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Zum Jahresende noch was zum Schmökern, Stöbern und fürs Auge

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Soeben haben wir im CrossAsia Open Access Repository unseren Jubiläumsband „Sammellust und Wissensdrang : Vier Jahrhunderte Asiatica in Berlin“ veröffentlicht. In 42 Beiträgen auf 200 Seiten und mit gut 150 Abbildungen versehen, stellen Wissenschaftler:innen, Sammlungsgeber:innen und Mitarbeiter:innen ein Objekt bzw. Segment aus unseren Beständen vor, das für ihre Forschung bedeutsam war oder ist, geben Einblicke in die Geschichte und die Zukunft der Abteilung und beleuchten Aspekte der Sammlungsgeschichte.

Verlinkungen in den Beiträgen führen zu den vorgestellten Objekten in den Digitalisierten Sammlungen der SBB-PK und laden ein zum Blättern und zum weiteren, digitalen Erkunden, oder leiten zu Aufzeichnungen von Vorträgen der Beitragenden im Rahmen der CrossAsia Talks.

Anlass für den Band und die Beiträge war das dreifache Jubiläum im Jahr 2022: die Gründung der Ostasienabteilung einhundert Jahre zuvor, 70 Jahre Förderung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft als Sondersammelgebiet bzw. heute als Fachinformationsdienst Asien und der 400. Geburtstag von Christian Mentzel, Leibarzt des Großen Kurfürsten und erster Kurator der chinesischen Sammlung und die in diesem Zusammenhang ursprünglich geplante Ausstellung.

Wir bedanken uns bei allen Beteiligten für die Unterstützung und Geduld bei diesem Projekt und wünschen Ihnen allen viel Spaß beim Lesen und Entdecken!

Tang Sanjiao

Mobilised and Militarised Childhood: A Sample Schedule and Account of a 1960s-born Chinese Pupil in Two Days

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Gastbeitrag von Dr. Sanjiao Tang

Dieser Beitrag erschien zuerst auf dem Blog der Staatsbibliothek.

Driven by the international tensions in the Cold War context, war preparation elements heavily and continuously featured Chinese people’s lives throughout the Maoist era (1949–1976). Despite the great famine around the late 1950s, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decided to include China’s entire population in the armed forces (quanmin jiebing 全民皆兵). In 1962, despite the tens of millions of deaths caused by the famine, the country celebrated that its militias had maintained a scale of over two hundred million people. It was not yet the final goal of the campaign of mass mobilisation and militarisation. As depicted in a well-known slogan, all the seven hundred million Chinese people were to become soldiers (qiyi renmin qiyi bing  七亿人民七亿兵). Although this was rhetorically exaggerated, it is no exaggeration to say that Chinese people were generally involved in the national war-preparing activities that lasted until the end of the Maoist era, and whose relevant experiences should not be overlooked when reviewing personal and collective lives in Maoist China. It is also the topic that I aim to explore.

Before arriving in Berlin, benefiting from a notable number of sources I had collected, my research mainly concentrated on those joining the militias who were normally aged between 16 and 35 and undoubtedly formed the core force of Maoist-era mass mobilisation and militarisation. As for those either too young or too old to obtain membership of the militias in the Maoist era, how were their lives associated with the mass campaign? For example, what were the Chinese children’s stories like between the 1960s and 1970s, being engaged in the war preparation? Remember the active roles that schoolchildren in elementary and junior middle schools had played in China’s numerous mass movements since 1949, like their organisational participation in the movement of backyard furnaces during the Great Leap Forward in the late 1950s. It was not surprising that the children from the early 1960s took another active part in the national campaign of mobilisation and militarisation, as the youngest generation involved in the war-preparation activities. However, their stories scarcely received much attention in the officials’ paperwork and documentation. Hardly could these pupils carefully record their experiences either. Overlooking the mobilised and militarised childhood of the generations who are driving the country at present leads to a notable gap in understanding both Maoist and today’s China.

