Journal of Sinology and Chinese Language Education

Book Review: Thomas J. Mazanec, Poet-Monks: The Invention of Buddhist Poetry in Late Medieval China

2025-02-02T11:35:14+07:00

Book Review

Thomas J. Mazanec, Poet-Monks: The Invention of Buddhist Poetry in Late Medieval China. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2024, 327 pp.

China’s Hellenistic East: From World War II to the Belt/Road Initiative

2025-02-01T16:21:36+07:00

Chinese intellectuals’ understanding of the Hellenistic East, which marks the history of the Middle East and Central Asia after Alexander’s conquest (323–31 BCE), provides a unique window to examine modern and contemporary Chinese intellectuals’ perceptions of the Chinese placement in the world. Jian Bozan (1898–1968), a Chinese Marxist historian, has particularly emphasized the Hellenistic global background of the early Chinese empires in the 2nd century BCE in his work on early Chinese history in the 1940s. Liu Xiaofeng, an influential contemporary Chinese cultural critic, has published an article to decipher the implication of Chinese engagement with the Hellenistic East in the 2nd century BCE. As I will demonstrate, both these two instances are closely intertwined with their respective cultural milieu which is related to China’s intense engagement with the outside world.

Boi Kieu: A Study of the Folk Transmission of The Tale of Kieu

2025-02-01T16:52:44+07:00

“The Tale of Kieu” (Truyện Kiều) is a highly representative sixty-eight-verse poem in the history of Vietnamese literature. It was adapted by Nguyen Du from “The Tale of Jin Yun Qiao” authored by Qingxin Cairen of the Ming Dynasty, regarded as a gem of Vietnamese literature. The immense influence of “The Tale of Kieu” in Vietnam is attributed to its folklorization. It has been widely disseminated and accepted among the populace, continually giving rise to new forms of expression. Boi Kieu, utilizing "The Tale of Kieu" for divinatory purposes, serves as a typical case of the folklorization of “The Tale of Kieu”. This article will delve into the folk essence of “The Tale of Kieu” using Boi Kieu as a case study to explore the issue of reinterpretation of “The Tale of Kieu” in folk transmission. This article will outline the oral legends of Boi Kieu, broadly categorizing them into three categories: imperial examinations, romantic endeavors, and the fate of nations. The forms of Boi Kieu are also quite diverse. This article summarizes three of the most typical forms of Boi Kieu, namely Confucian Boi Kieu, book-base Boi Kieu, and Buddhist Boi Kieu. Furthermore, this article explores the emergence of the phenomenon of Boi Kieu from both literary and societal perspectives.

Cultural Dynamics and Challenges in Chinese Co-produced Films at Regional and Global Levels

2025-02-01T21:48:39+07:00

The rapid regionalization and globalization of the film industry have intensified interactions among various cultures, particularly through co-produced films between China and other nations. This paper examines the evolution of Chinese co-productions, focusing on their regional influence in East Asia and their global partnerships, particularly with Hollywood. The analysis highlights the role of co-produced films in navigating economic, cultural, and political complexities, demonstrating both integration and tension. By juxtaposing regional and global examples, this study aims to shed light on the nature of cross-cultural collaboration within the Chinese film industry. Co-productions reflect China’s ambitions and challenges in cultural diplomacy and identity within an increasingly interconnected global media landscape, from favorable policies to ideological conflicts and restrictions.

A Comparison of the Editions of “Summary of Chinese Rhymes (Gujin yunhui juyao)” and Textual Research of the Yuan Manuscripts

2025-02-01T22:18:07+07:00

The editions of the Summary of Chinese Rhymes (Gujin yunhui juyao) are widely spread. Systematically sorting out the situation of the various editions of the library collections, sorting out their basic features, and comprehensively selecting 12 editions, from the angle of content similarities and differences, this paper analyzed that the Shanghai Library edition, the Imperial Library edition, the Kyujanggak edition, the Korean edition, the Komazawa edition, and Hui-yao edition are one series, whilst the Ming-manuscript edition, the Taipei edition, the Jiangxi edition, the Imperial Wenyuan Library edition, and the Huainan edition are one series, the “Five Mountain” edition is a special kind of version. According to the content details, it was proved that the system of the Yuan editions is more consistent and all are composite editions because there is no new edition compiled by Yu Qian (fl. 1339). Chen Bao’s edition is the base of Yu’s edition, all kinds of Ming editions copied from the Yuan edition, Korean editions copied from the Yuan edition, and Japanese editions copied from the Yuan edition. Combined with the Yuan and Ming editions, analyzing the internal contents of the “Five Mountain” edition, the systematic appearance of Chen’s edition (an unrevised edition of the Yuan edition) could be restored, thus separating it from Yu’s edition.

