News and Notes

Hoyt Cleveland Tillman (田浩) has recently seen three of his books published in East Asia that might escape notice in North America and Europe. (1) In September of 2009, Jiangsu People’s Press in Nanjing published the revised and expanded version of his Zhu Xi’s World of Thought 《朱熹的思维世界》 (增订本, 南京: 江苏人民出版, 2009 年). With the new materials in this expanded edition, along with those in the first Chinese edition (Taipei, 1996 and Xi’an, 2002), the Chinese version now includes approximately one-third more discussion than in the initial English edition, Confucian Discourse and Chu Hsi’s Ascendancy (Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1992). The revised and expanded Chinese versions (also available in traditional characters from 台北: 允辰文化, 2008) include a new preface by Professor Yü Ying-shih 余英時 discussing similarities and differences in his and Tillman’s approaches. (2) In December, Tillman’s edited volume Pursuit of Culture and History 《文化與歷史的追索》 (台北: 聯經, 2009 年), celebrating Professor Yü’s eightieth birthday was published. The volume contains thirty essays and also what is presently the most complete bibliography of Yü’s publications— including even newspaper articles written while he was a student in Hong Kong. The bibliography was compiled by Professor Che Hsing-chien 車行健. (3) In August of 2010, Professor Kim Byounghwon 김병환 (金秉峘) of Seoul National University published his Korean translation of Tillman’s Zhu Xi book. Professor Kim used the Hawaii 1992 English version as the base, but included supplemental materials from the Xi’an 2002 Chinese edition. The ISBN of the Korean version is: 978-89-254-0390-8. During the 2010 calendar year, Tillman has a Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Grant to conduct research in China on the World Federation of Chu Family Associations 世界朱式联合会 and its efforts to revive Confucian values, which includes a modernized version of Zhu Xi’s Family Rituals 《朱子家礼•婚礼 (现代版)》 (a reprint is available in: 朱杰人, 《在儿子朱祁婚礼上的讲话》, 《朱子文化》 第 23 期 [2010 年 1 月], pp. 16–20). His and Margaret Tillman’s jointly written article on the modernized wedding ritual is forthcoming in Oriens Extemus in 2011. Tillman also plans to write a book on such cultural activities not only in China but also in contemporary East and Southeast Asia as conducted by individuals who regard themselves as direct descendants of Zhu Xi.

Ph.D. Dissertation Abstracts

“Dongpo in a Humble Hat and Clogs: ‘Rustic’ Images of Su Shi and the Cult of the Exiled Immortal,” Park Jae-Suk, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008; 484 pages; AAT 3314235

This dissertation examines the history of a series of images of the renowned Northern Song literatus-statesman Su Shi 蘇軾, generically named Dongpo in a Bamboo Hat and Clogs 東坡笠屐圖. It constitutes a reconstructed history of the image, showing the process through which the Chinese literati who emulated Su Shi came to accept, modify, and propagate this image of him as emblematic of his lofty spirit, as epitomizing his “true” persona. Initially regarded as a minor portrait, apparently confined in its distribution to southern China and with no Song-period rendition still extant, beginning in the twelfth century and continuing up to the present time, the image experienced periods of popularity and neglect and became rendered in seemingly endless variations. Although it originally constituted no more than a humorous caricature of Su in a narrative mode depicting an anecdote involving his exile to remote Hainan Island, the painting’s iconography became diversified through several centuries of transmission and development. By the seventeenth century, this process of embellishment ultimately led to the emergence of a more dignified iconic portrayal. From the seventeenth century on, the image came to serve as a cult object for expressing devotion to Su, and thus became especially meaningful to literati who gathered to hold commemorative ceremonies honoring him. This study offers insight into how images may become adapted for specific purposes and provides a framework for analyzing the visual portrayal of other Chinese historical figures. It also offers an example—showing how a picture with narrative elements that originally embodied popular taste gradually evolved into a formal portrait that intellectuals used in veneration of its subject.

Park Jae-Suk,
University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Wandering Saints: Chan Eccentrics in the Art and Culture of Song and Yuan China,” Paramita Paul, Leiden...