A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit portrays the unconventional love of Hu Shi, a Chinese social reformer and civil rights pioneer, and Edith Clifford Williams, an American avant-garde artist of the early twentieth century. Hu studied at Cornell University, where he first met Williams, and Columbia University, where he worked with the famous pragmatist John Dewey. At the time of his death in 1962, he and Williams had exchanged more than 300 letters that, along with poems and excerpts from Hu's diaries and documents (some of which have never before been translated into English) form the center of this book. In Williams, Hu found his intellectual match, a woman and fellow scholar who helped the reformer reconcile his independent scholarship with cultural tradition. Williams counciled Hu on the acceptance of an arranged marriage, and she influenced his pursuit of experimental vernacular poetry through an exposure to avant-garde art. In 1933, the two became lovers, although their romance would eventually dwindle. Nevertheless, Williams maintained a devoted and honest correspondence with Hu throughout his tumultuous life. Hu's work touched on virtually every crucial aspect of twentieth-century Chinese society, particularly Chinese liberalism and the use of vernacular Chinese. A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit explores the lesser-known side of this major philosopher while reconstructing his romance with Williams. Not only does the volume place Hu within the larger social, economic, and political context of his time, but it also provides readers with a multifaceted portrait of China's dramatic modern history. Hu Shi: Father of the Modern Chinese Renaissance*1891: Born in a suburb of Shanghai; 1962: Died in Taipei.* Married with three children.* Possibly the most documented life in modern China.* Earned a B.A. and M.A. at Cornell University; Earned a Ph.D. at Columbia University, where he studied with the famous pragmatist John Dewey.* Became a leading figure of the Chinese Literary Revolution of 1919, advocating the use of vernacular Chinese and the importance of intellectual individualism.* Become a civil rights advocate who promoted the empowerment of women.* Served as the Republic of China's Ambassador to the United States from 1938 to 1942.* Installed as president of Peking University from 1946 to 1948.* Worked as curator of Princeton University's Gest Library from 1950 to 1952.* Became the target in absentia of a massive political denunciation campaign launched by the Chinese government between 1954 and 1955.* Served as president of Academica Sinica, Taipei, from 1958 to 1962.* Quoted as saying: "Be bold in your hypothesis; be meticulous in your verification." Edith Clifford Williams: A Woman Ahead of Her Time* 1885: Born in Ithaca, New York; 1971: Died in Barbados.* Claims to have followed her father's advice: "Don't marry unless you can't help it."* Studied at Yale University School of Art and the Académie Julian in Paris.* Became a pioneer of abstract art and a member of Alfred Stieglitz's inner circle.* Worked as the first full-time librarian of Cornell University's Veterinary Library from 1923 to 1946.* Completed two modernist works of monumental importance: Two Rhythms (1916), a painting now housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and Plâtre à toucher chez de Zayas (1916), a sculpture made for touching that was featured in Marcel Duchamp's 1917 journal, Rongwrong, and used as the subject of a lecture by Guillaume Apollinaire in Paris.
Originally published in 1999, A New China has become a standard textbook for intermediate Chinese language learning. This completely revised edition reflects China's dramatic developments in the last decade and consolidates the previous two-volume set into one volume for easy student use. Written from the perspective of a foreign student who has just arrived in China, the textbook provides the most up-to-date lessons and learning materials about the changing face of China. The first half of the book follows the life of an exchange student experiencing Beijing for the first time. Chinese language students are guided step-by-step through the stages of arriving at the airport, going through customs, and adjusting to Chinese university dormitories. The revised edition includes new lessons on daily life, such as doing laundry and getting a haircut, as well as visiting the zoo, night markets, and the Great Wall. Later lessons discuss recent social and political issues in China, including divorce, Beijing traffic, and the college entrance examination. A New China provides detailed grammar explanations, extensive vocabulary lists, and homework exercises. Single-volume, user-friendly format New lessons and vocabulary reflecting daily living in China Includes China's recent social and political issues Detailed grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, and homework exercises Uses both traditional and simplified characters
China has experienced rapid changes in the past two decades. A New China, written from the perspective of a foreign student who has just arrived in China, has been designed to provide up-to-date material on the changing face of China. The text compares contemporary China with its pre-reform era and emphasizes improvements in Chinese society. As in previous textbooks, A New China aims to provide a solid foundation in grammar and pronunciation rather than teach vocabulary geared toward specific usage. As a new feature, the textbook includes vocabulary words on the same page as the lesson text, making comprehension of new reading passages easier for students. A New China is appropriate for intermediate-level students and includes both traditional and simplified characters.
