Construction of the Genealogy of Eccentric Monks Based on the Historical Materials of Chan Buddhism in the Song Dynasty--From Enlightened Masters in Chan Buddhism,Sages,to Saints

Regarding the Chan Buddhism lamp records from the Song Dynasty and starting from Jing De Zhuan Deng Lu,the category of“enlightened masters in Chan Buddhism”禪門達者was listed separately,meaning a separate category was established for eccentric monks who pretended to be crazy,had unknown inheritance and miraculous deeds,and were difficult to classify.The following lamp records named this category of eccentric monks as“sages”散聖,or“saints”應化聖賢,which constructed another historical genealogy for the special Chan Buddhism eccentric monks.Moreover,the early lamp records included mostly idiosyncratic mad monks from previous dynasties.Since the Southern Song Dynasty,Chan Buddhism historical materials included many sages from the current dynasty.Therefore,this study mainly examines how the genealogy of Chan Buddhism eccentric monks was constructed in Song Dynasty Chan Buddhism lamp records,including quotations,and organizes the images of eccentric monks in the Song Dynasty,as written in Chan Buddhism historical materials,in order that the meaning of existence of these enlightened masters,sages,saints,etc.,included in the genealogy of Song Dynasty eccentric monks in the history of Chan Buddhism can be reflected.

Case Records as Medical Stories: A Song-dynasty Doctor’s Narration of His Own Medicine-Xu Shuwei (1080-1154)

The key point in studying or teaching the history of Chinese medicine is on the doctrines underlying it and on its perception of the body,physiology,pathology,and its treatment.Namely,there is often a tendency to focus on reading and analysing the classical canons and therapy-related texts including formularies and materia medica collections.However,focusing on these sources provides us with a one-sided presentation of Chinese medicine.These primary sources lack the clinical down-to-earth know-how that encompasses medical treatment,which are represented,for instance,in the clinical rounds of modern medical schools.Our traditional focus on the medical canons and formularies provides almost no clinical knowledge,leaving us with a one-sided narrative that ignores how medicine and healing are actually practiced in the field.This paper focuses on the latter aspect of medicine from a historical perspective.Using written and visual sources dating to the Song dynasty,clinical encounters between doctors and patients including their families are depicted based on case records recorded by a physician,members of the patient’s family,and bystanders.This array of case records or case stories will enable us to narrate the interaction between physicians and patients both from the clinical perspective and from the social interaction.This paper will also discuss visual depictions of the medical encounter to provide another perspective for narrating medicine during the Song dynasty.Medical case records and paintings depicting medical encounters are exemplary of the potential of Chinese primary sources for narrative medicine.

The Research on the Battle of Yanmen Pass

During the war between Liao Dynasty(907-1125)and Northern Song Dynasty(960-1127),there was a classic battle that happened in Yanmen Pass(located in today’s Dai County,Xinzhou,Shanxi Province,China).It was a well known battle of ancient China because a commander of the Song army named Yang Ye(?-986)was really famous in both classical Chinese fictions and Chinese war history.He is the early protagonist of a famous Chinese classic fiction named The Romance of the Yang family’s generals(written in the 16th century,Ming Dynasty of China).The story of his family also appears in other novels.Besides,in history,he was a general who was active in the early stages of the war between Liao Dynasty and Northern Song Dynasty.The battle of Yanmen Pass(980)was one of the most important battles of Yang’s military career.His combat style especially his cavalry tactic can be summarized through researching this battle.

Lead isotopic study of Shang Dynasty bronzes (13-11 B.C.)and their ore sources

The Shang Dynasty civilization in China is based on the development of the bronze techniques. A large amount of Shang Dynasty bronzes, excavated from Jiangxi, Hubei and Henan Provinces, have become a focus of world attention. However,the Sha-ng Dynasty center was located at Zhenzhou and Allyang city areas, Henan Province, where no large copper ores have been found so far. Therefore, where did the huge ore material for casting the bronzes come from? It is an unsettled question paid attention by the archaeologists and scicntists. 35 Shang Dynasty bronzes and 21 copper and lead ore materials aged in the Shang-Zhou Dynasty, the Spring-Autumn Period and the modern time, have been measured by the use of mass spectrometry.Based upon lead isotopic ratios, the ore material for casting the bronzes with the middle isotopic ratios of 207Pb/206Pb ranged in 0.8～0.9 could come from the ancient copper mine of Tongling, Jiangxi Province and Tong Lushan, Hubei Province and that with the high isotopic ratios (＞0.9) could be from the northern part of the Shang Empire, called "Gongfang" in the historical records, e.g. today’s Hebei and LiaoningProvinces. The others with the low isotopic ratios (＜0.8) might originate from poly-metalic deposits, with the high isotopic ratios of 238U/204 Pb in the ore flux or in the magma.

