Systems and Nations

Author: Huang Qinglian, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
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, respectively:
(Historiographical Methods and Historical Interpretation);
(Institutions and the State);
(Politics and Power);
(Thought and Scholarship);
(Social Change);
(Economic Fluctuations);
(Cities and Villages);
(Families and Society);
(Women and Society);
(Lifestyle and Culture);
(Rituals and Religion);
(Life and Medicine);
(Art and Archaeology).
The series is edited by Professor Huang Kuan-chong, Professor Xing Yi-tian, and Professor Deng Xiao-nan of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, and Professor Beijing University’s Center for Medieval Chinese History. Each topic is edited by Taiwanese scholars with deep expertise in the field. Each volume includes a preface by the general editor and an introduction by the volume editor. The purpose of the introductions is to provide an overview of 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 volume. Some introductions focus on introducing the papers and authors or the reasons for their inclusion, while others highlight global historiographical trends, and some center on the volume editor’s perspectives on a particular field, each with its own.
After each article, a brief author bio and the original publication data are provided to assist interested readers in further research. The series gathers renowned works by many international scholars. Elderly scholars such as Yan Gengwang, Lao Gan, Fu Lecheng, and Dai Yanhui, contemporary historiographical masters like Yu Ying-shih, Xu Zhuoyun, Lu Yao-dong, and Mao Han-guang, as well as middle-aged and young scholars with strong Western academic backgrounds such as Chen Ruoshui, Yan Juan-ying, and Li Zhen-de are all included. It brings together representative works of several generations of Taiwanese scholars over the past half-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 the latest trends and achievements. However, each volume has its own distinct focus. Some volumes, such as Lifestyle and Culture, include nearly all papers from the past decade, while others like Institutions and the State feature more works from decades past. This reflects the shift in research directions and centers in Taiwanese Chinese history studies. Due to various limitations, exchanges between scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, access to information, and the availability of relevant papers have faced certain difficulties. Domestic scholars and researchers have long called for timely access to the research of Taiwanese scholars, which has been a primary driving force 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 while also being highly familiar with Chinese culture, bring more innovation and vitality to their research. 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 Taiwanese Scholars’ Studies on Chinese History series is expected to bring new materials, information, and focal points to the domestic historiographical field, fostering very positive exchanges and interactions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
This volume selects ten representative papers, arranged in chronological order for the overall purpose, though the content primarily focuses on political, legal, and military institutions. The publication dates of the papers, with the exception of Lao Gan’s article published in 1945 slightly earlier than the fifty-year boundary set for this series, are all from the past half-century. Lao Gan was a historian of the Qin and Han dynasties, particularly renowned for his expertise in reading and interpreting Han bamboo slips. His prolific output over the past half-century is too extensive to list here, but we have included him with a focus on his influential article, The Inner and Outer Courts of the Han Dynasty, which has had a profound impact on the study of Chinese institutional history in Taiwanese academia over the past half-century. This is one of the selection criteria for this volume.
Regarding the study of political institutions, this volume includes five papers, accounting for half of its content. This is primarily because, whether from the perspective of traditional Chinese historiography or the focus of 20th-century historiographical research, the field of political institutions holds a pivotal position. These five papers are lengthy and emphasize the collection and analysis of historical sources. On one hand, this reflects the past half-century of Taiwanese historiography’s emphasis on sources; on the other hand, these papers also draw on theories from Western social sciences, providing valuable references and points for discussion for historians.