Abstract This article examines the reception of a Tang prose piece widely held to be indecipherable: Fan Zongshi’s Garden of the Jiang Governor’s Residence . Despite its perceived unreadability, the text continued to circulate and attract critical attention for centuries. The glorification of this work among late Ming proponents of idiosyncratic writing, as well as among text critical Qing philologists, highlights the rise of “obscurity” ( se 澀) as a literary value and an analytical category, and reveals a connection between the literary culture of late Ming and the philological scholarship of mid Qing.
Abstract In tenth–fourteenth century China, music makers ranged from stigmatized low-status occupational practitioners like artisans ( gong 工) and entertainers ( lingren 伶人) to the high-status, cultured gentlemen ( shi 士) who stigmatized them. Historians generally understand these groups as existing at opposing ends of the social hierarchy, readily distinguished by their distinct lives and livelihoods. However, these social and symbolic boundaries were not so clear-cut: some men labeled gentlemen earned their living through musical performance; some men categorized as artisans and entertainers were conversant in the classics and adhered to gentlemanly norms; some music makers were accepted as gentlemen by certain observers but not others. This article examines how music makers deployed repertoires of norms, behaviors, objects, and worldviews to signal gentlemanly identities to others, with varying degrees of success in different social contexts. In doing so, it develops a new framework for understanding identity performance, social categorization, and social distinction in premodern China.
Abstract The retired kingship of the Trần dynasty (1226–1400) was a unique phenomenon in the history of Đại Việt. Over the course of 175 years and thirteen reigns, eight kings abdicated the throne yet continued to rule concurrently with their successors. This system of retired kingship lasted for a total of 110 years, representing more than two-thirds of the dynasty’s duration. Under this arrangement, Trần kings often abdicated early, transferring the throne to a successor while taking the title of retired king. Despite relinquishing the throne, they retained nearly absolute power and continued to make all major decisions for the royal court. In contrast, successor kings served largely as nominal rulers, acting as apprentice monarchs under the direction of the retired king. The coexistence of two rulers—the senior (retired) king and the successor (reigning) king—highlights the dual nature of governance during the Trần dynasty.
