This issue of Rising Asia is devoted to narrative specimens that appear in Tales from the Principalities (Guóyǔ 國 語). The Chinese title of this work is most often represented in English as “Discourses (or Conversations) of the States.” Most of it was compiled around 294 BCE. It is China’s second-oldest book of historical narrative. The tales collected in it reflect the intense preoccupation of people in that era with prophesy, ritual, divination, and paranormal phenomena of all types. Collectively, these tales portray a society quite different from any that can be found on the earth today. All the dates mentioned in the present translation are BCE, unless otherwise stated.
Full Text PDFThe name “Zhōu,” is applied to two different dynastic entities. The first, often referred to as the “Western Zhōu” lasted from 1045 BCE to 771 BCE and had its capital in a city named Hào 鎬 by the Fēng 灃 River in present-day Xi’an Province. The second, often called the “Eastern Zhōu,” existed from 770 BCE to 256 BCE and had its capital, called “Luò” or “Chéngzhōu,” far to the east, near present day Luòyáng in Hénán Province, by the confluence of the Luò and Yellow Rivers. In Tales from the Principalities, there are thirty-three items in the three books of Tales from Zhōu, of which the first ten are set in the earlier period, and the remaining twenty-three in the second. The five tales presented in this section all belong to the earlier, or “western,” phase of the Zhōu. ~ Eric Henry.
Full Text PDFThe nine tales presented in this section all occur during the second phase of Zhōu history. The Zhōu continued to exist for 515 years after losing their western capital, and its Kings or “sons of Heaven,” as titular Rulers of the entire Chinese realm, continued to be ritually important, but they became steadily less powerful as time went on. There was a “Zhōu royal domain” just south of a horizontal stretch of the Yellow River and directly west of the State of Zhèng, but this domain had no more actual strength or size than many States beyond its borders. It is customary to divide the Eastern Zhōu into two eras: the Spring and Autumn (771–479) and the Warring States (403–221), with a seventy-three-year interregnum in between. Zhōu ceased to exist in 256, thirty-five years before the end of the Warring States. The Eastern Zhōu Tales in this work all belong to the Spring and Autumn Era, with the exception of the Wú and Yuè Tales, some of which conclude at slightly later dates. ~ Eric Henry.
Full Text PDFOf the fifteen tales in this section, the first fourteen are set in the State of Lǔ and the last in the State of Qí.
Lǔ 魯 was a State located in what is now the western portion of Shāndōng Province, just north of Mount Tàishān. It was originally the fief of Bóqín 伯禽, the son of the Duke of Zhōu, a major Chinese culture hero who was younger brother of King Wǔ (reigned 1045 to 1043), and regent to King Chéng (reigned 1042 to 1006). The Rulers of Lǔ were, thus, all descendants of the Duke of Zhōu. A set of Court Records known as “Chūnqiū 春秋, or the “Spring and Autumn Annals,” covering a 242-year period extending from 722 to 481, was compiled in this State. Lǔ was also the home State of Kǒngzǐ (Confucius, 551–479), the supreme Chinese arbiter of ethics and behavior. The capital of Lǔ was Qūfǔ 曲阜.
Qí 齊 was a large and powerful State to the east of Lǔ, in what is now central Shāndōng Province. It was originally the fief of Jiāng Tàigōng 姜太公, the military strategist who enabled King Wǔ of Zhōu to defeat and overthrow the Shāng Dynasty in 1045. The Rulers of Qí, through most of its history were, thus, his descendants and bore the surname Jiāng. The capital of Qí was Línzī 臨淄 on the west bank of the Zī River, a broad body of water with handsome forested islands. That State’s most celebrated Ruler was Qí Huángōng, who was the first in a series of particularly efficacious Rulers of different States known as the “five hegemons” (wǔ bà 五霸). According to legend, Qí Huángōng owed his supremacy among the Lords to the wise advice of a great statesman named Guǎn Zhòng 官仲, who was his Prime Minister. In the present work, the “Tales from Qí” are limited to eight items that show Guǎn Zhòng giving advice to Qí Huángōng. Excerpted at the end of this section is a tale in which Guǎn Zhòng unfolds a scheme for obtaining military supplies. ~ Eric Henry.
Jìn was the most prominent of the Chinese States in the Spring and Autumn Era. Nine of the present work’s twenty-one fascicles are devoted to “Tales from Jìn,” amounting in all to 127 stories. Jìn was located north of the Zhōu royal domain on the opposite side of the Yellow River. It rose to supremacy among the States under the rule of Lord Wén of Jìn (reigned 635–628), the third of the five hegemons, and played a leading role in affairs of the States in subsequent eras as well.
