Chinese Academia (Issue 21) 2005.1

Author: Liu Dong, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not Available
Features: The editorial introduction is like a scholar who always has their own personality, and a scholarly journal also has its own overall image. Due to this potential, a journal (especially a grassroots journal) can be greater than the sum of all its published articles. However, this possibility of creating an overall impression does not make one complacent but rather cautious, because it also means that once a journal loses its overall credibility, no matter how many articles it publishes thereafter—even if some of them are still good—they will merely be isolated individual articles.
The Essays Section focuses on the reflection of ancient and modern political ideas. Craig Calhoun points out that the prevalent concept of globalization in the 1990s reversed the earlier promotion of identity politics or group cohesion, advocating instead humanitarian intervention in local issues by global society and praising hybrid, diverse, and overlapping political identities. Yet few have noticed that the current struggles between nation-states are in fact one of the few viable ways to resist capitalist globalization. Therefore, it should be recognized that cosmopolitanism and nationalism are mutually constructed rather than mutually opposed. This relationship is manifested in: on the one hand, it is essential to remember the valuable aspects of cosmopolitanism, such as the recognition of equality for all and the acknowledgment of cultural and social diversity; on the other hand, it is also necessary to strive to improve the existing cosmopolitanism, as its usual construction, especially in its individualistic form, systematically obscures people’s vision, preventing them from seeing the various forms of solidarity they rely on and the special significance of these solidarity groups for those with fewer privileges and more marginalized by capitalist globalization.
Xia Dongqi points out that many scholars previously believed that Augustine’s definition of the state deliberately excluded the element of "justice," differing from the mainstream of classical political thought. Based on this, the renowned historian R.A. Markus interpreted Augustine as a "worldly theology," arguing that his concept of the state was secularized. However, the author, through an analysis of key texts in The City of God and a review of the interpretive processes of Western scholars, proposes that while Augustine recognized that the state could not escape a certain "worldliness," he did not advocate severing the connection between political life and belief or morality; although he did hold certain views on the neutrality of the state, Marcus and others did not fully grasp this.
The next group focuses on marriage issues in rural northern China. Yan Yunxiang, based on longitudinal field research, explores how the practice of demanding betrothal gifts has transformed into a form of property division for the groom’s family in rural northern China, with the bride replacing her parents as the recipient of the gifts. This transformation has undergone a long process of intergenerational negotiation, during which a misunderstanding of Western individualism has provided ideological justification for young people’s demands from their parents. The author emphasizes the agency of individuals in transforming betrothal gift practices, arguing that this is a significant phenomenon often overlooked by existing marriage exchange studies; at the same time, he examines the specific strategies of these individuals, suggesting that it is through these strategies that they realize their agency, thereby gaining more autonomy in marriage while creatively utilizing rather than abandoning the traditional custom of demanding betrothal gifts.
Wang Yuesheng, based on a grassroots social study, analyzes the changes in the spatial and social scope of marriage in rural southern Hebei from the 1930s to the 1990s. The author points out that before the land reform, the mainstream practice of marriage was to avoid in-village unions while favoring nearby village marriages, exhibiting a characteristic of being both close and distant. After the land reform, the marriage circle did not expand with the abolition of private ownership or the increase in economic equality, but instead showed a tendency to widen, with the proportion of in-village marriages actually rising. Before the land reform, marriage alliances were largely based on the concept of "matching in status," with a higher proportion of marriages among those with similar economic backgrounds. Although the land reform eliminated the foundation of vast wealth disparities, class markers were emphasized, significantly affecting people’s social status and future prospects, thus transforming the principle of marriage alliances into a class principle and dominating people’s mate selection behavior. It was not until after the reform and opening-up that the concept of class background gradually faded and was eventually eliminated.
The next group focuses on transnational interactions during the Republican era. As an organized state effort to export and promote its own culture abroad, foreign cultural policy is a feature of the later period of the nation-state era, perhaps precisely because of this, it began with the Republic of China rather than the late Qing. Bastid, through the meticulous examination of original diplomatic archives, reconstructs a brief attempt in this regard during the early Republic. It was this attempt that at least successfully established a long-lasting research institution for Sinology in Europe—the Chinese Institute in Paris—and further earned the active support of French political elites.
As a standard for regulating the pace of civilization, the calendar’s symbolic authority derives as much from humanity as from astronomy. Therefore, in modern China, which was forced into transformation, the entire nation had to be wound up with the hands of the world clock. Zuo Yuhé highlights the cultural disarray caused by the collision between the East and the West through a review of the Nationalist government’s campaign to abolish the old calendar and the fierce resistance it encountered in the. Perhaps only today can it be clearly seen: the Chinese lost not only their original civilizational timeline but also the cultural rhythm closely tied to it.
The Reviews Section discusses translated works. Duan Qing points out that the translation of The Lotus Sutra by Kumārajīva is considered to have an "innate Western flavor," which refers to the "foreign touch" one can perceive when reading translated works today—that is, it is not entirely authentic Chinese. So, what linguistic elements give rise to this sense of "Western flavor"? The author selects three terms from the two versions of The Lotus Sutra and explores their true meanings through Sino-Indian translation, arguing that these terms emerged in the context of language contact and thus exhibit different foreign hues. From this, it can be seen that the "Western flavor" is indeed a continuation of the vines of foreign culture.
Yang Lihua points out that the publication of the Chinese translation of Being and Time had a remarkable impact on contemporary Chinese thought and academia, a contribution that cannot be overstated. However, a careful reading reveals multiple omissions and mistranslations in this translation, necessitating constructive criticism. This inevitably reminds us that for a foundational work like Heidegger’s, the Chinese world should, like other linguistic communities, have more than one competing and cross-referenced translation.
Returning to the original topic. China Academic magazine, from its inception to its current state, has taken seven long years of effort (including its preparatory period), and it seems to have begun to form its own overall image. However, this image is far from pleasant and instead constitutes immense pressure—since both editors and readers believe that any article published here should naturally meet academic standards. Unfortunately, who knows that such quality is never a free lunch but requires squeezing time from teaching and research to painstakingly seek it out, no matter how meager the remaining time may already be.