Thanks to the Grant Program of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz, I had the opportunity to conduct my research at Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and to access valuable contemporary publications regarding the Chinese school pupils being mobilised and militarised between the 1960s and 1970s. Whether they are in the form of picture-story books or children’s fiction, whether they have been issued periodically or published separately, they are all in scouts-like style. The Chinese word xiao bing (小兵), meaning ‘young soldiers’ in English, frequently appeared in their titles. Taking up a big proportion of them are monthlies or semi-monthlies produced in various provinces during the Cultural Revolution period (1966–1976) that are aiming at children in primary schools, uniformly with the name of Hong Xiao Bing 红小兵 (see illustration above). When Hong Xiao Bing is mentioned, people will normally think about Hong Wei Bing (红卫兵 Red Guards), who were the rebels in China during the first few years of the Cultural Revolution. Younger than those becoming Hong Wei Bing, Hong Xiao Bing were the youngest participants of the Cultural Revolution. In December 1967, the authorities endorsed the Hong Xiao Bing organisations in primary schools, aiming to recruit those between 6 and 12 years old. While the tide of the Cultural Revolution ended in the late 1960s, that was also the time when the Hong Xiao Bing organisations truly functioned in China’s elementary schools. Until the late 1970s, despite the decline of the Cultural Revolution, the lasting campaign of mass mobilisation and militarisation instead characterized the Hong Xiao Bing organisations. As a result, the Chinese generations starting their primary schooling between 1966 and 1976 had common and distinct experiences of their preparation to defend Maoist China as Hong Xiao Bing.

Admittedly, all these items were propaganda products of the CCP. For the curious children, when most cultural products and literary works were banned during the Cultural Revolution, these publications were also among the very scarce materials they could read every day. What was propagated in these books provided them with limited and precious information regarding what to learn, what to play, what to say, what to sing, what to know, and what to dream about.

Therefore, based on the materials in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, I tried to draw up a sample schedule and account of a Chinese pupil of two days during the first half of the 1970s, when the order of schooling had been basically recovered from the chaos caused by the Cultural Revolution. – Imagine that you started your primary education in the early 1970s: You will find that your school lives were driven by ubiquitous elements of mobilisation and militarisation, which aimed to physically and mentally train you according to the need of war preparation.

  • Day One, 9:00–11:00 am

This session is based on:
Chen Guangrong 陈光荣 (text), Mei Meng 梅萌 (images), “Jianpuzhai xiaoyingxiong: Dada” (柬埔寨小英雄: 达达) (‘Young Hero in Cambodia: Dada’), Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Jiangsu Province) 53, no. 8 (1975): no page number available

As the most important thing that all the children need to do in school, the session of Studies in Politics (Zhengzhi xuexi政治学习) takes place at least three times per week. This morning, the Studies in Politics in your class focuses on mobilising the children to play an active role in national defence. Your teacher’s long speech based on the upper-level documents is boring to the class. What draws your attention is the story shared by your teacher. It is about a child fighting hero in Cambodia. Your teacher retells the story based on a Hong Xiao Bing magazine. The Cambodian child learned and mastered the skill of driving a tank in just a few days, by which he contributed significantly to defend the communist regime in Cambodia, Khmer Rouge (Hongse Gaomian红色高棉). At that time, none of you really knows the regime of the Khmer Rouge, which killed millions of people in Cambodia. Yet, the ignorance does not prevent you from admiring the child fighting hero. To defend the Chinese communist regime, now you understand that you need to improve yourselves and learn from the child fighting models of the Khmer Rouge. The sessions of Studies in Politics are also one of the very limited ways for you and your classmates to obtain information regarding the outside world, although what you hear from the teacher is usually partial, fake, and misleading.

  • Day One, 1:00–2:30 pm

This session is based on:
Lu Xiaoping 陆小萍, “Wo tiaoguo le shanyang” (我跳过了山羊) (‘I vaulted the horse’), Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Guangdong Province) no. 1 (January 1974): 34–35

The first session after lunch is PE class. Today, the task is to practice tiao shanyang (跳山羊 horse-vaulting), which is a common requirement in military training. You have learned the basic skills in previous classes. But you still lack confidence in practice. In order to encourage you, the PE teacher uses the example of battlefields. According to your teacher’s analogy, it is just like how the soldiers stride over barriers in warfare. So, to be better prepared for the coming war, you must take the challenge of tiao shanyang and achieve the goal. Being effectively encouraged, you successfully finish the task when imagining that you are really in a battle fighting against enemies.

  • Day One, 3:00–4:00 pm

This session is based on:
Cui Yaofa 崔耀法, “Wa dilei” (挖地雷) (‘Dig up land mines’), Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Guangdong Province) no. 8 (August 1974): 4, and “Yiqie xingdong ting zhihui” (一切行动听指挥) (‘All actions under command’), Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Jiangsu Province) 47, no. 2 (1975): no page number available

After the PE class, there is a one‑hour period for collective activities. Aiming to reinforce the cohesion and teamwork of the pupils, teachers organise a series of interesting games in group form, which are always welcome by the children. This time, two new games are recommended. The first one is Wa dilei (挖地雷 Dig up land mines). As instructed by your teacher, the pupils, including you, sit in a circle. Two bricks are put inside as landmines. Each time, two children, with their eyes covered, try to find the landmines with their hands. When it is your turn, you move your hands slowly and cautiously, as if you were really in a minefield. When you finally dig up a land mine, all your classmates applaude for you, just like a cohesive team fighting together in a war.