Most Chinese-language textbooks today cater to beginners and intermediate-level students, but virtually none address the unique needs of advanced students seeking to expand or reinforce their language skills in one semester. Readings in Contemporary Chinese Cinema fills this gap through the use of critically acclaimed Chinese films to teach students Chinese while also broadening their knowledge about China. The authors have carefully chosen ten movies produced in recent decades by filmmakers from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Set broadly within the twentieth century, these classic films are representative of both urban and rural life, and vividly depict the diversity of perspectives that comprise contemporary Chinese society. The authors provide an informative synopsis and critique of each movie, and include selections of movie dialogue that allow students to practice and build proficiency. The comprehensive lessons are supplemented with exercises, sentence-pattern examples, English-language glossaries, and extensive vocabulary lists. There are also discussion questions that can be used in conjunction with screenings of the films. Readings in Contemporary Chinese Cinema is designed for students with three or more years of college-level instruction in modern Chinese, and can be used alone or as a sequel to Anything Goes: An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese. It has been proven effective at Princeton University and in the Princeton in Beijing program, and is ideal for those returning from study abroad in China.
Literature and Society, a textbook designed for upper-level students, usually in their fourth year of studying Chinese, contains literary works and essays related to the social sciences. It reflects the social issues China has faced in recent years and represents a new approach to introducing students to various aspects of Chinese society. The textbook contains two sections. The first, entitled "Literature," includes works by Lu Xun, Lin Yutang, Liang Shiqiu, Wang Li, Xie Bingying, and Wang Meng. The selections include essays, short stories, and one play. Each selection reflects a different side of Chinese life, from offering hospitality to guests and haggling over prices to philosophical issues. The second section of the textbook, entitled "Society," includes essays by Fei Xiaotong, Ma Yinchu, Wu Han, Liang Sicheng, and Chen Hengzhe. These works cover six issues: marriage and family, population and ethics, urbanization, intellectuals, minorities, and the preservation of ancient architecture in a modern city. The textbook provides a brief introduction to each author and discussion questions at the end of each piece.
This reader presents nine of the most significant essays of Hu Shi, the twentieth century historian, diplomat, and philosopher who championed the vernacular language movement and vigorously supported modern values. The text is annotated, and includes both traditional characters and pinyin romanization.
Professor Chou here offers a new perspective on the rise and fall of the Kung-an School as a key to understanding the development of Chinese literary criticism in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. His book focuses on the literary theories of YÜan Hung-tao (1568-1610)--the leader of the Kung-an School--and his two brothers. Its core is a detailed study of the poetry and prose of YÜan Hung-tao, comparing his theories with his writings and analyzing systematically the merits and flaws of his work. The volume concludes with a discussion of the legacy of the Kung-an School, treating the School not only as the major force behind the expressive trend in the late Ming period, but also as one of the precursors of the modern Chinese literary movement.
Every year some 15 million Chinese officials are trained by teaching personnel numbering around 108,000 - a volume unmatched anywhere else in the world. This book gives readers a rare insight into how China educates and trains its officials to run the most populous country and second biggest economy in the world.
Professor Zhiping Liang offers a new understanding of Chinese legal tradition in this profoundly influential book. Unlike the available literature using the usual method of legal history research, this book attempts to illustrate ancient Chinese legal tradition through cultural interpretation. The author holds that both the concept and practice of law are meaningful cultural symbols. The law reveals not only the life pattern in a specific time and space but also the world of the mind of a specific group of people. Therefore, just as cultures have different types, laws embedded in different societies and cultures also have different characters and spirits. Believing that human experience is often condensed into concepts, categories, and classifications, the author begins his discussion with the analysis of relevant terms and then seeks to understand history by interpreting the interaction and interconnectedness of the words, ideas, and practices. Based on the same understanding, the author uses modern concepts reflectively and critically, consciously exploiting the differences between ancient and contemporary Chinese and Western concepts to achieve a more realistic understanding of history while avoiding the ethnocentrism and modern-centrism common in historical studies.
Professor Zhiping Liang offers a new understanding of Chinese legal tradition in this profoundly influential book. Unlike the available literature using the usual method of legal history research, this book attempts to illustrate ancient Chinese legal tradition through cultural interpretation. The author holds that both the concept and practice of law are meaningful cultural symbols. The law reveals not only the life pattern in a specific time and space but also the world of the mind of a specific group of people. Therefore, just as cultures have different types, laws embedded in different societies and cultures also have different characters and spirits. Believing that human experience is often condensed into concepts, categories, and classifications, the author begins his discussion with the analysis of relevant terms and then seeks to understand history by interpreting the interaction and interconnectedness of the words, ideas, and practices. Based on the same understanding, the author uses modern concepts reflectively and critically, consciously exploiting the differences between ancient and contemporary Chinese and Western concepts to achieve a more realistic understanding of history while avoiding the ethnocentrism and modern-centrism common in historical studies.
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