Reacting to Epidemics:The Innovative Imperial Public Health System during the Late Northern Song Dynasty

Song China was a period in which China experienced a great increase in its population.Concurrently,the Song dynasty also experienced a rise in the frequency of epidemics and two major wars with the Western Xia and Liao dynasties during the 1000s and 1040s.The consequences of these changes were exacerbated by the increased geographical mobility of certain social groups such as traders and examinees attending civil service examinations.Thus,casualties of wars,epidemics,or disease,especially of people whose families were far away and could not care for them were left without care and“their corpses often lay bare along the roads.”This new social environment created a need for general relief.The Northern Song government(960-1127 CE),especially during the reign of Emperor Huizong,established an innovative public health system to address this issue.The public health system included poorhouses,public hospitals,and pauper’s cemeteries.The first were more of charity organizations,whereas the latter two promoted public health by providing medical services for the poor and burial for those that nobody cared for.In terms of rationale behind these institutions,on the one hand,they constituted an attempt to get the poor and homeless off the streets while providing them relief or burial.On the other hand,it seems that Huizong’s deep concern with medicine propelled him to design and implement a comprehensive public health system oriented to prevent contagion and outbreak of epidemics.This article depicts the background,the organization,and the functions of the system.The article also discusses the conditions and reasons that gave rise to such a unique undertaking by the Northern Song government.

A Preliminary Study on the Spherical Bombs(Huolei)of the Southern Song Dynasty,Unearthed in Chongqing

The military situation of the thirteenth century required that the Song and the Mongols construct a great number of defensive works,relying on the mountains or facing the rivers,in the mountainous Sichuan Province and Chongqing.In recent years,a special kind of explosive firearms,huolei火雷(bombs),was unearthed in the large-scale excavations of the site of Diaoyu Fortress钓鱼城in Hechuan District合川and the Baidicheng白帝城in Fengjie County奉节,both of which were defensive works constructed in this mountainous area during the Southern Song dynasty.In addition,the ruins of kilns and the clay molds that were relevant to the casting of iron huolei have been discovered at the site of Baidicheng,indicating that these huolei might have been produced locally.The Southern Song iron huolei unearthed in Chongqing are the most direct evidence of the evolvement of gunpowder and firearms,and are of great significance to the history of science and technology,in particular the history of military technology.

Analysis of Style of Rockery Building and Stone Stacking Technique in the Royal Garden of the Song Dynasty: A Case Study of Genyue Royal Garden

Rockery building and stone stacking is a technique commonly used in building of classical gardens.Its emergence allows the fairy thought of"one pond and three mountains"to be reflected in different classical gardens.In the Northern Song Dynasty,the style of rockery building and stone stacking in the royal garden was an artistic climax in the history of the garden,and the technique of rockery building and stone stacking in Genyue Royal Garden was considered as the beginning of specialization.Through sorting out the records of the royal gardens in the Song Dynasty,this paper summarized the content of studying the royal gardens of the Song Dynasty,and systematically sorted out the development history of the techniques and styles of the royal gardens of the Song Dynasty and applied them into construction of some gardens.

Artistic Features of Gardens in Southern Song Dynasty

Based on the discussion of gardens in song dynasty,the artistic characteristics of gardens in southern song dynasty are analyzed from the four perspectives of poetry and painting style,stone piling and water designing,architectural form and plant cultivation.The gardens of southern song dynasty embody the regional and cultural characteristics of Jiangnan.The aesthetic appreciation of gardens infl uenced by the style of poetry and painting highlights the artistic characteristics of false or true complement,soft and elegant,and tends to be popularized.Mountain stones are stacked into peaks and waters are designed according to local conditions.The architectural forms are strewn at random,exquisite and elegant.Landscape plants present varying sceneries with changing view-points,and naming echo with scenes to enhance the artistic value of landscape.It is hoped that the status of garden art of southern song dynasty in the history of Chinese classical gardens can be evaluated more scientifi cally and objectively through the research,and some reliable theoretical basis can be provided for modern garden design.

Treasures from the Xingan Shang-Dynasty Tomb

IN 1989 on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China,a large tomb of the Shang Dynasty(17th-11th century B.C.)was ex-cavated in Xingan County,JiangxiProvince.After viewing the burialobjects the archaeologists concludedthat the history of ancient civiliza-tions south of the Yangtze River willhave to be rewritten.The tomb is located in theCheng Family Village,DayangzhouTownship,and was found by avillager digging for sand.After amonth’s excavation,the layout ofthe ancient burial.site was broughtto light by archaeologists.

The Influence of Thesis Writing of Imperial Examinations on Prose in Tang and Song Dynasty

The imperial examination system not only has profound influence on prose development in Tang and Song Dynasty, but also has an important influence on the whole Tang and Song Dynasty and even the later literature and cultural development. In the feudal autocratic rule, any system implemented by the state will have an important influence on all aspects of the whole society~ especially it is related with the imperial examination system of education and talents. Once it becomes a ＂basic national policy＂ , the role in social development is incalculable. This paper takes the relationship between imperial examination system and Tang and Song prose development as the breakthrough point, analyzing the influence of thesis writing of imperial examination on the prose in Tang and Song Dynasty and ＂Eight great men in Tang and Song Dynasty＂ .

