Spring and Autumn
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Asian debut marks new milestone for the ICHS
International Congress of Historical Sciences expected to help promote exchange of ideas among different civilizations in the world The "Olympics of Historians" made its debut in Asia on Sunday when the curtain went up at the start of the 22nd International Congress of Historical Sciences in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. "Valuing history, studying history and learning from history can give mankind the wisdom to understand the past, make the best of the present and look forward to the future. History, therefore, is our best teacher," President Xi Jinping wrote in a congratulatory letter to the congress. "Studying China's past may offer an important way to look at China today," Xi wrote. "One can hardly understand today's China, its society, the aspirations and dreams of its people, and the path of development they have chosen, if one has little knowledge about China's history and culture, and those of modern times in particular." At the opening ceremony, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong called for closer international academic cooperation and equal dialogue to better use historical experiences to promote the harmonious coexistence of different cultures. "The international congress of historical sciences has long been dedicated to the communication between historians from different countries. Its debut in Asia is a milestone for the world's historical sciences, and it will have a long-term influence on the exchange of ideas among different civilizations, encouraging them to learn from each other," she said. The world's most influential academic event for the historical sciences, this year's congress has attracted more than 2,600 scholars from 90 countries and regions, breaking the record set by the San Francisco congress in 1975.Way of looking The seven-day conference, co-hosted by the Association of Chinese Historians and Shandong University in Jinan, will focus on topics involving four major themes: the digital turn in history, historicizing emotions, China from global perspectives, and revolutions in world history: comparisons and connections. Marjatta Hietala, president of the International Committee of Historical Sciences, spoke of the ancient Eurasian Silk Road trade routes in her keynote speech to highlight the significance of cultural exchanges. She said she expects the new routes proposed by China, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, to promote regional economic prosperity. Six Shandong cities are participating in congress by hosting in-depth discussions on historical science issues, beside Jinan, the cities Qufu, Zibo, Qingdao, Liaocheng, and Tai'an are also hosting satellite and parallel meetings pertaining to them. The first Jeager-LeCoultre International Prize for History will be awarded during the congress. The recipient is French historian Serge Gruzinski, who specializes in the study of Latin American history from the 16th to 18th centuries. Robert Frank, secretary-general of the International Congress of Historical Sciences, called it "the Nobel Prize in historiography". The award ceremony will be held on Wednesday. "This year's congress will show how successful the efforts of historians to avoid Eurocentrism or avoid research too much centered on the Western point of view have been," Frank said. "This global and transnational trend is very well represented in the program of the Jinan congress," he said. The International Congress of Historical Sciences was launched in 1900. It is held every five years. China began its participation in 1980. Frank said that China winning the hosting rights for the event brings the international historical gala closer to a true global community of historians. In August 2010, the General Assembly of the International Committee of Historical Sciences in Amsterdam voted for China to host the 22nd Congress. Guo Shuqing, the governor of Shandong, explained that the province, which is the birthplace of great ancient Chinese thinkers such as Confucius and Mencius, was ideal to host the event. "Shandong is among the birthplaces of Chinese history and science. The Spring and Autumn Annals compiled in 481 BC was China's first historical work. Shandong University, which is known for its literature and history expertise, is one of China's significant research institutions of history. Founded in 1951 by Shandong University, the Journal of Literature, History and Philosophy has long been known as one of the most prestigious and rigorous academic publications in the nation."
2,600 historians from 90 countries meet in Shandong
More than 2,600 historians from 90 countries and regions came together for the 22nd International Congress of Historical Sciences (ICHS) which kicked off in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, on Sunday.The congress, which will feature more than 170 seminars, will last until Aug 29. Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the role of history in his letter sent to the congress's opening ceremony. Xi said historical research is the base of all social sciences and "the study of history aims to explore the relationship between nature and man and learn from changes from past to present". "History is our best teacher," said Xi. "In its conferences the ICHS has opened the gates to multicultural sessions and crossed borders between different cultures. The Congresses of the ICHS, which take place every five years, are the biggest world meetings of the international community of historians," Marjatta Hietala, president of the International Committee of Historical Sciences, said at the opening ceremony. "As I see it, the main success of the international conferences of Historians has been in gathering historians from different continents and countries to discuss new innovative themes, new methodological and thematic approaches and to undertake comparative research. Examples of these are the major themes of the 22nd conference in Jinan---China, from a global perspective, Historicizing Emotions, Revolutions in World History: Comparisons and Connections and the Digital Turnin History," said Hietala. Guo Shuqing, governor of Shandong province, said it is an honor for Shandong, the hometown of Confucius, to hold the 22nd historical congress which is being held in an Asian country for the first time. Guo said ICHS made a good choice to hold the congress in Shandong. "Chinese historical sciences started in Shandong where Confucius edited the Spring and Autumn Annals, the first historical works in China," said Guo.
