Bringing Chinese Law in Line with Western Standards? Problematizing “Chinese” and “Western” in the Late Qing Debate over the New Criminal Code of Great Qing

This article examines the intense debates over the New Criminal Code of Great Qing (Da-Qing xin xinglü) in the National Assembly (Zizheng yuan) during the Qing empire’s New Policy Reform (1901–11). The focus is on the conflict between those who drafted and supported the new code and those who expressed reservations, especially over reform of the laws on filial piety and fornication. The issue of reconfiguring the family and social order through law was closely related to the overarching agenda of twentieth century legal reform in China—making an empire that “ruled through the principle of filial piety” into a modern nation-state that had direct relationships with its citizens. More importantly, an analysis of the late Qing debate over family law enables this article to problematize such concepts as “Chinese” and “Western” during this crucial moment of China’s empire-to-nation transformation. It showcases the paradox of China’s modern-era reforms—a contradiction between imposing Western-inspired order with a largely indigenous logic and maintaining existing sociopolitical order in the name of preserving national identity.     

近代中国邮政空间的“国进民退”

近代中国邮政空间主要是以民信局、国营邮政、侨批等多种企业实体构成。清朝邮政成立后即开始蚕食小额民间资本支持下的民信局经营空间,而基于对1936年《中华民国邮政舆图》的数字化工作发现,历经40余年经营,国营邮政基本整合了全国范围内的邮政空间,也基本完成了本领域的“国进民退”。在此过程中,国营邮政审慎模仿民信局的经营方式,使用多种创新经营策略,除了在大中城市内部和城市之间构建了便捷快速的邮政网络空间,更借助邮政代办的方式以极低的成本将营业网络“下沉”到铁路和公路无法覆盖的农村地区,较好地与传统农村“定期市”网络完成耦合,基本达到了通商处必通邮的效果。国营邮政点和邮路集聚所形成的“邮政聚集区”也成为一种显著的近代化外在空间表征,同时成为界定所谓“核心—边缘”结构的系统可信、定量可验证的空间指标。     

明清丝绸之路哈密—吐鲁番段“沙尔湖路”研究

明清丝绸之路哈密—吐鲁番段存在一条自哈密西南沙尔湖转西北至鄯善进而抵达吐鲁番的“沙尔湖路”,它与“黑风川道”“小南路”等传统路线均不同。利用《蒙古山水地图》等文献,可对沙尔湖路具体行经进行考证复原。该路沿线地形平坦,有泉水与植被,在明廷与吐鲁番、清廷与准噶尔在哈密的政治和军事对峙阶段曾广泛使用,后因泉湖干涸、气候炎热而中断。     

《明实录》建文朝科举书写及其意涵

科举是建文历史的重要内容,也是其"文治"的具体表现。然而,《明实录》书写的建文朝科举,既缺乏三级科举考试的正面记载,又大体上掩盖了附传传主建文年间科举中式的信息。本不属于政治敏感性问题的科举史事,因其体现了建文帝泽被天下士子的恩典、妨碍了朱棣"文治"的弘扬,遭到了《明实录》的排斥。这表明实录对建文历史的讳饰,不只限于政治敏感性问题,而是一切有利于建文帝形象的史事。值得注意的是,史官在实录编修中采用春秋笔法披露了建文朝科举的蛛丝马迹,使得相关史事并没有在"国史"话语体系中完全被湮没。这反映出史官与君主在建文历史的认识、评价方面,存在一定的差异,此种现象并非晚明才出现,而是明初已露端倪。     

移动地理研究的一种理论框架——基于文献分析

移动性是21世纪人文地理的研究热点和重要议题,它体现了空间科学的社会学转向,属于人文地理学的核心概念和中心命题,其中心性突出体现在它与其他传统和新兴的人文地理分支学科的交叉。本文以表格为工具梳理了地理移动性的研究理路,发现移动地理与其他人文地理分支学科共同聚焦的核心是：时间地理、旅游地理、行为地理的“时空行为”问题,政治地理、社会地理的“权力”“平等”“权利”问题,身体地理的“具身实践”“感官体验”问题,情感地理的“地方依恋”“身份认同”问题,想象地理的“地方感”问题,道德地理的“空间道德感”问题。本文识别这些关键问题为移动地理的“核心要素”,搭建移动地理的框架和体系,指出探查这些要素之间相互作用机制和不同时空移动类型的转化机理是未来移动性的研究方向。根据移动的空间尺度和时间强度,构建了包括日常移动、旅游和旅行移动到永久性移动在内的地理学移动性连续轴类型,并探索了移动地理研究的方法论体系。     

