Policy Blending,Fuzzy Chronology,and Local Understandings of National Initiatives in Early 1950s China

This article proposes the concept of policy blending to improve our understanding of the densely interactive quality of political initiatives in early 1950s China. Using three cases studies, I argue that policy blending, defined as the process by which previous political experiences shaped the implementation and interpretation of those subsequent to them （sometimes in ways contrary to the government＇s intentions）, occurred frequently during this period, to the extent that people＇s understanding of the first years of Chinese Communist Party rule cannot be separated from this phenomenon. Using examples from marriage registration, the Marriage Law and the national discussion of the 1954 draft Constitution, I advance the historiographical argument that the early 1950s should not be demarcated by, or taught mainly with reference to, ＂temporally encapsulated＂ policies with clear beginnings and ends （i.e., policy ＂a＂ occurred in year ＂b,＂ followed by policy ＂c＂ in year ＂d＂）. Rather, policies seeped into each other, producing a blurry--but sometimes accurate--＂impression＂ of state power. I further suggest that the concept of policy blending can be helpful in understanding subsequent political initiatives as well.     

Commerce and Empire in the Borderlands： How do Merchants and Trade Fit into Qing Frontier History？

As our understanding of the Qing empire and its various borderlands has evolved, so too have we come to appreciate China＇s early modem commercial sophistication. In recent North American studies of the Qing, the links between commerce and conquest have come under investigation, and we are increasingly urged to pay attention to merchants and merchant capital. But how should we understand the relationship between merchants and the Qing empire in the borderlands？ This article surveys selected work on the borderlands and commercialization, primarily in the Northwest and Southwest. The goal is to initiate a more comprehensive discussion of how to understand the intersection of commerce and empire while also making some suggestions for ways that borderlands history might shape future work on China.     

Eating, Cooking, and Shanghai's "Less-than-Manly Men”: The Social Consequences of Food Rationing and Economic Reforms

This study examines some social consequences of food rationing and economic reforms in Shanghai by considering the notion of “Shanghai little men” (a broader translation of which is “Shanghai less-than-manly men”). Male Shanghainese are notorious for doing household labor and being obedient to their wives, which has earned them the nickname Shanghai little men. This study indicates that their grocery shopping and cooking were first inspired by fundamental changes in food distribution and the power structure during the 1950s and 1960s. It treats Shanghai little men as both a special group and a symbol of certain changes in gender roles at home and the redefining of gender norms in the larger society. It examines the shifting discourse concerning Shanghai little men in the era of economic reforms and analyzes a recent popular discourse about “seeking real men” and “being real women.” Finally, it deconstructs the current cultural nostalgia for traditional gender-defined divisions of labor, reflecting a parallel developmen—the “transnational business masculinity” that one sees in China.     

Ethnic and Religious Violence in South China: The Hakka-Tiandihui Uprising of 1802

In 1802 the second major Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) uprising erupted in the mountains of Huizhou prefecture near Canton.Before it was suppressed over a year later,the disturbances came to involve several tens of thousands of people and nearly a quarter of Guangdong province.This study,which is based on extant historical sources and fieldwork,takes an interdisciplinary approach,combining the methodologies of history,anthropology,and folklore.The areas where the uprising occurred were predominantly Hakka,an ethnic Chinese minority who came into conflict with the earlier settlers,known as the Punti.As violence escalated,both sides organized their own paramilitary units:Hakka formed Tiandihui groups and Punti formed Ox Head Societies.Significantly too,the Tiandihui groups in Huizhou belonged to a much wider network of secret society and sectarian organizations that spread across the Hakka heartland on the Jiangxi,Fujian,and Guangdong border.This article addresses key issues concerning the social,political,and religious contexts and motivations of this Hakka-led uprising.     

安徽何郢遗址植物残体切割形态与脱粒农具的关系

石器和植物残体的相关研究证明,脱粒板曾大规模应用于近东地区。为探索古代中国或远东是否也曾使用过这种工具或类似工具,本研究对何郢遗址植物残体形态进行了研究,结果表明中国商周遗址存在切割形态植物残体的证据,以此推测类似脱粒板的农具在商周时期曾被使用。无疑,这一发现对我国古代农作物的脱粒加工方式具有重要的启示,可望深化我国农业考古的探索。     

北魏漆饮食器类型探微

中国是世界漆工艺的发祥地.据文献记载,漆器的历史可追溯到历史传说的尧舜时期.从考古发现来看,中国制造和使用漆器的历史可以上溯到距今约8000多年的新石器时代,比文献记载要早得多.到战国秦汉时期,出土漆器的地区、种类、数量远远超过前代,进人中国古代漆器工艺发展的一个高峰时期.东汉以后至魏晋南北朝,墓葬中漆器出土数量减少.提到北魏漆器,可能只会想到司马金龙墓的漆屏风、固原的彩绘漆棺等.其实北魏墓葬中漆器出土数量相对来说仅次于陶器,且有自己的时代特点.本文仅就北魏漆器中的饮食器类型作一探讨.     

马克思主义的范式

马克思主义是考古学思想的重要方面,它不仅影响了文化历史考古学的发展,如柴尔德,还影响到过程考古学(如其中的唯物主义思想),更影响到后过程考古学(如批判理论、能动性、性别考古等),它是不同考古学的范式的思想源泉。对于中国考古学而言,它又有着非常特殊的意义,作为中国考古学的指导思想,长期影响中国考古学的发展。但是它与专注于考古材料获取与科学分析而非解释的中国考古学之间存在比较大的空缺,因此我们面对再熟悉不过的思想时其实又是陌生的。本文的贡献在于它全面地回顾了世界不同地区考古学与马克思主义的关系,这种全球的视野正是我们缺少的。结合世界各地的发展,无疑更有利于我们把握中国马克思主义考古的发展。从世界马克思主义考古学的发展历史来看,有一点非常值得注意,那就是马克思主义一直是一种非常具有批判力的思想,它为被压迫的阶级、民族、或是其他类型群体、乃至个体呐喊,发现那些历史与现实掩盖的真相与知识。阅读此文之后,也许我们应该思考我们究竟应该如何面对中国马克思主义考古学的实践。     

古希腊罗马的妓女及其价值观

古代希腊罗马世界的经济发展模式是现代资本主义的、还是自然经济的、抑或是"嵌入型"的模式,一直存在争议。这显示了古典时期经济发展的复杂性。但这些模式存在明显的纰漏:只整合了城市男性精英群体的价值观并得到了我们一直使用的文献资料的强化。一个修正和平衡的模式无疑是广大下层民众的经济活动及其价值观的揭示。古代希腊罗马妓女的世界恰好是这一修正模式的最好载体。