Jìn was originally given as a fief to Táng Shú Yú 唐叔虞, the younger brother of King Chéng of Zhōu (reigned 1042–1006). It is somewhat difficult to see how Jìn became a unitary State in the first place, because its topography was full of mountainous barriers, and in fact its earliest detailed historical accounts tell a tale of disunity and bloody conflict between different branches of the ruling family. It was Lord Xiàn of Jìn (reigned 676–651) who brought unity to the State, chiefly by destroying branches of his own lineage, and who added to the State’s size and strength by conquering additional territories. The capital of Jìn was a city called Jiàng 絳, but another city to east, Qūwò曲沃, was also a major center of power. Toward the end of the Spring and Autumn Era, several Jìn clans fell into fierce conflict with each other, and in 451 the State broke into three independent entities, Zhào 趙, Wèi (Nguì) 魏, and Hán 韓, a situation formally acknowledged by the Zhōu Court in 403.
The five stories in this section all come from the first three books of Jìn. They detail the turmoil that prevailed in the Jìn Court prior to advent of Lord Wén in 635. ~ Eric Henry.
The nine stories in this section all pertain in various ways to the career of Prince Chóng’ěr, who as Ruler of Jìn (reigned 635-628), is known as “Lord Wén.” He was the third of the five hegemons. According to legend, he possessed certain physiognomic traits that marked him out as one destined to be a ruler of men. Rulers, for example, were supposed to have large, pendulous ears, and the name of this figure, “Chóng’ěr,” meaning “Double Ears,” pointed to the impressiveness of that feature of his anatomy. It was also said that his thorax, instead of being enclosed by a ribcage, was enclosed by solid bony plates, indicative of some sort of invulnerability. Chóng’ěr wandered in exile for nineteen years before coming to the Throne of Jìn and, during that period, was entertained as a suppliant in the Courts of many States, some of which treated him well, and some of which were deficient in courtesy. Chóng’ěr exemplifies all the traits attributed in legend to a hegemon. He was supremely gifted in the performance of showy, public acts of virtue, and so often created an excellent impression. Like the other hegemons, however, he also harbored unseemly ambitions that he was not always able to conceal. Chóng’ěr was remembered in particular for following through on all his promises and threats, and for never forgetting favors and insults. ~ Eric Henry.
Full Text PDFThe eleven items in this section all come from Books Five through Nine of “Tales from Jìn,” and are variously related to the reigns of nine or ten Rulers who came after Lord Wén in the Spring and Autumn Era. Some of those Rulers were spectacularly depraved, and some had notable strengths. A number of the items in this section, however, do not directly concern Rulers, but concern attitudes and practices prevalent in other levels of the society. ~ Eric Henry.
Full Text PDFOf the seven stories in this section, the first is from Fascicle 19 on Zhèng, the second is an item excerpted from Zuǒ Tradition that recounts an anecdote concerning King Zhuāng of Chǔ (the fifth of the five hegemons), and the remaining five are from two fascicles devoted to Chǔ.
Zhèng鄭, throughout the Spring and Autumn Era, was a large State directly east of the Zhōu royal domain in what is now Hénán Province, the capital of which was called “Xīn Zhèng” (“New Zhèng). The State was founded in 806, when it was conferred by King Xuán as a fief on his younger brother Prince Yǒu, known to posterity as Lord Huán of Zhèng. At that time, however, Zhèng was not in its later location, but was still close to the Hào, the western Zhōu capital on a site by the Wei 渭 River. Lord Huán lost his life along with (his nephew) King Yōu during in the fall of the Western Zhōu. His son, known to history as Lord Wǔ of Zhèng (reigned 770–744), assisted King Píng in reestablishing Zhōu in the east, and also moved his Zhèng fief to its Eastern Zhōu location. In the early Spring and Autumn Era, Zhèng was one of the most powerful States, and its Rulers served as advisors to the Zhōu King. It later became less dominant politically and had to pay fealty alternately to Jìn in the north, and to Chǔ in the south.