The second game is even more militaristic. The name of the game is Yiqie xingdong ting zhihui (一切行动听指挥 All actions under command). It is quite a large-scale collective game, in which a whole school class can participate. Every child holds a wooden gun and stands in a line. Every line of children is regarded as a military squad. Once your teacher issues the order of zhunbei zhandou (准备战斗 prepare for fighting), each line moves according to the whistling. There are different kinds of whistling sounds with different meanings, like one long, two short, or one long and one short. They signify taking a step forward, taking a step back, about‑face, and some other actions. All the children are expected to take actions correctly, timely, and precisely in line with the orders. Due to nervousness, you make a mistake when moving. You feel guilty and decide to take more exercise. Only in this way you can make fewer mistakes in real wars, you believe. Otherwise, your comrades-in-arms would be endangered.

  • Day One, 6:00–7:00 pm

This session is based on:
Zhang Chi 张翅, “Tebie renwu” (特别任务) (‘Special Task’), Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Guangdong Province) no. 8 (August 1974): 14–15

After school, the hong xiao bing in your class, including you, receive a special task (teshu renwu特殊任务). It is to protect the crops in collective fields. Despite your young age, you are expected to finish the task together with the militia members in your village. Not only is the name of the task military-like, you are also requested to behave as if engaging in a fully militarised assignment in warfare. Based on the militia cadres’ instruction, what you specifically need to do is to go around on patrol, keeping vigilant at all times about any potential destruction from class enemies (jieji diren阶级敌人).

  • Day Two, 9:00–10:30 am

This session is based on:
“Fanxiu qianxian de Hong Xiao Bing – Zhenbaodao diqu Hong Xiao Bing de gushi” (反修前线的红小兵 – 珍宝岛地区红小兵的故事) (‘The Hong Xiao Bing on the frontier of anti-revisionism – the stories of Hong Xiao Bing in Zhenbaodao region’), in: Women shi Maozhuxi de Hong Xiao Bing (我们是毛主席的红小兵) (‘We are the Hong Xiao Bing of Chairman Mao’), Shanghai: Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, 1970: 1–6, and “Jizhi de Xiaowulan” (机智的小乌兰) (‘The smart Xiaowulan’), Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Jiangsu Province) 50, no. 5 (1975): no page number available

In the Chinese class this morning, your teacher introduces extra reading materials, two stories from Hong Xiao Bing magazines. Based on close reading and comprehension, you should answer questions related to the keynotes of the stories.

The first story is about the hong xiao bing who joined the fighting with the Soviet Union on China’s northeast frontier, Zhenbao Island, in 1969. It is certainly a fiction, as it would be an extremely crazy thing to let children participate in a conflict between regular armies where tanks and armoured cars were used. Nevertheless, many pupils in your class are deeply moved and stimulated by the fictional story, swearing that they would defend China as heroically as the peers described here.

As for the second reading material, it is a picture story set on the grassland in Inner Mongolia. The hong xiao bing there are also active in war preparation and national defence. As a significant result of their efforts, a spy is discovered and arrested by the Mongolian hong xiao bing. After you have enjoyed the thrilling story, your teacher repeatedly highlights the importance of staying alert to any potential spy that you might meet in your daily lives.

  • Day Two, 1:00–2:00 pm

This session is based on:
Hong Xiao Bing yue zhan yue jianqiang: ertong gequ huoye gequ (红小兵越战越坚强: 儿童歌曲 活页歌曲) (‘The more fighting, Hong Xiao Bing are stronger: loose-leaf of children’s songs’) (3), Beijing: Renmin yinyue chubanshe, 1974

After lunch, your first session is a music class. This is your favourite session across the curriculum, as you like singing. Many of the songs that you learn in the class are inspired by military-related themes. Even though some songs do not present real warfare directly, they still strongly encourage you to fight (zhandou 战斗), no matter if you have been mobilised to attend meetings of criticism (pidouhui 批斗会), criticise Lin Biao and Confucius (Pilin pikong 批林批孔), or prepare to go to the countryside (Shangshan xiaxiang 上山下乡). In the mass mobilisation and militarisation context, such analogies were not weird but produced harmonious melodies. Whenever singing these songs loudly with your classmates, you feel agitated and become eager to join the fighting.

