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- Bökset, Roar
(author)
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Long Story of Short Forms : The Evolution of Simplified Chinese Characters
- 2006
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A script reform was carried out in China between 1955 and 1964 by simplifying the shape of a number of characters. Most of the simplified forms adopted had already been in popular use for a long time before this reform, while a few were invented for the occasion.One objective of this dissertation is to estimate the proportion of invented forms. To this end, use of simplified variants before 1955 was surveyed. Pre-reform writing turned out to be more heterogeneous than expected. In fact, already Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) handwriting differed considerably from the norms set up by contemporary dictionaries and model texts.One aim of the script reform was to unify writing habits and make them conform better with established norms. To evaluate the Script Reform Committee's success in this field, this dissertation surveys the use of different unofficial short forms even after the reform. Success turned out to be moderate. Many pre-1955 short variants survived, and, what was worse, new ones emerged after the reform. Particularly confusing was the use of different unofficial short forms in different parts of China. The existence of such local variants was confirmed by extensive reading of signs, advertisements, price tags and wall newspapers in twenty-one provinces, and by interviews with informants at four hundred localities. Results of that survey are displayed on twenty-four maps.A few years earlier, even Japanese characters had gone through a reform which made many simplified forms official. Some of the new official Japanese forms differed from those which came to be official in China, creating a discrepancy which has at times been lamented. However, this dissertation compares the short forms used in pre-reform Japan with those of pre-reform China, and shows that most of the present discrepancies have roots in differences in Chinese and Japanese writing traditions, which bound the hands of reformers in both countries and enforced the decisions which were eventually made.
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| 2. |
- Fällman, Fredrik, 1970-
(author)
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Salvation and Modernity : Intellectuals and Faith in Contemporary China
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Christianity, as a religion and as an ethical system, is increasingly important in China today. An analysis of intellectuals and faith is vital to understanding the contemporary intellectual climate in China. This analysis is also of importance in regard to the ever-growing interest in religion, ethics and morality in the rapidly developing Chinese society.This thesis aims at interpreting the phenomenon of Cultural Christians in contemporary Chinese society, with especial focus paid to Liu Xiaofeng. The main themes are faith, salvation and the quest for a modern China. There are at times striking parallels between scholars and cultural encounters in earlier centuries and the situation today. The linking of past and present forms the first part of the thesis, followed by an investigation of the Cultural Christian phenomenon and, as a major part, the beliefs and ideas of Liu Xiaofeng and other scholars. Focus on Christianity implies a criticism of traditional Chinese value systems, in particular Confucianism that is said to be lacking transcendence. The introduction of Christian theology and values into Chinese academia is a way of creating greater understanding for Western culture. Many Cultural Christians argue that this advanced understanding is a prerequisite for establishing a modern China. Issues of personal faith and identity are also central in respect to modernity as well as to personal and national salvation.Post-Mao China is seeking a new foundation for values, and there is a common recognition of ‘a crisis of faith’. In this context, the Cultural Christians have a definite role to play. The choice of Christianity is also an expression of individuality, freedom and criticism of political structures. Despite laying foundations for a ‘theology in Chinese’, relations between the intellectuals and the Church are strained. The impact of the Cultural Christians is, however, visible among young scholars and students.
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| 4. |
- Rydholm, Lena, 1963-
(author)
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In Search of the Generic Identity of Ci Poetry
- 1998
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this dissertation is to create a coherent and systematic description of the ci genre through discussing a large number of characteristics attributed to it in some well-known theories and studies from the Song dynasty up to our day. Some major issues of debate concerning the ci genre are discussed and certain traditional research methods and research attitudes among mainland Chinese scholars are questioned. I chapter 1, the origins of the genre are discussed as well as problems concerning the definition of ci. In the following chapters several features and aspects of the genre are described and discussed: in chapter 2, the genre’s relationship to the Party-music , i chapter 3, formal and linguistic features and the relationship to Recent-style verse, and finally in chapter 4, some thematic and aesthetic aspects and the division into styles and schools. The author seeks to find a broad definition of ci that allows for the incorporation of ci from different periods, by different groups of authors, written in different styles, during the approximately 1000 years of development of the genre.The author’s conclusion is that the ci genre can be divided into three major development stages based on the genre’s function: as song lyrics (the early popular ci), as song lyrics and poetry ( literati ci of the Tang, Five dynasties and the Song dynasty) and finally, as poetry (literati ci after the Song). During these three stages the genre’s relationship to music has changed, resulting in a change of function. During the second and crucial stage, ci had a dual function, as song lyrics and poetry at the same time. resulting in requirements of both what the author calls “song lyric properties” and “poetry properties”. Based on the understanding of the second stage, the ci genre as a whole may be seen as a conglomerate of “song lyric properties” and “poetry properties”. During these three stages two major groups of authors have been active “common people” and “literati poets”, using somewhat different language and style. During the second and crucial stage of the genre’s development these two styles merged. As a result the dominant style in the ci genre as a whole may be seen as a fusion of literati and popular style. The author emphasizes the importance of the relationship of ci with music. Although it received several traits from Recent-style verse, the ci genre also deviates from that form, and constitutes a genre of its own kind.
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