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.

Functions of Karez to Xinjiang Agriculture in the Qing Dynasty from the Perspective of Historical Documents

Desertification is increasingly serious in Xinjiang,and the construction of water conservancy is a precondition for the development of agriculture.The main project for the development of agriculture and water conservancy in Xinjiang is to build Karez,which played a vital role in the development of Xinjiang agriculture in the Qing Dynasty.It has been recorded many times in historical documents of the Qing Dynasty,such as Lin Zexu s Diary,Tao Baolian s Diary,Xinjiang Atlas and Zuo Zongtang s Memorial to the Emperor,etc.,which recorded the situation and historical origin of Karez.Karez made a significant contribution to the development of agriculture in the Qing Dynasty.It increased the cultivated land in Xinjiang at that time,and increased the types and yields of crops.It is conducive to the stability and development of Xinjiang s economy.Until today,Karez is still an important water source for agricultural irrigation in Xinjiang.

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.

A Set of Acupuncture Needles in the Late Qing Dynasty Collected by George Souliéde Morant

In the early 20th century,French vice-consul George Souliéde Morant encountered acupuncture during his visit to China,and then brought it back to France.After more than a century,his collection was transported from Paris,France to Kunming,China,and later recognized as a Chinese national third-class precious cultural heritage.Currently housed in the Museum of Western Studies on Chinese Medicine at Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine,this set of instruments includes one needle holder converted from a fan-shaped holder,ten acupuncture needles,and eleven paper tags handwritten in English with names of diseases and body parts.This article attempts to present the foundational information and historical significance of this collection of this set of late Qing dynasty acupuncture instruments by reviewing the collection and related research on acupuncture instruments,consulting acupuncture professionals,measuring the detailed information of the set of instruments,and employing a method of translating and summarizing the content of the attached tags.

An Overview of the Achievements of Modern Research on the Flying Shadow Pavilion Pictorial

The current academic research on the Dian Shi Zhai Pictorial founded in 1884 has been perfected,but there is very little research on the Flying Shadow Pavilion Pictorial,which can be said to be derived from Dian Shi Zhai Pictorial terms of both content and form,and which was founded by the Haiist painter Wu Youru in 1890 in order to reward the increasing number of admirers,but it is still in the initial stage.Flying Shadow Pavilion Pictorial consisted of four parts:pictures of ladies in Shanghai costumes,news about current affairs,pictures of animals,and compilations of women,each of which was accompanied by the then popular notebooks,which were popular at the time among the then readers because of the matching of pictures with text and the mixing of narratives and discussions.This paper takes Flying Shadow Pavilion Pictorial as the main object,summarizes the existing literature about Flying Shadow Pavilion Pictorial,points out the deficiencies of the current research on this basis,and points out the development trend of Flying Shadow Pavilion Pictorial in the future research.

Looking up Prescriptions to Treat Infectious Disease:Anti-epidemic Books of Medical Formularies and Epidemic Prevention and Control in the Qing Dynasty

Copying,compiling,publishing,disseminating,and referencing anti-epidemic books of medical formularies were common activities during the outbreak of epidemics in the Qing dynasty.Its emergence,motivated by epidemic disease again and again,was important component parts of epidemic prevention and control.They played a unique role as media on affairs such as treating patients suffering from infectious diseases,mobilizing peoples to make contributions to anti-epidemic activities,integrating and popularizing knowledge of epidemic prevention.Anti-epidemic books of medical formularies were important to link peoples,things,and substances related with epidemic prevention and control,and were a kind of motivation to actively deal with the infectious disease,control the epidemic,and maintain health.Compared to other common measures,anti-epidemic books of medical formularies participated in many prevention and control practices deeply,which actually built a low cost,spontaneous,dispersed and non-institutional system to respond to epidemic,and the system had characteristics of stronger conductibility,bigger coverage area,and better external benefits.

A New Inquiry Into the Contents of the Late Qing Dynasty Pictorial News Publication-The Core of “Entertainment Life” in Dianshizhai Pictorial

After the opening of ports in the late Qing Dynasty,Western culture was introduced into China.The local entertainment life presented the phenomenon of the coexistence of the East and the West.A large number of folk entertainment activities were recorded in the Dianshizhai Pictorial which have the function of cultural choice and value dissemination as well as current affairs.This research attempts to use literary analysis and case study to collate the entertainment life in the Dianshizhai Pictorial,combing the characteristics of the late Qing dynasty,and summarizing the value of entertainment in Dianshizhai Pictorial publishing.

Glimpse of the Han Dynasty from Han Stone Relief——Take the Han stone relief in Tengzhou For Example

Han stone relief is a kind of unique burial art in China and has a far-reaching influence in the whole history of art.Han stone relief is discovered in quite a few districts in China.Tengzhou is one of the districts that discovers Han stone relief at the earliest and has relatively abundant remains.The article takes Han stone relief that is in Tengzhou Shandong as an example,analyzes the subjects and contents of it,as well as its values,and explores the mainstream ideology which is reflected by these stone portraits at that time.

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.

