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01 September 2018, Volume 0 Issue 3 Previous Issue    Next Issue
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The Generation of Famine Relief Data and Related Issues in Qing Dynasty: Focus on the Reign of Emperor Qianlong YANG Shuangli 2018, 0(3): 1-15.  Abstract ( )   PDF (809KB) ( )   Most historical data have a complex generation process and data may vary widely due to different historical sources, measurement standards, statistical methods and estimates. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the basic data in quantitative history meticulously. However, former studies of famine history neither paid enough attention to the regulation of famines, characteristics of the documentation and the system of famine relief, nor did these studies use sophisticated methods of statistics and calculation. So both the disaster records and famine relief records are inaccurate. In the process of obtaining historical data, not only do we have to consider fully the reality of academic research to use the data scientifically, but we also must grasp the basic characteristics of the object of study and the inner logic of documentary records in order to use the data historically. It is important to pay attention to data matching and its scope of application when dealing with data. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Auditing of Separate-register Households during the Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns QU Cheng 2018, 0(3): 16-32.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1042KB) ( )   In the Qing dynasty, there were two types of Manchu“separate-register households”:the detached separate-register households（linghu lingji dang’an）and“self-declared”separateregister households（zishou lingji dang’an）. During the Qianlong reign, the self-declared-separateregister households were not included in the Eight Banners system, while the detached separate-register households were kept in the system because they had received military awards. The Qing government undertook several effective measures in the auditing of separate-register households that helped to optimize the Eight Banners system, temporarily relieved the problem of banner livelihoods, and eased the financial pressures on the central government. The self-declared separate-register households received more opportunities to earn a living, but the changes intensified the division between bannermen and the Han people. In the long run, the auditing of the household registers could not fundamentally solve the various problems of Eight Banners livelihoods. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Elements and Practice of Forensic Knowledge in the Qing Dynasty CHEN Chongfang 2018, 0(3): 33-49.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1257KB) ( )   After combing through various examples in books and documents, the author argues that although the Legislation Commission designated the Xiyuan lu as an“appoffcial manual,”this work was not the unchallenged source of conventional knowledge of forensic medicine. Inheriting the tradition of a more flexible lication of the Xiyuan lu since the Yuan and Ming, in fact the application of forensic knowledge in the Qing Dynasty was more flexible than previously thought. For example, coroners used compilations of cases and folk writings, to supplement deficiencies in the official manual. Coroners also had a certain amount of space in which to practice, and did not rely on a mechanical application based on the Xiyuan lu. The official manuals and folk writings, the experience of coroners and government officials, as well as case compilations, whether as source of knowledge or legal institutions, were important components of forensic knowledge. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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“Stranger’s Tongue”: American Presbyterian Missionaries’ Studies of the Ningbo Vernacular (1844-1911） ZHAO Li 2018, 0(3): 50-61.  Abstract ( )   PDF (821KB) ( )   The study of spoken language played an important role in the careers of Protestant missionaries in China. The initial encounter with the Ningbo dialect, shattered the Presbyterian missionaries imagined notion of a unified spoken Chinese, and led them to realize the great divide between the Ningbo vernacular and other Chinese dialects. Forced to engage in the study of Ningbo vernacular, the missionaries gained a foothold in Ningbo society from which they consciously focused on the study of the vernacular and created a Romanized phonetic system and a spelling system that adopted Chinese characters to write the Ningbo Vernacular. Ultimately, Presbyterian missionaries established a relatively complete writing system for the spoken language, which enhanced the efficiency of vernacular learning, while absorbing the spoken style of Mandarin dialect, and successfully incorporated the Chinese characters into the process of learning the Ningbo vernacular. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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“Spring Flowers” (Wheat-Barley-Beans）and the Food Supply of Taiwan in the Qing Dynasty HSIEH Mei-e 2018, 0(3): 62-77.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1134KB) ( )   Most of scholars prefer to mention only the primary grain, rice and the secondary grain, sweet potatoes when discussing food production and distribution in Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty while they ignore another important component of the grain market, the cultivation and price of “spring flowers” (wheat, barley, and beans). Local officials at the county level were required to report annual summer and autumn harvests. The autumn harvest meant rice and the summer harvest referred to the spring !owers and the early ripening rice. Both spring flowers and sweet potatoes were considered to be important secondary foods, however, according to government regulations, the summer harvest report included spring flowers but there was no mention of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes fed the poor and were cultivated on marginal land but spring !owers were grown on paddy land and rotated with the rice crop. Previous research has overlooked the important position of spring flowers. This article aims to provide a detailed account of the cultivation of spring flowers, and the association of its prices, chie!y wheat prices, with rice prices during the eighteenth century. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Actual Receipts, Tax Quotas, and Reported Accounts: A Study of the Mining Tax in Yunnan during the Qing Dynasty MA Qi 2018, 0(3): 78-90.  Abstract ( )   PDF (747KB) ( )   The mining industry of Yunnan in the Qing Dynasty has an important position in the history of the development of mining in China，and the mining tax has been an important foundation for the study of the scale of mining and mining management. The mining tax of Yunnan has been a core issue in research in the Qing Dynasty，however，most previous studies have directly quoted the data in the literature without critically examining the origin and content of the data，and some have even conflated the actual tax collection with the tax quota. Therefore，based on an analysis of the source and composition of the Yunnan tax and the archives of officially reported accounts，this article calculates the amount of silver tax actually collected in Yunnan province，and analyzes the process and rationale underlying the tax collection in order to advance the study of mining in the Qing Dynasty. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Logic of Violence: Porter Organizations in Chongqing 1771-1874 ZHOU Lin 2018, 0(3): 91-106.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1110KB) ( )   This article investigates the development of porter organizations in Chongqing from 1771 to 1874，and discusses the violent behavior of these social entities. The article concludes that violence was not an endogenous behavior of porters. Instead，it was an adaptive strategy impelled by the ineffective governance of local ofcials in a complex market economy. The article argues that the character and behavior of a certain social group cannot be labeled easily and solidly and that researchers should put more emphasis on the structuring process during which the character and behavior of these organizations were gradually molded. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Early Development of Foreign Concessions in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Origins of Consular Jurisdiction CAO Wen 2018, 0(3): 107-119.  Abstract ( )   PDF (1041KB) ( )   Because of the existence of foreign concessions during the late Qing dynasty，China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. However，the separation between foreign concessions and Chinese communities was in fact an outgrowth of the mode through which the thirteen hong merchants dealt with foreign traders under the Canton system. The significance of the separation of foreign and Chinese communities changed after the Opium War.Foreigners accepted and even cherished the status of being isolated from Chinese communities. After foreigners legalized their isolation and independence in China in accordance with treaty provisions，they continuously excluded Chinese legal rights and finally enjoyed absolute jurisdiction in the foreign concession areas. Therefore，the “golden enclosure” of the past became a specially privileged territory. The foreign concessions were thus despised by Chinese. It is worth noting that the foreign concessions were originally not colonies. Concessions experienced a process through which they became special colonial areas. This article aims to describe and analyze this process. References | Related Articles | Metrics