Being gay in China
In both Chinese history and literature, homosexuality was open and tolerated. Has social acceptance come full cycle as China increasingly engages the international community? Is there a place for same-sex relationships now? The?China Daily?Sunday team of Han Bingbin, Gan Tian, Shi Yingying and Xu Lin file the reports.Pederasty, the erotic relationship between a male adult and an adolescent boy, was already prevalent around the time of the Yellow Emperor, who is credited with having founded Chinese civilization. At least, this is what various literary works have recorded through the ages. In both folk myths and literary classics, there have been both brief and lengthy descriptions of same-sex relationships, for both genders. Sociologist Pan Guangdan insists homosexuality is a natural fact of life, and that it must have existed much earlier in human history. While translating British psychologist Havelock Ellis' groundbreaking Psychology of Sex in the 1930s, Pan was inspired to search through historical documents for credible clues of the existence of homosexuality throughout Chinese history. And he found plenty. His research is compiled as an appendix in the Chinese edition of Psychology of Sex, making it arguably the first systematic study of same-sex relationships in China. According to Pan's study, the earliest mention of homosexuality was in the Chronicles of Shang. Minister Yi Yin of the early Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC) set out punishment for "10 criminal acts" among officials. One of them was pederasty. But Pan was surprised to find that in the Zhou Dynasty which followed (c. 11th century-256 BC), a widespread proverb went like this: "Good-looking males can distract emperors from the wisdom of old intellects". Therefore, he believes that during the Shang and Zhou dynasties homosexuality was common. Historical records of the periods provide vivid and detailed accounts of same-sex relationships, especially in imperial bedchambers. Stories of romanticized gay love are often retold, even today, as people attempt to justify homosexuality. The earliest such story, recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, is the Pleasant Hug From Behind. When Jinggong threatens to kill an official who often looks at him, the sage Yanzi tells him it is wrong to kill someone who "admires your beauty". Appreciating what Yanzi says, Jinggong lets the official "hug him from behind".In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), historians Sima Qian and Ban Gu both included reports on ningxing, the emperors' male concubines. From these, Pan concludes that almost every emperor during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) had or was suspected of having male partners. The best known among these was Dong Xian. It is said that Emperor Ai woke up to find the sleeves of his imperial robes tucked under the sleeping body of his partner Dong Xian. Not wanting to wake his beloved concubine, Ai sliced off his sleeves, and hurried off to his day's routine. From then on, same-sex love between males has often been referred to as the "sleeve-slicing affection" - a euphemism for a gay relationship by those who still find it embarrassing to publicly address the topic. By the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), homosexuality had become a common practice among the upper classes and is frequently mentioned in official reports. Pan says this is understandable as the Jin was one of few eras in world history when men were particularly attentive about their appearance. Pan says the other period was in Ancient Greece, where pederasty was an accepted part of life. "Ancient Greek philosophers viewed homosexuality as more sacred than heterosexuality Without relevant literary references, we can't tell whether ancient people thought the same way, but it's obvious homosexuality during this time was free from excessive social prejudice and moral condemnation," Pan says. In China, soon after the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618), homosexuality gradually disappears from official records and Pan refers to novels and other casual references, the authenticity of which was often in doubt. This situation extended through the Tang (AD 618-907) to Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. Homosexuality seems to have resurfaced only in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, but it was a very different scenario. Homosexuality is frequently mentioned in the works of established writers such as the scholar Ji Yun and poet Yuan Mei. In novelist Cao Xueqin's classic A Dream of Red Mansions, at least three male characters are explicitly portrayed as having homosexual leanings. It was also in the Qing Dynasty that China's first homosexual novel was published, Pinhua Baojian (Treasury of Flower Appreciation). During this time, trends shifted, and it became known as the "southern fashion", a homophonic pun on "south" and "man", as homosexuality became more common in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. But female homosexuality, for the first time, became publicly recognized for what it was. It was said in Guangzhou and neighboring counties that it was acceptable for female couples to move in together, and stay unmarried their whole lives. During the Qing Dynasty, the so-called "private residence" business developed. After an anti-prostitution policy banned troupes from employing female musicians, male opera singers started singing female roles. While performing on private occasions, some of these good-looking actors, known as xianggong, offered off-stage services to their male patrons. But they did not escape social prejudice. According to Pan, the xianggong had to resort to prostituting themselves because of their inferior social status. But whereas female prostitutes often had a second chance at a normal life after they gave up their trade, xianggong suffered from social stigma all their lives. Their descendants were even banned from sitting for the imperial civil examinations. In Qing Dynasty folklore, there is a deity who looks after homosexuals. This was the famous "rabbit god", known as Hu Tianbao, a man who had been killed for stalking a handsome official. In hell, he was laughed at, but to show that they sympathized, the gods of hell appointed him the guardian god of same-sex lovers. This was more than an amusing anecdote, for it reflected the prevalent social attitude at that time towards homosexuality. Chinese sociologist Li Yinhe calls social tolerance China's "cultural advantage". In an article she wrote on how "China had been ahead in the acceptance of homosexuality but had fallen behind again", Li notes that China had, in the past, treated homosexuals with more tolerance than some Western societies which had persecuted them, sometimes to death. She feels that the culturally confident Chinese were not afraid of accepting an alternative lifestyle, but that they would rather ignore it than oppose it. But, Li adds, tolerance does not mean full acceptance.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 The Spring and Autumn Annals is a historical record of the State of Lu from 722 to 481B. C.
2 He was the author of the Spring and Autumn Annals, the first historical annals in China, and his teachings and wisdoms may be found in the Analects of Confucius.
3 All these factors contribute to the formation of trait of the Spring and Autumn Annals of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.