Chǔ 楚, known also as Jing 荊, was an enormous State that lay well to the south of the Zhōu heartland. Its territory included most of the territory of the modern provinces of Húběi and Húnán. Over the course of its history this State had several capital cities, the most long-lasting of which was Yǐng 郢 in the western part of modern Húběi Province, just north of the modern city of Jīngzhōu 荊州. Unlike most other pre-imperial Chinese States, Chǔ was not created by an act of enfeoffment. It was an independent entity in the south that was drawn into the orbit of Chinese power during the Western Zhōu, without ever becoming entirely subordinate to Zhōu. Its Rulers bore the ancestral name of Mī 羋and the lineage name of Xióng 熊. According to the Zhōu ranking system, Chǔ’s Rulers were Viscounts (zǐ 子), but from 704 on, they began to call themselves “King” (wáng 王), though they had no authorization to do so. Originally located along the Hàn 漢 River (a tributary of the Yangzi), Chǔ grew steadily in several directions through the annexation of many smaller States. People of the States in the northerly central plain often spoke disdainfully of Chǔ as being “semi-barbaric” (other outlying States, such as Qín, and later Wú and Yuè, were also objects of this kind of opprobrium), but, due to its size and strength, Chǔ had to be treated with studious respect. ~ Eric Henry.
The nine items in this section come from “Tales from Wú” (two items), “Tales from Yuè,” Book 1 (a single item), and “Tales from Yuè,” Book 2 (six items).
Wú 吳 and Yuè 越 were unknown to the other States of early China until they rose to prominence in the closing decades of the Spring and Autumn Era. Geographically, they were neighbors, Wú being located in the southern part of modern Jiāngsū Province and Yuè in the northern part of Zhèjiāng Province. The native people of those two States were not Chinese. The language they spoke had no relation to Chinese, and their customs differed radically from those of the Chinese States. Neither the Rulers nor the common people in those two States had surnames, and no Record-keepers or Archivists (sǐ 史) were employed in their Courts. No posthumous designations were conferred on their deceased Rulers. Both were offshoots of a culture that had been extremely widespread for more than a thousand years throughout what is now Southeast China.
Wú, at different times, had different capital cities, of which the most well-known, built under the Wú Ruler, King Hélǘ, was Gūsū 姑蘇, located in or around the modern city of Sūzhōu in Jiāngsū Province. Yuè also had various capitals, the most well-known of which was Kuàijī, located in the area of the modern city of Shàoxīng in Zhèjiāng Province. Activities of the Ruling House in Yuè, however, were dispersed, and not confined to a single capital area.
In order to facilitate relations with Chinese States, both Wú and Yuè invented Chinese origin stories for themselves. The Rulers of Wú laid claim to the Zhōu royal surname of Jī 姬, saying that they were ultimately descended from Wú Tàibó, the eldest son of a predynastic Zhōu Ruler, and the Yuè Rulers, not to be outdone, laid claim to the surname Sì 姒, associated with the extremely ancient, and quasi-mythical Xià Dynasty, saying that their Rulers were descendants of Wú Yú 無余, the son of a Ruler who, according to legend, restored his clan’s possession of the Xià throne after a lengthy period of usurpation.
Though they were technically Viscounts (zǐ 子), the Rulers of Wú and Yuè, like the Rulers of Chǔ, called themselves “King” (wáng 王). In the native language of the people of Wú and Yuè, the names of both States consisted of two syllables rather than one. “Wú” was “Gou Wú” 句吳 and Yuè was “Yú Yuè” 於越 (or 于越). ~ Eric Henry.
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Full Text PDFRising Asia is a scholarly publication and journal of record with a multidisciplinary orientation. It serves as a resource for the study, investigation, and teaching of Asian societies. Each volume of the journal contains interpretive essays on all aspects of Asian history, economy, diplomacy, literature, health, science, military affairs (war, peace and society or WPS) and culture.
Its coverage spans the humanities and social sciences, incorporating various thematic approaches—historical, economic, foreign policy, military, literary and theoretical that explore issues of grand strategy, ideology, ethnicity, race and gender, diasporic and indigenous communities, and colonialism and postcolonialism. The journal also publishes research articles in the field of Film Studies, as well as commentaries on museum exhibits and resource guides, provided all of them are scholarly in nature.
| Title: | Rising Asia Journal |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Three times a year |
| ISSN: | ISSN 2583-1038 |
| Publisher: | Rising Asia Foundation |
| Chief Editor: | Harish C. Mehta |
| Copyright: | Rising Asia Foundation |
| Starting year: | January 2021 |
| Subject: | Multidisciplinary subjects |
| Language: | English |
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HARISH C. MEHTA
PhD, McMaster University, Canada;
former Lecturer at University of Toronto, McMaster,
and Trent University;
and former Senior Indochina Correspondent,
The Business Times of Singapore.
