Politics and Power

Author: Wang Jianwen, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This series is a compilation of classic works by Taiwanese scholars in the field of Chinese history over the past fifty years, divided into thirteen topics and fourteen volumes, including:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; . Professors Huang Kuan-chong, Xing Yitian, and Deng Xiaonan of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, served as the chief editors. Each topic is edited by Taiwanese scholars with deep expertise in the field. Each volume includes a preface by the chief editor and an introduction by the sub-volume editor. The purpose of the introductions is to summarize the internal and external contexts and development trends of Taiwanese Chinese history research at different stages, as well as to introduce the authors and papers in the current volume. Some introductions focus on introducing the papers and authors or the reasons for their inclusion, while others highlight global trends in historical research, and some center on the perspectives of the sub-volume editors on a particular field, each with its own. After each article, a brief author bio and the original publication data of the article are provided to facilitate further research for interested readers. The series gathers renowned works by many international scholars. Elderly scholars such as Yan Gengwang, Lao Gan, Fu Lecheng, and Dai Yanhui, contemporary historical luminaries such as Yu Yingshi, Xu Zhuoyun, Lu Yaodong, and Mao Han Guang, as well as mid-career scholars with a strong Western academic background such as Chen Ruoshui, Yan Juanying, and Li Zhende. It brings together the representative works of several generations of Taiwanese scholars over half a century, truly a gathering of renowned scholars and outstanding works. The general selection principle for the articles in this series is to prioritize recently published works to showcase newer trends and achievements. However, each volume has its own variations. Some volumes, such as《》, include nearly all papers from the past decade, while others, like《》, feature more works from decades past, reflecting the shift in research directions and centers in Taiwanese Chinese history studies. Due to various limitations, exchanges between scholars across the Taiwan Strait, access to information, and the availability of relevant papers have been somewhat challenging. Domestic scholars and researchers have long demanded timely access to the research of Taiwanese scholars, which is the primary motivation behind the publication of this series. There are significant differences between Taiwan and mainland China in the study of Chinese history. Taiwanese scholars, deeply influenced by Western Sinology, are also very familiar with Chinese culture, bringing more innovation and vitality. In terms of research topics, in addition to traditional subjects, Taiwanese historians have established unique themes such as medical history and body history, which have attracted international attention. The publication of the "Taiwan Scholars Series on Chinese History" should provide domestic historians with new materials, information, and points of focus, and will have a very positive impact on academic exchanges and interactions between the two sides. The core concept of "politics" is "power." In a broad sense, "politics" can encompass every aspect of historical civilizations. Gender relations have "politics," family ethics have "politics," the realm of knowledge has "politics," and economic affairs have "politics." Any judgment or action derived from the logic of power can be broadly considered "political." Of course, if the definition of "politics" is relaxed to this extent, and the scope of "political history" is defined accordingly, it would be too vague and directionless. This book explores the significant issue of how the political order in the early imperial China was established, with particular attention to the relationship between the establishment of the imperial political order and the ideology. This ideology, after the mid-Han Dynasty, was Confucianism. However, Confucian classics were not recorded, modeled, and innovatively created due to the feudal system. How did this ideology, favored by the imperial political order, connect with it? The core of the imperial political order is the emergence of the "emperor" role and the construction of new relationships between the emperor and his ministers. Therefore, how could the feudal ethics of ruler-minister relationships in the classics be effectively transformed into the imperial ruler-minister ethics in real politics? These four levels are interrelated and intricately connected. The author chooses the classical concept of "duty to the former ruler" as the focal point.