zhongming—Fujian province
Emperor Kangxi defeated Wu Sangui
et al. (East Asia 319)
The Wrath of Achilles
The Theme of Iliad by Homer

Achilles accuses
Agamemnon of
being the “greediest
for gain of all men”
when Agamemnon
took Briseis,
Achilles's captive,
Briseis, as
compensation after
he lost Chryseis
Odysseus returns Chryseis to her father
(by Claude Lorrain, 1644)
Achilles’ Withdrawal
Achilles’ Participation


The first wrath of
Achilles was caused
by the fact that
Agamemnon took
his captive, thus
violating his honor
Greek culture was a
shame culture;



The second time
Achilles got angry was
because his best friend
Patroklus was killed,
thus spurring him to go
back to the battlefield.
As a result, he killed
Hector.
Patroklus put on
Achilles’ armor and
assumed his persona;
Question 4

Sword and Pen: In the Ming-Qing transition,
consider the interesting fact that the new
leaders were from non-Chinese ethnic
groups (without their own written language)
but in the course of the Qing dynasty became
perhaps more Chinese than the Chinese.
What policy on language did they follow?
What contributions to maintaining the written
Chinese cultural heritage did the Kangxi and
Qianlong emperors make? (See East Asia
321).
Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1772)
Cover Image, China: A Cultural,
Social, and Political History


Portrait of Yinti 允禵,
Prince Xun 恂郡王
(1688-1755) and his
wife by Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery,
Smithsonian Institute,
Washington DC;
A non-Chinese ruled
China for 61 years and
305 days; but later
Manchus are
assimilated into China.
Two-Way Traffic

Qing emperor
became more
Chinese than
Chinese?



What did they bring
to China that was
not Chinese?
The Banner System
East Asia 321
Banners in Beijing