Ming Qing Studies 2023

Ming Qing Studies 2023 is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Mark Elvin, eminent historian of China who passed away on 6 December 2023. The volume deals with environmental approaches in 17th century history, the Western literary vision of Chinese bridges, fake documents on the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the identity shift of a late-Ming literatus who rebranded himself as a military commander. In “How To Face Natural Disasters in 17th Century Jiangnan,” Erling Agøy examines some attitudes toward climate changes and a set of imperial interventions in the local economy to cope with these changes. Annick Gijsbers’ article “The Chinese Bridges George Sand Dreamed About: Just How Far Did Martino Martini’s Impact Reach?” probes into the representation of two Chinese bridges in European literature, the Wanshou and Lanjin bridges, focusing on the work of George Sand and other famous literary authors. Olivia Anna Rosving Milburn’s “Surviving Records From a Palace in Flames (Jingong yilu 燼宮遺錄): Deconstructing a Qing Dynasty Fake Text” dissects a meticulously assembled pastiche by an anonymous compiler, demonstrating how this ingeniously weaves together materials dating to the 18th or early 19th century. Charles Wong Kian Hoe’s 黄建豪 “Tang Shunzhi’s Self-Image as a Military Expert and His Desire to Resurrect a Political Career” delineates the late life of Tang Shunzhi (1507–60) – a literatus who, after retirement in 1539, devoted himself to scholarly pursuits and military affairs. Read more