On the legal systems of the overseas trade in the Song Dynasty

The golden period of the development of China＇s overseas trades is most significant in the Song Dynasty, which established the legal mechanisms of the overseas trades with the perfect systems. These legal regulations made clear the subjects of the overseas trade to a large extent, stipulated the procedures for the overseas trade, and at the same time, established the related legal liabilities and regulation means and methods of the governments. Although it met the huge demands of the development of the foreign trade, and had brought the economic income for the governments, yet because the governments had adopted the strict control measures, to a certain extent, it also restricted the rapid development of the foreign trade. This paper starts from the analysis of the legal subjects of the overseas trade in the Song Dynasty, and conducted the specific analysis of the trade procedures and other related contents of the legal systems of the overseas trade in the Song Dynasty.

The Artistic Styles of Ceramic Censers in Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty was very significant in Chinese feudal history, and ceramic industry boomed during that time： all kinds of kilns were scattered all over the country, and ceramic art achieved great success. Among those achievements, ceramic censers were a very typical one which features unique styles in patterns, decorations, and glaze colors. This paper covers the developing process and artistic characteristics of censers in Song Dynasty.

Different Views on the Historical Status of Song Dynasty

The purpose of this research is to identify the historical status of Song Dynasty of China.The historical status of Song Dynasty has been a controversial topic for a long time.Song Dynasty has been remembered in different ways in China and in the West at different times.This study will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Song Dynasty and evaluate Song Dynasty real istically and fairly.

Walking into the world of Li Yu

Li Yu is a failure as emperor,but as a ci writer he is considered to be the indisputable emperor to take the crown.A brief life of Li Yu is first presented to account for his failure as emperor and success as a ci writer.Then some of his ci poems are analyzed according to the categories of court life,love and lamentation over past splendor.In the end,his achievements in ci writing are summarized by citing Wang Guowei's words from his Comments on Ci in the Human World.

The Rediscovery of“Evocation”(Xing)and the Rise of“Poems Based on Evocation with Miscellaneous Themes”(Za-Xing)in the Resurgence Era of Southern Song Dynasty

The composition of group poems based on evocation with miscellaneous themes(za-xing)first emerged in the Tang Dynasty,pioneered by Du Fu and Chu Guangxi,but an extraordinary outburst of group poems based on evocation with miscellaneous themes emerged in the the resurgence era of Southern Song Dynasty.This phenomenon was not only influenced by new ideas in poetics and the studies of Confucian classics in the Southern Song Dynasty but also directly stemmed from the resistance against the poetic system represented by the Jiangxi poetry school.The group poems based on evocation with miscellaneous themes of poets such as Lu You,Yang Wanli,and Fan Chengda exhibit a tendency opposite to the Jiangxi poetic style in terms of their overall characteristics.The rise of evocation with miscellaneous themes poems in the poetic circle of the the resurgence era of Southern Song Dynasty holds significant importance in the history of Song poetry.It represents a rebellious and rule-breaking force that fundamentally protests against the various rules and boundaries established by Song poetics,marking a revolution in the norms of Song poetry.

“Commercial Revolution” in the Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty has been known in history for its great commercial success due to a series of events in the dynasty.In order to explain the reasons for economic success,this paper attempts to use factors such as political stability,discovery of new rice species in the South,the introduction of paper money by merchants from Sichuan in the South of China,and the increase in iron production especially in the North.Specialisation of products is also discussed separately but into details.A further mention of characteristics of the internal and international trade is also highlighted in this paper.An introduction of how the Song dynasty was founded and its distinct political,social and cultural characteristics,are delved into.Also the separation of northern Song Dynasty from the southern Song dynasty will be discussed.The paper concludes with combined interpretations from the famous“Qing Ming Shag He Tu”painting.This painting gives a somewhat illustrated evidence of the vibrancy of the Song Dynasty’s commercialisation recorded in history.

Yuan Shangdu--Summer Capital of Yuann Dynasty

Shangdu,which literally means“Upper Capital,”was the summer capital of the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368)in China.Located on the Jinlianchuan Grasslands of Xilingol League in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,Shangdu is bordered by the Xanadu River to the south and Longgang Mountain to the north.Founded in 1256,Shangdu covers a vast area of 250 square kilometers.

Measurement of transient thickness between the body and graze layers of ancient porcelains using microprobe EDXRF technique

The oxide contents of TiO2, MnO, SrO and Fe2O3 in the body and graze layers of the Jiao-Tan-Xia (JTX) and Lao-Hu-Dong (LHD) porcelains in Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.) have been determined using an In- ternational Eagle-II μ-probe EDXRF spectrometer. The results show that the contents in the body are much different from those in the graze one. Therefore, the transient thickness (TT) between the body and graze layers can be meas- ured through determination of a distance of the drift change in the chemical contents. The TT average for the JTX porcelains is 161μm, while that for the LHD porcelains is 258μm, which are consistent with a range of 0.15-0.3mm in the Ru-Yao porcelains. The different TT is related to the variances in firing temperature and raw material for manu- facturing the respective porcelains.