  • Day Two, 2:30–5:30 pm

This session is based on:
“Jixun qianjin” (继续前进) (‘Continue advancing’), in: Women shi Maozhuxi de Hong Xiao Bing (我们是毛主席的红小兵) (‘We are the Hong Xiao Bing of Chairman Mao’), Shanghai: Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, 1970: 114–117

For your classmates and you, the music class is yet the most attractive part of this afternoon. After that, you would go hiking, as one of the collective activities that enjoy lasting popularity among all the pupils in your school. Instead of taking a relaxing leisure activity, however, according to the instructions issued by your teacher who leads the hiking team, it is not an ordinary hiking experience but a fighting task with the aim to occupy the hill from the enemies. But who are the enemies? Based on the instructions, the U.S. and the Soviet Union are regarded as the enemies that the children need to fight. Resulting from the real war-like mobilisation, the whole way of climbing up the top of the hill is filled with your yell of kill, kill, and kill (hanshasheng zhentian喊杀声震天). Finally, in your imagination, you successfully defeat the U.S. and Soviet Union enemies and “occupy” the top of the hill as expected. Even so, that is not the end of the “fighting” task. As instructed by your teacher, the goal of defeating the enemies has not been fully achieved yet. Next week, your class will participate in another hiking activity under the title of jixu qianjin (继续前进 continue advancing).

  • Day Two, 6:30–8:00 pm

This session is based on:
“Dixiashi de zhandou” (地下室的战斗) (‘The fighting in the basement’) and “Da huoba” (打活靶) (‘Alive target practice’), in: Women shi Maozhuxi de Hong Xiao Bing (我们是毛主席的红小兵) (‘We are the Hong Xiao Bing of Chairman Mao’), Shanghai: Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, 1970: 133–137 & 14–21

Finishing the “fighting” on the hill, it is not yet time to go back home. This week, your class is responsible for the school’s propaganda task. After the lessons, you need to produce big character papers (dazibao 大字报) and slogans, in addition to completing other relevant work for propaganda. All you are going to do is described as fighting tasks (zhandou renwu 战斗任务). When the topic of the big character paper is to criticise certain people, it is called daba (打靶 target practice), as serious as the situation in warfare. Sometimes, you even have the chance to help organise in-person meetings to criticise those who are viewed as anti-revolutionary in your school. In that case, it is called da huoba (打活靶 alive target practice). You and all your classmates yearn for such opportunities, which are no less exciting than getting a chance to fight against enemies in a real war.

 

As shown in this sample schedule and account of only two days, it is already safe to conclude that although just between 6 and 12 years old, Chinese children were shaped by war-preparing elements during their school lives in various aspects, including the knowledge they learned, the skills they acquired, their reading preferences, their habit of speaking, and their mode of thinking. If the Maoist era had not abruptly ended after a few years and the mass mobilisation and militarisation had continued, these children in their adolescence and early adulthood would surely have become the main force of war preparation in Communist China. The unexpected end of the Maoist era suddenly stopped them on the way to achieve their goal. Hong Xiao Bing organisations were dissolved nationally in 1978. However, the influence of the mobilised and militarised childhood may not be so easily overcome.

Benefitting from the rich materials existing in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, only a small part of which is demonstrated in the article here, I plan to conduct more detailed research focusing on the experiences of Chinese children involved in China’s mass mobilisation and militarisation under Mao, in addition to the legacies that live beyond the Maoist era.

 

Links to the referred sources available at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin

Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Guangdong Province), no. 1 (January 1974). –
SBB-PK: Zsn 47135-1974,1

Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) (Issued by Guangdong Province), no. 8 (August 1974) . –
SBB-PK: Zsn 47135-1974,8

Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) 47 (Issued by Jiangsu Province), no. 2 (1975) . –
SBB-PK: Zsn 129438-47 (2,1975)

Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) 50 (Issued by Jiangsu Province), no. 5 (1975) . –
SBB-PK: Zsn 129438-50 (5,1975)

Hong Xiao Bing (红小兵) 53 (Issued by Jiangsu Province), no. 8 (1975) . –
SBB-PK: Zsn 129438-53 (8,1975)

Hong Xiao Bing yue zhan yue jianqiang: ertong gequ huoye gequ (红小兵越战越坚强: 儿童歌曲 活页歌曲) (The more fighting, Hong Xiao Bing are stronger: loose-leaf of children’s songs), Beijing: Renmin yinyue chubanshe, 1974. –
SBB-PK: 229838

