Tracing the origin of Chinese early white porcelain in the late sixth century—evidence from Xing kiln

As the criterion used by archaeologists for determining early white porcelain is quite ambiguous, the origin of Chinese white porcelain remains a point of disagreement. In this study, we systematically investigate 61 typical Xing porcelains of the late Northern dynasties to the early Sui dynasty (550–600 CE) using spectrophotometer, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and analyze the differences between early white porcelain and celadon of Xing kiln in terms of their whiteness and raw materials characteristic. The results show that early white porcelain is a new type of ware that differs from celadon, which can be distinguished by whiteness, with a whiteness greater than 8% being early white porcelain and a whiteness less than 8% being celadon. It is assumed that the ancient potters created the whiter wares based on celadon by improving the glaze and selecting new raw materials for the body, but the production of this type of ware was short lived and subsequently refined in the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE) owing to the limited improvement in whiteness.     

《春秋·庄公三十二年》伐邢之"狄"考

《春秋》所载伐邢之"狄"应为商人.在邢国墓葬考古中,发现有"毁墓"现象,由年代和情势判断,只能是对邢有"亡国"之恨的商人所为.狄也叫戎.戎在金文中写作" ",最初是商王小乙之子"子 "的氏族徽志.这个氏族一部分居于王畿北境,今河北新乐一带,负守土之责.周公东征后逃匿太行山中.狄也作翟.翟,《说文》云"山雉尾长者",《赵世家》云"子姓".图腾和族姓皆与商人相同.     

胡家草场汉简与尹湾汉简数术文献中的“刑德行时”

荆州胡家草场12号汉墓出土竹简《五行日书》按端、令、罚、刑、德五时占测为事、初病、生子诸事项的吉凶。这篇文献与尹湾汉墓出土的《刑德行时》大体属于同一文献的不同版本,两相比照,有助于加深对其文本源流、内涵的理解和认识。     

“翰林”、“盈”字款白瓷研究

本文在前人研究的基础上,通过对传世及出土文物进行梳理及查阅古文献资料,对“翰林”、“盈”字款白瓷的年代、产地及涵义等问题进行了探讨。“翰林”、“盈”字与唐代宫廷设置的翰林院及大盈库(百宝大盈库)有关,署这两种款识的白瓷是唐代邢窑专门为宫廷烧造的贡品,其年代当在开元以后,唐朝灭亡后不复烧造。其烧造地点在今河北省内丘县城关一带。“翰林”、“盈”字款白瓷是研究唐代邢窑生产性质及唐代社会政治、经济的重要实物资料。     

The East Asian War of 1592–98 and the court politics in the Ming dynasty

Abstract

This article argues that to understand the Ming decision-making in the sixteenth-century Korea War (1592–8), we must understand its institutional context. The article chronologically compares the major events of the Korea War with the actions of central figures of the Ming and, using the mutual antagonism between Xing Jie, supreme commander during the second stage of the war, and Zhao Zhigao, senior grand secretary in the Grand Secretariat, argues that Beijing was another theater of the Korea War. In this theater, battles were fought between the “doves” (Zhao Zhigao, Shi Xing, and Shen Weijing) and the “hawks” (Zhang Wei, Shen Yiguan, and Xing Jie).     

元朝统一前六部设置考

中统元年,忽必烈与阿里不哥争汗位,为取得汉人支持,效仿汉制建立政权。在建立中书省后,忽必烈又建立了六部体系。但是,忽必烈并非一开始就直接采用六部体系,而是创造性地建立左、右三部体系,后又在至元元年、五年、九年数度析分为"吏礼、户、兵刑、工"四部体系,直到至元十三年统一全国后,六部体系方才确定。史料虽对元初的六部设置有所记载,但彼此之间互有矛盾,其变化时间、变化过程、变化原因多语焉不详,甚至与蒙元初期一度因战争需要而临时设立的"行六部"存在混淆,需要考辨明晰。     

《藏行纪程》所载滇藏交通研究

《藏行纪程》详细记载了康熙末年杜昌丁自云南昆明至西藏洛隆宗的往返行程,是《三省入藏程站记》、《西藏通览》、《西藏新志》、《西藏志》等书滇藏交通部分的直接或间接资料来源,是研究清代滇藏交通的珍贵史料。文章通过对道路沿线地名的考证和梳理后发现该书多处地名顺序有误;该道路只在康熙末年及雍正年间用兵西藏时设过台站,其间屡设屡撤,云南的驿道也未延伸至西藏,称其为滇藏驿道并不恰当;与之相比,《藏纪概》所载滇藏台站更加准确和权威。     

贺知章撰唐许临墓志考释

唐许临墓志的发现为研究唐代的历史和文献提供了重要的新史料,本文从许临的家世、生平及仕履等方面对墓志作了考释,并就墓志作者贺知章及墓志对《元和姓纂》校勘的意义作了考证。     

乐府古辞与古诗十九首关系考辨

“古诗”之数,不仅十九之限,余见《乐府诗集》所收“古辞”之中,相与援袭,而存在一个共同的模仿对象,即乐府民歌。《乐府诗集》中《西门行》、《艳歌行》、《长歌行》等,当与乐府民歌相去不远,其主题元素广泛影响文人“古诗”制作;《西门行》一首尤为十九首中多篇祖述,而十九首之《生年不满百》为其改写。即此改写的言辞整练、构篇变化与音乐脱离,显见乐府歌辞向文人“古诗”的过渡,体现了后者的共同特点。究之“古诗”之作,并非“作者”的个体“创作”,而是展转相袭的共鸣抒写。     

大明衣冠今何在

在17世纪中叶以后出使北京的朝鲜使者的旅行记录中,对“薙发易服”后满清王朝的服装有大量尖刻和严厉的批评,通过这种批评可以看到,明清易代以后,朝鲜人对中国文化认同的巨大变化。朝鲜人对满清服装的鄙夷,其实来自一种文化立场,他们固执地认定汉族才是中华帝国的正统,大明衣冠才是中华文化的正宗,而满清却是蛮夷,穿满清服装则是文化沦落的象征。同时,他们想像在戏台演出、使团朝觐以及妇女衣着等方面保存的旧时衣冠,能够再度唤起汉族的历史记忆,这表现了当时朝鲜人坚定的“中华”观念以及这种观念后面的民族主义情绪。他们对汉族服装的斥责,并没有充分理解一般民众“遵时”和“从俗”的习惯,因此在这种关于中国的批评中,既有正当的朝鲜民族主义感情,也有维护正统的偏见和过于严厉的高调。