聚醋酸乙烯酯乳液的表征、性能及其在彩绘类文物保护中的应用

聚醋酸乙烯酯(PVAc)乳液是常见的彩绘类文物保护材料。采用激光粒度仪、热重/差热分析、红外光谱、X-射线衍射、扫描电镜、透射电镜等表征了PVAc乳液的粒径以及胶膜的热稳定性、结构和形貌;采用粘度计、表面张力仪、pH计、电导率仪等研究了乳液浓度与其粘度、表面张力、pH、电导率的关系;通过冻融、室温-高温放置、离心分离研究了乳液的稳定性;同时用PVAc乳液对模拟起甲和酥碱的壁画进行了修复。结果表明,PVAc乳液粒径呈双峰分布,小粒子的平均粒径为380 nm,大粒子的平均粒径为5.85μm;乳液胶膜为非结晶物质,胶膜热重的最终质量残留为1.54%,335℃出现放热峰。PVAc乳液的电导率随浓度的增大而增大,pH随浓度的增大而下降;相同温度下表面张力随浓度的增大而基本呈现低浓度下降,高浓度上升的趋势。相同浓度下,表面张力随温度升高而无显著变化,表明PVAc乳液的表面张力受温度变化影响不大。相同温度下,乳液粘度随浓度的增大而增大;相同浓度下,乳液的粘度随温度的升高而降低。冻融、离心分离和不同温度下静置发现,该乳液出现分层。用该乳液对模拟起甲和酥碱壁画修复后,再分别老化20个循环和12个循环,发现颜料层再次空鼓、起甲。综合分析,说明实验中所使用的该种PVAc稳定性和抗老化能力较弱,在修复彩绘类文物中应慎重选择PVAc的种类,综合考虑PVAc的使用浓度、环境因素对其性能的影响,以达到最佳使用效果。     

慈利白公城遗址出土木材种属的鉴定研究

慈利白公城遗址历史悠久,具有重要的考古价值。该遗址出土了大量木质井壁及少量其他木质文物,为了解这些木材的特点,以及为木材保护提供相关的参考,通过徒手切片,并利用光学显微镜对该遗址出土的10件木质样品进行鉴定。结果表明其中1件为无患子(Sapindus. mukorossi Gaertn.),1件为冷杉(Abies fabri(Mast.)Craib),2件为湖南杨桐(Adinandra. acutifolia Hand.-Mazz.),2件为香椿(Toona sinensis A. Juss.),4件为润楠(Machilus pingii Cheng ex Yang)。通过实验结果,初步推测井壁的制作在当时是比较重要的工作,此时已经在选择性地使用木质井壁原料。从树种适宜生长的环境上看,同时期该遗址附近可能是以阔叶材为主的针阔叶混交林,气候温暖湿润。     

Self‐determination and a shattered star: Statehood and national identity in the Somali Horn of Africa

This article explores the articulation—in different forms, at different periods, and by different actors—of ‘national self‐determination’ in Somalia and across the Somali‐speaking regions of the Horn of Africa. It explores how this concept can be understood in the context of protracted political fragmentation in Somalia—considering unresolved debates over the ideological foundations of state reconstruction, disagreements about the suitability of federalism, aspirations for the recognition of an independent Republic of Somaliland, and the distinctive trajectory of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. Taking a comparative, cross‐border and wide‐angled historical approach, the article argues that ideas of an ethno‐linguistically, culturally and religiously defined Somali ‘nation’ continue to coexist (and be reproduced, updated and used) within an environment of extreme political fragmentation and across multiple ‘state’ boundaries. This argument is made through comparative analysis of contemporary examples of the performance of Somali state and nationalist identities within and beyond the region and the distinctive transnational Somali‐language media environment within which these ideas circulate and compete.     

Nitrogen cycling in western India as revealed by nitrogen isotopes,and the historic production of saltpetre

Saltpetre (KNO₃) manufacture was a principal monopoly industry in early Modern India when the United Kingdom governed the social and economic systems. The process represented microbial transformation of excrementitious livestock and human wastes deposited around habitats, resulting in formation of salt efflorescence at an economic scale. Low caste people collected these wastes for extraction and production of rough saltpetre under the administrative control of British India. Stable isotope composition (δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O) was used to trace details of the microbial transformation processes, often involving the isotopic fractionation of nitrogen and oxygen. Marked elevation in δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O values for nitrates in soils and deposits, relative to those of primary organic nitrogen in diets and water sources, characterizes the unique processes of historic saltpetre manufacture in British India.     

Variation in human bone bioerosion during the Late Eneolithic/Bronze Age in Moravia (Czech Republic): A novel approach to BSE-SEM image quality and quantity assessment

Human bones from Late Eneolithic graves and Bronze Age settlement pits in Moravia (Czech Republic) were studied to reconstruct their post-mortem histories based on the distribution of their microbial destruction. Backscattered electrons in a scanning electron microscope (BSE-SEM) were used for visual assessment of bioerosion. Visual data from the histological analysis were transformed into quantitative data using the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) toolkit. The results show that the presence of bioerosion is different between the two groups of samples. The bones from settlement pits display extensive bioerosion whereas the bones from graves display no or arrested bioerosion. The absence of bioerosion in graves is most probably linked with tomb burials of Corded Ware Culture. Given the tombs are frequently not preserved archaeologically, the state of bone bioerosion may serve as an indicator of their existence.