Women shi Maozhuxi de Hong Xiao Bing (我们是毛主席的红小兵) (We are the Hong Xiao Bing of Chairman Mao), Shanghai: Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, 1970. –
SBB-PK: 220150

 

Herr Dr. Sanjiao Tang war im Rahmen des Stipendienprogramms der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz im Jahr 2024 als Stipendiat an der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Forschungsprojekt: „An Exploration of China’s Campaign of Mass Mobilization and Militarization during the Mao Era: Based on the Valuable Sources at the Berlin State Library“

CrossAsia Talks: Franz Xaver Erhard 12.12.2024

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(See English below)

Wir beschließen das Jahr mit einem CrossAsia Talk von Dr. Franz Xaver Erhard (Universität Leipzig) am 12. Dezember 2024 ab 18 Uhr (MEZ) mit dem Titel: From Print to Digital: Making Available Tibetan Newspapers as a Historical Source. Herr Erhard wird das Forschungsprojekt Divergent Discourses vorstellen und insbesondere auf die Verwendung und Bedeutung von Digital Humanities-Methoden in seiner Forschung eingehen. Der Vortrag wird online stattfinden.

The Sino-Tibetan history of the 1950s and 1960s is relatively unknown and highly contested. At the same time, sources on the period are scarce and local archives – if they exist – are generally closed to outside researchers. The few existing collections, including the one at the Berlin State Library (german: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin), of Tibetan newsprint and contemporary publications offer rare insights into the events but also the official presentation of events at the very time when they were taking place. The UK-German research project Divergent Discourses takes up this opportunity to study the events and narratives in newspapers of the period to understand how they became woven into cohesive yet diverging discourses on Tibet.

In the field of Tibetan Studies, Digital Humanities approaches are just emerging, and often the most essential tools are still wanted – the Divergent Discourses project has grappled with a multitude of challenges to digitisation posed by the Tibetan language and script, the complexity of newspaper layout, and the lack of Natural Language Processing tools for Tibetan and thus adapted existing or created new tools to build a workflow for the digitisation and analysis of a modern Tibetan text corpus.

The presentation will showcase the Divergent Discourses project’s approaches and Digital Humanities tools geared to unlock a large corpus of Tibetan historical newspapers for the first time as a source for a historical study of the emergence and development of conflicting concepts, ideas and discourse strategies.

Die Vortragssprache ist Englisch. Bei Fragen kontaktieren Sie uns unter: ostasienabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de.

Der Vortrag wird darüber hinaus via Webex gestreamt und aufgezeichnet*. Sie können am Vortrag über Ihren Browser ohne Installation einer Software teilnehmen. Klicken Sie dazu unten auf „Zum Vortrag“, folgen dem Link „Über Browser teilnehmen“ und geben Ihren Namen ein.

Zum Vortrag

Alle bislang angekündigten Vorträge finden Sie hier. Die weiteren Termine kündigen wir in unserem Blog und auf unserem X-Account an.

—

We will end the year with a CrossAsia Talk by Dr. Franz Xaver Erhard (Leipzig University) on December 12, 2024 from 6 pm (CET) entitled: From Print to Digital: Making Available Tibetan Newspapers as a Historical Source. Mr Erhard will present the Divergent Discourses research project and in particular discuss the use and significance of digital humanities methods in his research. The lecture will take place online.

The Sino-Tibetan history of the 1950s and 1960s is relatively unknown and highly contested. At the same time, sources on the period are scarce and local archives – if they exist – are generally closed to outside researchers. The few existing collections, including the one at the Berlin State Library (german: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin), of Tibetan newsprint and contemporary publications offer rare insights into the events but also the official presentation of events at the very time when they were taking place. The UK-German research project Divergent Discourses takes up this opportunity to study the events and narratives in newspapers of the period to understand how they became woven into cohesive yet diverging discourses on Tibet.

In the field of Tibetan Studies, Digital Humanities approaches are just emerging, and often the most essential tools are still wanted – the Divergent Discourses project has grappled with a multitude of challenges to digitisation posed by the Tibetan language and script, the complexity of newspaper layout, and the lack of Natural Language Processing tools for Tibetan and thus adapted existing or created new tools to build a workflow for the digitisation and analysis of a modern Tibetan text corpus.

The presentation will showcase the Divergent Discourses project’s approaches and Digital Humanities tools geared to unlock a large corpus of Tibetan historical newspapers for the first time as a source for a historical study of the emergence and development of conflicting concepts, ideas and discourse strategies.

