The transformation of Chinese civilization during the "Song renaissance" (960-1279) is our major concern of the spring semester (though it might be asked if we could better ask how Chinese civilizations, plural, transformed during this era). The state of China mentally realigned itself, first because it had to acknowledge other players in the world such as the powerful nomad states along its own northern borders and second because those nomads would occupy the northern half of China during what is called the "Southern Song" (1127-1279). Foreign religions such as Tiantai Buddhism and Chan Buddhism flourished alongside the indigenous popular pantheon, all of which we will study through their primary texts. Furthermore, China was undergoing internal changes such as the emergence of a vibrant urban culture, a culture we will hear via Song storytelling and see in Song cityscape paintings. Self-representation changed in tandem with the rise of a new social stratum, the man of letters or shidafu, and the literati culture it produced. Our study of daoxue or the "Learning of the Way" examines China's revered scholar Zhu Xi, and his creation of a new Confucian canon. Change rippled into the fine arts as well. In literature, we will study Song shi-poetry, which expanded the topics of poetic discourse, and ci- poetry, which transformed the very notion of poetics; in art, we will analyze monumental landscape painting, print illustrations garden architecture, and Song aesthetic theory. The Qin/Han unification may have laid the basic foundation of a unified China, but many have argued that the Song gave modern China its true cultural heritage .
Conference members (click on name to email):
Lisa Claypool
Tori Abernathy
Eric Alwine
Chelsea Brossard
Luke Fidler
Stephanie Hinshaw
Mary Solbrig
Naomi Zeichner
To email the entire conference, click here
Lisa Claypool, x7634
Library 321
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