Referencing more than 40 ancient works as well as 70 books and papers of contemporary scholars, this book opens up the civilization, society, culture and communication of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang period represented unprecedented prosperity in the ancient world. Combining the socio-cultural background of ancient China and academic achievements of modern times, this book presents an intensive and in-depth exploration of the communicative organisations, methods and ideas of that period. The book looks at Tang methods of communication, from the postal delivery system and first newspaper to military communication in times of peace and war. It also considers questions of literature, poetry and public space as well as the impact of folk culture and communication on the Tang Dynasty, and examines the intellectual atmosphere of the time and debates surrounding freedom of speech and thought, positioning the Tang Dynasty as the end of the classic world and the beginning of modern society.
Author(s): Bin Li
Series: Sociology, Media and Journalism in China
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 413
City: Singapore
: Contents
: List of Tables
1 Introduction
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2 Capital Liaison Office and Ancient Postal System
Part I
Origins of Chin-Tsou-Yüen (Capital Liaison Office)
Chang’an and Many Capital Liaison Offices
A Sketch About Officials from the Capital Liaison Offices
Part II
I-Ch’uan System in History
I-ch’uan System of the Sui and the Tang Dynasties
Willow Twigs by the Guest Hostel Are Refreshing and Green
A Station After Another, Post Riders Come and Go Like the Gathering of Stars
3 Government Gazette and Chin-tsou-yüen Report
Kaiyuan Miscellaneous Reports (Kaiyuan Zabao)
Han Hong and “Ti-Pao”
Letter-Report of the Capital Liaison Office
Letter-Report of the Capital Liaison Office, Upper Part
Letter Presented of the Capital Liaison Office
4 Hsi-Shu and Lu-Pu
Hsin-wen (News), Ch’uan-po (Dissemination), and Hsin-wen-ch’uan-po (News Dissemination)
“Lu-Pu” and Its Magical Functions
Open Dispatch (Lu-pu) on Pacifying Khitan and Other Bandits in Jizhou Written on Behalf of the Commandery Prince of Henei Wu Yizong31
By Zhang Yue
“Hsi-wen” Can Withstand Thousands of Enemies
5 Beacon Fire, Placard, and Imperial Diaries
During the Day, We Climb Atop the Mountains to Watch Beacon Fires
Captain’s Feathered Dispatch Flying Over Oceans
“Pang-wen” and Government Placard
“Tsuo-shi” Records Remarks and “Yu-shi” Records Deeds
6 Thoughts on News Communication
Splendor and Openness of the Tang Dynasty
The Stylistic Reform of Writing in the Early Sui Dynasty
Li Shimin and a Compendium on Statecraft from the Zhenguan Reign
The Theory of Talent, Learning, and Vision by Liu Zhiji
All About Historiography (Shitong) and “Zhibi”
7 Scholars and Their Communication
The Evolution of Shih (Scholar)
The Conscience of Society
Shih of the Tang Dynasty
The Communication of Scholars in the Tang Dynasty
The Creation of Poetry Based on Reality
8 Ancient Letters and Brush-Note Novels
Genuine Letters and Books Defying Distance
History System Falls and Novels Flourish
Brush-Note Essays from the Tang Period
9 Wall Inscription Style Poems
The Origin of “Wall Inscription” Style Poems
The Tang Scholars Write “Wall Inscriptions” Style Poems
Places for Inscribing Poems
The Peak Reflects on the River Under the Bright Moon
Dismounting at Each Pavilion of Courier Station, I Search Your Poem Around Wall and Post
But Where Is the Girl in Demure Air? Only to Find the Flower Beaming in the Spring Breeze There
“Wall Inscription” Style Poems and Their Communication
The Block Printing of Books Does Not Reach the Height in the Tang
10 The Communication of Ordinary People
Earthbound China
Interpersonal Network and Oral Narration
A Land of Water and Soil Nourishes an Area of People
Folk Songs and Proverbs
Just as There Is a Paradise in Heaven, There Is a Yuanzhuang Garden on Earth
Luo Binwang Cooks Up Rumors
Su-chiang and Pien-wen
Zhang Yichao’s “Pien-wen”
11 Conclusion
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Appendix Reflections of the Research on the Chinese History of News1
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
中国文化特色词和短语: Chinese Culture-bound Phrases and other Terms
Afterword
Supplements to Revised Edition
References