The lecture will be held in English. If you have any questions, please contact us: ostasienabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de.

The lecture will also be streamed and recorded via Webex*. You can take part in the lecture using your browser without having to install a special software. Please click on the respective button “To the lecture” below, follow the link “join via browser” (“über Browser teilnehmen”), and enter your name.

To the lecture

You can find all previously announced lectures here. We will announce further dates in our blog and on X.

 

*Mit Ihrer Teilnahme an der Veranstaltung räumen Sie der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz und ihren nachgeordneten Einrichtungen kostenlos alle Nutzungsrechte an den Bildern/Videos ein, die während der Veranstaltung von Ihnen angefertigt wurden. Dies schließt auch die kommerzielle Nutzung ein. Diese Einverständniserklärung gilt räumlich und zeitlich unbeschränkt und für die Nutzung in allen Medien, sowohl für analoge als auch für digitale Verwendungen. Sie umfasst auch die Bildbearbeitung sowie die Verwendung der Bilder für Montagen. / By participating, you grant the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and its subordinate institutions free of charge all rights of usage of pictures and videos taken of you during this lecture presentation. This declaration of consent is valid in terms of time and space without restrictions and for usage in all media, including analogue and digital usage. It includes image processing and the usage of photos in composite illustrations. German law will apply.
Cloud & Heat

Recap Hackathon zur Layouterkennung tibetischer Handschriften und Blockdrucke

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Am 22.11. fand in Dresden ein Hackathon, organisiert von Cloud & Heat in Zusammenarbeit mit  AI Insights Saxony, statt. Einer der beiden Use cases wurde vom CrossAsis Team zur Verfügung gestellt: Die Layouterkennung tibetischer Handschriften und Blockdrucke. Ziel war es, die einzelnen Elemente auf den Seiten zu erkennen. Dazu gehören der Schriftblock, tibetische und ggf. chinesische Seitenzahlen sowie Illustrationen. Um den Hacker:innen die Besonderheiten vormoderner tibetischer Handschriften und Blockdrucke besser erläutern zu können, haben wir auch

Ausstellung tibetischer Blockdrucke und Handschriften während des Hackathons

einige Objekte nach Dresden geschickt, die den Teilnehmer:innen in einer kleinen Ausstellung präsentiert wurden. Es wurden verschiedenste Objekte gezeigt, um die Vielfalt der tibetischen Schriftkultur abzubilden. Die Objekte wurden mit regem Interesse begutachtet und ein Plan entwickelt, um die gesteckten Ziele zu erreichen.

Im Laufe des Tages entstand ein Tool auf der Basis eines bereitgestellten Large Language Modells, dass  das Layout tibetischer Texte relativ zuverlässig erkannt hat. Belohnt wurden die Mühen mit einem CrossAsia Beutel, gefüllt mit einigen Mitbringseln.

Doch das Interesse, sich mit tibetischer Layouterkennung zu beschäftigen, ist noch nicht erloschen, sodass einige Teilnehmer:innen des Hackathons weiterhin an diesem Projekt arbeiten wollen.

Wir danken Cloud & Heat für die Einladung und Nico Hoffmann für die Initiative und die Idee für die Kooperation!

 

CrossAsia

Netzwerkstörungen bei Zugriff auf Ressourcen aus VR China

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Liebe Alle,

momentan kommt es zu stark verlangsamten Ladezeiten beim Zugriff auf lizenzierte Datenbanken aus der VR China (z. Bsp. bei CNKI) .  Gemeinsam mit den Anbietern suchen wir nach der Ursache für diese Netzwerkstörungen, um diese zu beheben. Sobald die gewohnte Servicequalität wiederhergestellt ist werden wir diesen Post updaten.

 

Wir bitten die Unannehmlichkeiten zu entschuldigen.

 

Ihr/Euer

X-asia Team

 

UPDATE 13.12.24 Die Ressourcen des Anbieters CNKI sind wieder erreichbar, es gibt allerdings weiterhin Probleme bei Zugängen anderer Anbieter. Wir arbeiten weiterhin an der Behebung des Problems.

 

Dear all,

 

We are currently observing significantly slower loading times when accessing licensed databases from the People’s Republic of China (e.g. CNKI). We are working with the providers to locate the cause of these network disruptions in order to resolve them. As soon as the usual quality of service is restored, we will update this post.

 

We apologize for the inconvenience.

