Improvised Hybridity in the “Fixing” of Chinese Infrastructure Capital: The Case of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway

The article explores the role of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the globalisation of China's infrastructure capital. Examining how accumulation strategies of Chinese SOEs are driven by a complex set of political and economic, state and private, interests, it foregrounds the inherently hybrid nature of China's state capitalism. We use Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) as a case study to analyse how state infrastructure capital traverses borders, and the specific ways that contradictions of accumulation in China are relocated through the improvised hybridity of SOEs. In Kenya, China Road and Bridge Corporation, the main SGR contractor, shifted and adapted its strategies as the pursuit of economic productivity gave way to political priorities in China, simultaneously responding to changing socio-political circumstances in Kenya and across East Africa. Analysing these dynamics, we highlight the contingencies of, and limitations to, structural reorganisation of actually existing forms of state capitalism in China and beyond.     

图们江“金三角”国际性城市体系发展构想

本文论述了图们江地区国际性城市体系建设的必要性,提出了城市体系等级结构、职能结构和空间结构的构建设想及管理原则,并初步估算了城市体系发展各项基础设施建设及投资规模。     

The Archaeometry and Archaeology of Ancient Chinese Glass: a Review

This paper provides a new review of archaeometric research carried out on glass found in China, set in an archaeological context, from its earliest occurrence to the Song dynasty. It is set within a broad geographical context taking the terrestrial and maritime Silk Road contacts into account. We discuss chemical and isotopic compositional contrasts in glasses from different periods found in different parts of China, the glasses that were almost certainly made in China and those that were imported. A theme that runs through the paper is the problem of provenancing glass found in China, along with a lack of evidence for primary glass‐making sites and minimal evidence for secondary glass production. We discuss the glass artefacts that are of typical Chinese types and contrast these with imports; the structure reflects this contrast. We discuss potential new scientific and archaeological approaches to Chinese glass.     

普洱茶与滇藏间茶马古道的兴盛

云南、西藏两地间交易茶叶、马匹等商品的交通线,近代以来称为"茶马古道"。茶马古道的出现,与相关道路的形成演变、清代普洱茶的兴起及运销西藏有关。在特定的历史条件下,清朝以普洱府、顺宁府为主要产地经营的大叶种茶,种植、生产获得迅速发展,同时运销西藏等地,西藏的骡马也赶到云南销售,"茶马古道"由此形成并趋兴盛。     

一批流散海外的吐蕃文物的初步考察

吐蕃文物曾通过不同途径流散于海外,主要包括金银器与织锦。从中反映出吐蕃作为七世纪以来兴起于青藏高原的强大政治集团与唐、粟特、萨珊波斯等都有着密切的文化联系,并已形成具有自身特色的金银器制作风格;以对兽纹为主题的织锦是吐蕃人最为喜好的"番锦"之一,有可能为粟特锦,也有可能为包含粟特锦、波斯锦等中亚风格在内的"胡锦"。吐蕃银器上的纹饰更是多见于吐善时期的装饰性图案当中,并且影响到以后的藏族艺术。     

丝路开通之初帕提亚帝国境内的东西交通路线

丝绸之路的具体路径是学界在中外交流领域长期关注的焦点.张骞凿空之时,正是帕提亚帝国疆域大扩张时期,从两河流域到中亚的道路基本在其控制之下.从西到东,帕提亚帝国的领土可分为三大区域:亚述一巴比伦尼亚地区、伊朗高原上的波斯腹地以及赫卡尼亚以东的不稳定控制地域.自亚历山大东征至四大帝国并立时的1-2世纪,帕提亚帝国境内的东西...     

唐玉门关地望新探——基于历史文献与考古遗存互证

在实地调查的基础上,根据传世典籍和出土文献的记载,结合年代测定、考古发现和遥感影像资料,通过空间分析,作者认为唐玉门关和墨离军驻地应在河西走廊西段的常乐故城,即今瓜州县“六工古城”遗址。这里是丝绸之路的交通枢纽,是西域出入口的重要关卡,亦即北魏时期新开伊吾道的起首。唐代玉门关地处疏勒河和榆林河下游洪积冲积扇缘的古绿洲,地貌和水资源等地理环境因素是制约关城选址的基础条件,而政治、军事等人文地理因素则是决定玉门关时空变迁的关键。     

成都光华村街唐墓出土琥珀的红外分析

我国古代先民很早就意识到琥珀的装饰和药用价值,汉代开始从西域引入琥珀,唐代时琥珀已比较常见。我国古代琥珀多为进口琥珀,琥珀产地分析可以反映中外文化交流情况。国内仅对私人琥珀藏品进行过分析,考古出土琥珀的科技分析尚未见报道。本研究通过红外光谱分析,判定成都光华村街低阶官员唐墓出土红色饰品为琥珀;再与若干产地的琥珀开展红外光谱对比,鉴定其产地为波罗的海地区。琥珀经过丝绸之路到达蜀地并为低阶官员所使用,足见唐代琥珀制品的盛行及当时国际贸易文化交流的盛况。     

唐宋時期邕州入交三道

《宋史》记载,中国在唐代以后,曾发展出十六道通往交趾的水陆交通路线,可惜史书并无具体行经路线的说明。本文透过文献记载,考证出当时邕州进入交趾的三条主要交通路线。受到桂西山脉的环境限制,这三条道路大致沿着明江、水口河及平而河三个河谷平原前进,作者因此分别称之为:明江道、水口道与平而道。文中除对三条路线具体描述以外,也对中国与安南重要边境城市"永平砦"的形成背景、功能、存续时间及确切位置,详加考证与说明。     

清代新疆冰岭道建置考

冰岭道作为乾隆平回之后为屯田伊犁而设的首条官方台路,其重要性自不待言。然而,长期以来,学界对这一问题的研究却较为缺乏。近年来,虽有学者对冰岭道做了专门探讨,但对于此路最为重要且变化最为剧烈的建置初期的情形,却由于汉文史料的匮乏而论述简略,考证失实。有鉴于此,本文在吸收前人经验的基础上,充分利用满汉文史料,对冰岭道的建置情形进行了考察。首先,证实了冰岭道建置初期并非仅有两阶段,而是有着层次分明的三个阶段。其次,对三阶段中所设台站的兴废增减进行了梳理,并阐明其调整过程不仅反映了台站职能的变化,更体现了清廷对新疆统治思想的变迁。最后,考证出伊犁驻防建设初期,伊犁地区与外界沟通的官方台路仅有冰岭道一条。