Textual Research on Filial Piety in Anecdote of “Zengzi Cultivates Melons” and Its Historical Introspection

2025-02-01T22:36:56+07:00

The filial piety’s conception of “Examine one’s obedience (shen qi suo cong)” in The Family Sayings of Confucius is in the same vein as that of The Analects. The anecdote of “Zengzi (505–435 BCE) Cultivates Melons” is a further elaboration of this conception of filial piety. Emperor Taizong of Tang (r. 626–649) once quoted this anecdote to refute Kong Yingda (574–648) and other Confucian scholars. Prince Zhanghuai (655–684) quoted it to annotate The Book of the Later Han Dynasty and Cheng Yi (1033–1107) quoted it in his invention of the doctrine of righteousness. The anecdote of “Zengzi Cultivates Melons” can be said to be everlasting, and the ideological and cultural value contained in The Family Sayings of Confucius should not be underestimated.

Li Jinxi: Between Modern Chinese Grammer and Chinese Language Education

2025-02-01T22:56:30+07:00

LI Jinxi (1890–1978) has made pioneering contributions in both fields of modern Chinese grammar and language education in China. These two disciplines were closely linked in Li's studies. Li’s academic training was relatively distant from modern linguistics. Still, the national language movement in the early twentieth century prompted Li, as an officer of the Ministry of Education, ROC, to engage in modern Chinese grammar research, thereby finding a precise grammatical theoretical basis for the national language movement and national language education. The Sentence-based theory revealed in New Chinese Grammar is directly related to the actual needs of language education. Although Li’s grammar system has been criticized a lot, it still plays an important role in China’s primary and secondary school language education today.

Investigation and Research on the Quality of the Whole Training Process of Thai Graduate Students in China

2025-02-02T10:19:52+07:00

Thailand is the main source of international students in China, and the Thai graduate students in China also top the list of graduate students in China. To promote the high quality and sustainable education development of Thai graduate students in China, a questionnaire survey on the whole training process of Thai graduate students and alumni in China has been conducted. By analyzing the basic data and information of the whole process of “enrollment, teaching, management and education” of Thai graduate students studying in China, efforts are made to find out existing problems, analyze the causes of the problems, and propose specific solutions, to explore effective ways to improve the whole process quality of Thai graduate students in China, thus contributing to the overall improvement of the education quality of Thai students in China.

The Hotspots and Developing Trends of Research on Motivation for Learning Chinese among Overseas Students in China in the Recent Two Decades (2005–2024)

2025-02-02T10:35:13+07:00

“Chinese fever” has been a global phenomenon with the increasing influence of China around the world. Following the scoping review and based on CiteSpace, this study aims to synthesize the hotspots and research trends on motivation for learning Chinese among overseas students in China in the past two decades, from 2005 to 2024. The results show that there is a fluctuation in the relevant research on motivation for learning Chinese; The hotspots in this area include a focus on the features and influencing factors of motivation for learning, the relationship between motivation for learning Chinese and the use of Chinese language learning strategies, the relationship between motivation for learning Chinese and Chinese language learning engagement, and motivation for learning Chinese as a heritage language; There is a multi-dimensional, universal and dynamic developing trend; The most representative researchers are Anqi Ding, Ying Zhou, Mingming Shao, and Chili Li; Institutions who have the most publications include School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University, International Cultural Exchange School of Xinjiang Normal University, School of Foreign Languages, Hu¬bei University of Technology, and School of Humanities, Xinjiang University. These findings could offer insightful implications for future research in this construct.

Diversified Solutions to Real Problems: A New Direction for Teaching the Module of “China Overview”

2025-02-02T10:47:04+07:00

International students studying in China are required to take courses on the module of “China Overview.” Still, in the teaching practice of this course, the teaching effect is not satisfactory. Currently, the academic community has conducted research on teaching principles, teaching methods, and other aspects, but few have applied problem-oriented teaching methods to the teaching of such cultural courses and conducted in-depth exploration of the logic of problems and the comprehensiveness of methods. Starting from the course objectives and theoretical basis of teaching, this study proposes course implementation strategies such as establishing a “learning circle” system for course content, forming a composite learning community, integrating problem-oriented teaching method and BOPPPS teaching mode, and conducting diversified classroom teaching evaluations, to enhance the teaching effectiveness and contemporary utility of “China Overview” Module.

A Study of Strategies for Translating Thai Cuisine Names into Chinese: A Case Study Based on Shanghai Mei-tuan Platform

2025-02-02T11:10:06+07:00

This research examines the translation of Thai food names into Chinese on the Mei-tuan platform in Shanghai. The study analyzed 207 food names from over 20 menu items at four selected Chinese restaurants with overall ratings exceeding 4.5 points. The findings indicate that eight translation strategies are used for Thai food names on the platform: literal translation, renaming, transliteration, use of equivalent terms, addition of words, omission of meaning, use of generic terms, and cultural adaptation. Notably, literal translation was the most commonly employed strategy, accounting for 54 names, followed by renaming with 45 names. In contrast, cultural adaptation was the least utilized method, applied to only six names. The results suggest that literal translation is the preferred method as it preserves the original meaning of Thai dishes in a clear and comprehensible way for Chinese consumers. Renaming is often used to make dish names more appealing and suitable for the tastes of the Chinese market. Other strategies, such as transliteration or using equivalent terms, are employed when no direct translation exists or when a close equivalent is unavailable. This study highlights the challenges of translating Thai cuisine names into Chinese, underscoring the need for careful consideration of both linguistic accuracy and the cultural context of Chinese consumers.