 

Yours

X-asia team

 

UPDATE 13.12.24: CNKI ressources are accessible again. Some issues remain with other providers. We continue to work on solving these issues.

Neue Lizenzen: Media Korean Studies

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Liebe Nutzer:innen,

Wir freuen uns Ihnen mitteilen zu können, dass wir ein Abonnement für Media Korean Studies abgeschlossen haben. Unsere Lizenz erlaubt den Nutzer:innen von CrossAsia außerdem den Zugriff auf folgende Inhalte:

Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei allen, die uns Feedback zur Lizenzierung gegeben haben!

 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Ihr / Euer

CrossAsia Team

———————————-

Dear Users,

We are excited to announce that we subscribed to a new database Media Korean Studies. Our license also grants CrossAsia users access to the following content:

We sincerely thank everyone who has sent us feedback regarding the licensing!

Yours

CrossAsia team

CrossAsia Talks: Stefan Messingschlager 28.11.2024

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(See English below)

Im Rahmen seines Vortrages „Pekingologie und wissenschaftliche China-Expertise in Deutschland nach 1949: Zur Scharnierfunktion des Sinologen Wolfgang Franke (1912–2007)“ am 28. November 2024 ab 18 Uhr wird Herr Stefan Messingschlager (Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg) Einblicke in die Rolle und Praxis wissenschaftlicher China-Expertise nach 1949 geben. Dabei wird er besonderen Fokus auf den Hamburger Sinologen Wolfgang Franke legen, dem in den Nachkriegsjahrzehnten eine herausragende Bedeutung für die transkulturelle und politische Vermittlung zwischen China und dem „Westen“ zukam. Neben seiner Expertenrolle in Politik und öffentlichem Diskurs hatte Wolfgang Franke auch eine Scharnierfunktion zwischen universitärer Sinologie und außeruniversitärer China-Expertise inne, so der Referent – und förderte so die Etablierung der gegenwartsbezogenen Chinaforschung in der Bundesrepublik.

Mit der Ausrufung der Volksrepublik China im Oktober 1949 wurde das Land für westliche Gesellschaften innerhalb kurzer Zeit zu einer Art Blackbox. In den meisten westlichen Staaten entwickelte sich vor diesem Hintergrund die Praxis der „China-Expertise“ – eine vielfältige, auf den öffentlichen Raum gerichtete Tätigkeit des Deutens, Beratens und Vermittelns, die unterschiedlichste Formen annahm: von der Deutung und Vermittlung im öffentlichen Diskurs über Politikberatung bis hin zur vermittelnden Praxis im transnationalen Austausch in den Bereichen Diplomatie, Wirtschaft und Kultur.

Anders als in den USA war China-Expertise in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in der Phase des sogenannten „Great Interregnums“ der 1950er bis 1970er Jahre nicht in erster Linie ein wissenschaftliches Projekt, sondern wurde vor allem von „Old-China-Hands“ wie Lily Abegg oder Klaus Mehnert getragen. Trotzdem spielte auch die Wissenschaft von Anfang an eine wichtige Rolle, interessanterweise jedoch gerade nicht die Sinologie, die sich bis weit in die 1970er Jahre vor allem als philologische Disziplin verstand. Stattdessen waren es Politikwissenschaftler wie Gottfried-Karl Kindermann und Jürgen Domes, die prägende Deutungsangebote zur chinesischen Politik entwickelten. Jenseits der universitären Chinaforschung waren es aber vor allem die neu gegründeten Forschungsinstitutionen wie das Institut für Asienkunde (IfA) und die Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), die zu entscheidenden Trägern wissenschaftlicher China-Expertise wurden und ab den 1970er Jahren politikberatende Funktionen übernahmen.

In diesem Kontext avancierte der Sinologe Wolfgang Franke zu einer Schlüsselfigur: Er lieferte mit seinen Schriften nicht nur breit rezipierte Deutungen, wirkte politikberatend und vermittelte in den deutsch-chinesischen Beziehungen. Als wohl renommiertester Lehrstuhlinhaber für Sinologie in Deutschland förderte er auch eine stärkere Gegenwartsorientierung der Sinologie – ein entscheidender Schritt zur Etablierung der gegenwartsbezogenen Chinaforschung in der Bundesrepublik.

Die Vortragssprache ist Deutsch. Bei Fragen kontaktieren Sie uns unter: ostasienabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de.