Landscape Design of the Ming Dynasty Outer City Wall in Nanjing from the Perspective of Experience Tourism

Taking a section of the Ming Dynasty Outer City Wall from Xianhe Gate to Qilin Gate for example, this paper proposed the landscape design from the perspective of experience tourism, highlighted the wal, and took the beautiful environment and rich history and cultures of the Ming Dynasty Outer City Wall as the essential experience elements, to build cultural recreational corridors with the theme of "experiencing the Ming Dynasty culture", so that visitors will get unforgettable experience, tourism quality, popularity of the Ming Dynasty Outer City Wall as well as its cultural and educational significance will be further promoted.

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.

Cultural Treasures from the Song Dynasty

THE Song Dynasty was an important period in Chinese history.Founded in the year 960,it lasted for 320years and established its capital first in Kaifeng and then Hangzhou successively.Traditionally,the period of the Song Dynasty which had its capital in Kaifeng (today’s Kaifeng City in Henan Province) before the year 1127 was called the Northern Song,and the period of the dynasty that moved its capital to Linan (today’s Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province)after the year 1127 was called the Southern Song.

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.

The Evolution Characteristics of Spatial Layout of Ancient Chinese Capitals: A Case Study of Sui,Tang and Northern Song Dynasties With Important Changes in the Historical Development of Feudal Society

Imperial city and outer city are the most important differentiation of the spatial structure of ancient Chinese capitals.The relationship between city and Guo changed from the original spatial structure mode of "respecting the west" and "sitting in the west and facing the east" to the spatial structure mode of "sitting in the north and facing the south" and the three outer cities in the east,south and west surrounding the imperial city after the Wei,Jin,Southern and Northern Dynasties,and gradually changed from the original "multi palace" system to the "single palace" system.Finally,a "heavy city" capital spatial structure with the outer city around the imperial city and the imperial city around the palace city,and the central axis of the chessboard format was formed.During the Tang and Song Dynasties,it was a period of great change in the history of feudal society in China.Through the investigation of the evolution characteristics of the spatial form of capital cities in the Tang and Song Dynasties,the track of the transformation of social ideology,political system,economic structure and many other fields in the Tang and Song Dynasties was made clear.

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.

Discovering the World from Ceramics

Located in the southwest of Yuzhou City,Henan Province,Shenhou Ancient Town is famous for its Jun porcelain art,known as the Home of China's Jun Porcelain.Shenhou Ancient Town was founded in the Song Dynasty and rebuilt in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty(1495).

A Study on the“Social Behavior”of Zen Poetry Culture:A Case Study of the Sui and Tang Dynasties

During the Sui and Tang dynasties,Buddhism and Zen poetry underwent great development.Zen poetry is diverse in form,strong in personality,and high in achievement.Among the types of Zen poetry are poems,lyrics,and prose,some of which have social attributes closely related to the development of Chinese Buddhism.An analysis reveals that the viewpoints and information conveyed in these poems,lyrics,and prose are positively correlated with the attitudes of the emperors towards Buddhism.When the attitude of the emperor towards Buddhism reached its peak of positivity during the Tang dynasty,there was a change towards a negative correlation with the viewpoints expressed in poetry.

On the Aesthetic Wonder and Unity at the Peak of Literary Theory in the Six Dynasties Key

The study found that the classics born during the turbulent Six Dynasties period,starting from Cao Pi’s“The Classics”to“Wen Fu”,“Wen Xin Diao Long”,“Shipin”and other classics,can all be analyzed to have a common origin.Attributes,that is,the philosophical strategy of dualistic isomorphism of explicit and implicit,is also a pattern;it can be proven that this is the philosophical key to interpreting and studying the classics of the Six Dynasties.It not only governs many aesthetic principles and aesthetic methods,but also emphasizes the need to transcend the appearance of current existence,transcend the current utilitarianism,and pay attention to the hidden and non-existent,just like paying attention to dark matter and antimatter in the universe.Pay attention to the origin of Shipin and expand aesthetic horizons;this philosophical secret not only exists in the classics of the Six Dynasties,it has its unity,graphics and vitality,as well as its historical inheritance and continuous operation.Its trajectory marks the context of literary theory and aesthetics;the modern construction of contemporary literary theory must be based on its operating trends.Only by transcending all utilitarianism can we better demonstrate the natural characteristics of Chinese tradition such as nationality.Otherwise,literary theory,aesthetics,and philosophy will not be self-consistent.

Contribution and Modern Public Debt:On the Nature of Patriotic Public Debt in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China

There are different opinions about the first modern domestic debt in China.The theorists judge whether a certain public debt has modernity according to whether it has modern public debt form,ignoring the inconsistency between form and content,institutional provisions and actual implementation.The modern nature of public debt must have both the form and content of modern public debt.Based on the analysis of the issuing background,system design,collection and repayment of patriotic bonds in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China,it is considered that the part of patriotic bonds subscribed by the Qing royal family is still the nature of donation and return,while the part subscribed by ordinary businessmen and people in the early Republic of China has a modern nature.The dual nature of patriotic bonds is closely related to the social background when the bonds are issued.