harishcmehta1968@gmail.com
harish.mehta@utoronto.ca
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ANIRUDDHA LAHIRI
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras;
Wharton (Senior Leadership Program);
former positions: Senior Vice-President, Unilever;
Director, Hindustan Lever;
Managing Director ABP Ltd (publisher of The Telegraph),
President, The Chatterjee Group.
lahiriani@googlemail.com
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GURJIT SINGH
Former Ambassador of India to Germany, Indonesia, ASEAN, Ethiopia and the African Union;
currently honorary Professor of Humanities, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (Japan, Indonesia, ASEAN, Africa and Europe),
ambassadorgurjitsingh@gmail.com
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ANG CHENG GUAN
Professor, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. (International History and Politics of Southeast Asia),
iscgang@ntu.edu.sg
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JANGKHONGAM DOUNGEL
Professor, Department of Political Science, Mizoram University, Aizawl (Local/Regional Politics & Socio-Economic Development of Mizoram, and Autonomy Movements in the North East),
jdoungel@gmail.com
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Julie Banerjee Mehta
Former Lecturer, University of Toronto and York University, currently Guest Faculty Professor, Loreto College, Calcutta (Postcolonial and Gender Theory, World Literatures, Diaspora Studies and Southeast Asian Culture),
juliemehta57@gmail.com
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Suchorita Chattopadhyay
Professor, Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University (Comparative Literature, Japan, and Asian Diasporas),
suchoritachattopadhyay@yahoo.com
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Craig Etcheson
PhD (International Relations), University of Southern California; former Visiting Scientist at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2017 through June 2022 (Transitional Justice, Genocide Studies, and Cambodia),
etcheson@ix.netcom.com
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Lalnundika Hnamte
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Pachhunga University College, A Constituent College of Mizoram University (Peace and Conflict Resolution; Northeast Indian politics; Sixth Schedule and Tribal Autonomy; Migration and Citizenship;
Look East/Act East Policy),
lalnundika@jbc.edu.in
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Tuan Hoang
Professor of Great Books and Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Humanities and Teacher Education, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California (Modern Vietnamese Intellectual and Religious History, Vietnamese American History, and Vietnamese Catholicism),
tuan.hoang@pepperdine.edu
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Sanjay Kathuria
PhD (Economics), University of Oxford; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, and Ashoka University, Sonipat, India; Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research and former Lead Economist, World Bank (South Asian Trade and Investment, India's North East, Global Economy, Economic Growth, and Competitiveness),
sanjay@cprindia.org
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Veronica Khangchian
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Dhanamanjuri University, Imphal, Manipur;
she formerly taught in the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, and at Maitreyi College, University of Delhi (Ethnicity & Conflict, Migration, and Peace Processes in Northeast India),
verokarujiliu@gmail.com
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Vimal Khawas
Professor, the Special Centre for the Study of North East India, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (the Himalayan region, Sikkim, Nepal, Environmental Studies/Security, Development Studies, Urban and Regional Planning),
vimalkhawas@mail.jnu.ac.in
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Siddharth Mallavarapu
Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University (Disciplinary histories of International Relations, Theories of IR in the Global South, Asia in World Affairs, Comparative Political Thought, and Critical Security Studies),
siddharth.m@snu.edu.in
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Medha
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University (South Asian Historical International Relations, Postcolonial and Decolonial approaches, Identities, Ideologies and Religion, and Discourse Theory),
medha@snu.edu.in
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Biswajit Mohapatra
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong (Politics, International Relations and Foreign Policy; and India's North East),
biswajitm1@gmail.com
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Nguyet Nguyen
Assistant Professor of History, Department of Social Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Alaska, Southeast, Juneau, Alaska (Vietnam War, U.S. Foreign Relations, Imperialism and Decolonization, and Gender Politics),
ntnguyen2@alaska.edu
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Por Heong Hong
Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang (Malaysia's healthcare policy, biopolitics, politics of memory, politics of heritage),
porheonghong@usm.my
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Vu Duong Luan
Senior Lecturer, Department of Heritage Studies, and Head of Office of Research Affairs and International Cooperation, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Transnational History of Sino-Vietnamese Early Modern Borderlands, Comparative Studies of Social and Economic Institutions of Imperial China and Vietnam, and the Politics of Heritage in Chinese and Vietnamese societies).
luanvuduong@gmail.com
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BOOKS
Mohini Maureen Pradhan
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Raka Mukherjee
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Hussena Calcuttawala
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