This dissertation analyzes the dilemmas of governance that confronted the Chinese state under the Ming dynasty. These dilemmas, I argue, arose from the Ming's dual existence as an empire (a state that ruled over a large territory) and a bureaucracy (a state that ruled through written documents and hierarchically-structured offices). As a bureaucratic empire, the Ming pursued several distinct objectives simultaneously, the resulting complications of which form the focus of my investigations. Chapter 1 describes the Ming state's methods for authenticating and synchronizing information, and shows how the needs of bureaucratic communication necessitated a seemingly redundant style of administrative writing. Chapter 2 explains why the postal system, despite its creators' best intentions, turned out to be much slower than non-postal methods of communication. Chapter 3 discusses how territorial officials made regular trips to the capital to participate in state rituals and to undergo personnel evaluations, even though the trips generated great costs and undermined local security. Chapter 4 examines the long time it took for officials to transfer from one province to another and the bureaucratic needs that slowed down their movement. Ultimately, the Ming state maintained a delicate equilibrium between four conflicting objectives: speed, cost-saving, administrative certainty, and propriety. Given the constrains of premodern communication, it was logistically impossible to meet all four objectives simultaneously. Any attempt to advance one objective necessarily undermined one or more of the other objectives, and no amount of investment in transportation or communication infrastructure could have resolved this basic tension.

Gaoqi was born in 1336 and died in 1373 at age 39. In the history of literature, he was a poet as famous as Songlian and Liuji in the Ming Dynasty and lived in an extremely unruly time. Only a few theses about him can be found in Taiwan, i.e. the Study of Gaoqi¡¦s Poetry by Liu Long-hsun and the Study of Gaoqinqiu¡¦s Poetry by Tsai Mao-hsiong. More theses have been written in China, but in general, there is not much information about this great poet. Information on the Plum Blossom Poems is similar with all of Gaoqi¡¦s poems, i.e. not much literature can be found. The study took Gaoqi¡¦s Plum Blossom Poems as the main subject, but since its development was continuous, the Plum Blossom Poems from another period are also discussed. The diverse characteristics of the Plum Blossom Poems in different Dynasties were studied, so that the creative thinking characteristics and artistic performance of Gaoqi can be further understood. There are sixteen parts in six chapters in the thesis; its description is as follows: Chapter I: The introduction. It includes a foreword of the study and Gaoqi¡¦s autobiography. The project¡¦s motivation, relevant literature, and study methods are introduced. Gaoqi¡¦s background and his experiences are also described. Chapter II: The development of the Plum Blossom Poems from the South-North Dynasties (420-598) to the Yuan Dynasty. The famous poems are introduced and analyzed. Chapter III: Thoughts on Gaoqi¡¦s poems and inheritance. Discussion regarding the artistic inheritance of the Plum Blossom Poems from past periods and its creative techniques. Chapter IV: Gaoqi¡¦s Plum Blossom Poems (part I). There are a total of 33 poems. The poems, each consisting of eight lines, are discussed. They include nine poems on plum blossoms, five poems of chanting plum blossoms that follow the rhyming word that ends a line of verse written by Yianshi and two poems of chanting plum blossoms that follow the rhyming word that ends a line of verse written by Xiyuangong. Chapter V: Gaoqis¡¦ Plum Blossom Poems (part II). Discusses another poem¡¦s style including ancient poetry and poem of four lines with an analysis of Gaoqi¡¦s poems. Chapter VI: The development of the Plum Blossom Poems in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Discusses the development of the Plum Blossom Poems after Gaoqi and the conclusion of the study.

Ru-Shih Liu was a famous and respectable poet in the 17th Century (from 1618 to 1664) in China. Because of her special background, extremely excellent writing techniques and creative thinking, she was very active in the history of literature and left many theses. Her first poetry publication was published at the age of 21. Zu-Loong Chen helped her to write the introduction and promoted her a lot. The next year, her friend invited her to travel to Hangchow, where her second poetry publication was published. Most of her poems¡¦ ideas were from her travel experiences, so this poetry publication was named ¡§Grass of lake¡¨. At that time she was only twenty-two years old. Because of her special life experience, her study presented a kind of excellent art style and worthy literature. The purpose of this research is to analyze the poetry of her second publication as the main subject and research her creative thinking characteristics and artistic performance. The background of her writing and thoughts can be understood by her biography. Six topics were set to analyze the purpose and essence of her creations. Writing styles were concluded by the skills of writing: such as purports of time, purports of space, purports of humanity and purports of nature. The value and style of her poetry was investigated by the evaluation of later literature and analyses of her poetry. Moreover, Ru-Sheih Liu and her poetry influenced female literature development, the exaltation of national integrity and the promotion of life spirit during the late Ming Dynasty.

University, Diss.--St. Gallen, 2007. / Zsfassung in dt. u. engl. Sprache.

Thesis (doctoral)--Zhongguo she hui ke xue yuan, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-260)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: l. [229]-235.

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Fine Arts / Master / Master of Philosophy

Recent proponents of non-Eurocentric approaches to the study of development in non-Western areas in the early modern period have seized on late imperial China (1368-1911) as an example of an indigenous trajectory of development that disputes the primacy of early modern Europe in some theories. The commercialization of Ming China (1368-1644) is sometimes appropriated in their arguments. But at times the term “commercialization” is not particularly well-defined in the case of sixteenth and seventeenth century China. In order to strengthen the arguments against Eurocentric assessments of non-Western development, this thesis covers some aspects of Ming commerce and society that are sometimes not captured by the term commercialization. In particular, it focuses on more ‘personal’ dimensions often neglected by references to the commercialization of China’s economy and society in the latter half of the Ming period. Aspects that will be discussed include: social change and social mobility, higher-ranking officials’ views of commerce and merchants, and the identity of merchants as seen in merchant manuals. The application of some recent research by other scholars of Ming China and my readings of some sources dating from the period, I hope, will add nuances to our understanding of Ming commerce and society and furthermore contribute to a detailed approach to the non-Eurocentric writing of a comparative history of development in the early modern world. / Thesis (Master, History) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-29 11:46:59.242

This thesis examines issues of female power and influence in sixteenth-century China focusing on how women and their roles were perceived in the changing social environment of the mid-late Ming dynasty. Using aspects of a New Historicist approach, information from contemporary literary and historical sources are analysed alongside each other. With its emphasis on the lives of women and preoccupation with the description of material objects, the late Ming novel Jin Ping Mei forms an important element in the thesis. China in the sixteenth century saw expanding urbanisation, the emergence of a new wealthy merchant class, increasing visibility of women and a questioning of traditional morality. Fashion consciousness, as one of the most conspicuous aspects of the new material culture, is a possible indicator of these trends. Traditional Western theories contend that fashion began in the particular context of Renaissance Europe. However, this study argues that a similar fashion awareness existed in China too, and was manifested in a competitive striving for social status, in this case specifically among women. In contrast to previous studies which downplayed the impact women had on defining traditional Chinese culture, this thesis demonstrates how women and their sartorial choices began to redefine the boundaries of material culture, influencing literati discourse which, in turn, re- influenced female behaviour.