Der Vortrag wird darüber hinaus via Webex gestreamt und aufgezeichnet*. Sie können am Vortrag über Ihren Browser ohne Installation einer Software teilnehmen. Klicken Sie dazu unten auf „Zum Vortrag“, folgen dem Link „Über Browser teilnehmen“ und geben Ihren Namen ein.

Zum Vortrag

Alle bislang angekündigten Vorträge finden Sie hier. Die weiteren Termine kündigen wir in unserem Blog und auf unserem X-Account an. Weitere Informationen zum Leben und Wirken von Wolfgang Franke finden Sie im vom Vortragenden, Herrn Messingschlager, erstellten CrossAsia Themenportal „Im Banne Chinas“ – Der Sinologe Wolfgang Franke als Forscher Mittler.

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The lecture ‘Pekingology and scientific China expertise in Germany after 1949: On the hinge function of the sinologist Wolfgang Franke (1912-2007)’ on November 28, 2024  from 6 pm, Mr. Stefan Messingschlager (Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg) will provide insights into the role and practice of scholarly China expertise after 1949. He will place special focus on the Hamburg Sinologist Wolfgang Franke, who played a pivotal role in the postwar decades in facilitating transcultural and political mediation between China and the “West”. In addition to his role as an expert in politics and public discourse, Wolfgang Franke also served as a bridge between Sinology and China expertise outside academia, thereby advancing the establishment of contemporary China studies in the Federal Republic of Germany.

With the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China in October 1949, the country quickly became a kind of black box for Western societies. In most Western states, the practice of “China expertise” developed in response – a multifaceted practice aimed at the public sphere that involved interpreting, advising, and mediating, taking various forms: from interpretation and mediation in public discourse to policy advising and intermediary practices in the transnational exchange of diplomacy, economics, and culture.

Unlike in the United States, China expertise in the Federal Republic of Germany during the so-called “Great Interregnum” of the 1950s to the 1970s was not primarily an academic endeavor but was largely shaped by „Old China Hands“ such as Lily Abegg and Klaus Mehnert. However, from the outset, academia also played a role, though interestingly not through Sinology, which until well into the 1970s primarily understood itself as a philological discipline. Instead, political scientists like Gottfried-Karl Kindermann and Jürgen Domes developed important interpretative frameworks for Chinese politics. Beyond China research in academia, it was particularly the newly founded research institutions, such as the Institute of Asian Studies (IfA) and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), that became key contributors to scholarly China expertise and, from the early 1970s onward, increasingly assumed advisory roles in policy matters.

In this context, Sinologist Wolfgang Franke became a key figure: not only did he contribute significant interpretations of China through his writings, but he also engaged in policy advising and facilitated Sino-German relations. As perhaps the most renowned Sinology chairholder in Germany, he also promoted a stronger contemporary focus within Sinology – a crucial step in establishing contemporary China studies in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The lecture will be held in German. If you have any questions, please contact us: ostasienabt@sbb.spk-berlin.de.

The lecture will also be streamed and recorded via Webex*. You can take part in the lecture using your browser without having to install a special software. Please click on the respective button “To the lecture” below, follow the link “join via browser” (“über Browser teilnehmen”), and enter your name.

To the lecture

You can find all previously announced lectures here. We will announce further dates in our blog and on X. Further information on the life and work of Wolfgang Franke can be found in the CrossAsia thematic portal ‘Im Banne Chinas’ – Der Sinologe Wolfgang Franke als Forscher Mittler, created by the lecturer Mr. Messingschlager.

 

*Mit Ihrer Teilnahme an der Veranstaltung räumen Sie der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz und ihren nachgeordneten Einrichtungen kostenlos alle Nutzungsrechte an den Bildern/Videos ein, die während der Veranstaltung von Ihnen angefertigt wurden. Dies schließt auch die kommerzielle Nutzung ein. Diese Einverständniserklärung gilt räumlich und zeitlich unbeschränkt und für die Nutzung in allen Medien, sowohl für analoge als auch für digitale Verwendungen. Sie umfasst auch die Bildbearbeitung sowie die Verwendung der Bilder für Montagen. / By participating, you grant the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and its subordinate institutions free of charge all rights of usage of pictures and videos taken of you during this lecture presentation. This declaration of consent is valid in terms of time and space without restrictions and for usage in all media, including analogue and digital usage. It includes image processing and the usage of photos in composite illustrations. German law will apply.

Neue Kooperation zwischen der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin und der Nationalbibliothek Indonesiens

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Am 20. November 2024 unterzeichneten Prof. Dr. Achim Bonte, Generaldirektor der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, und Prof. E. Aminudin Aziz, Generaldirektor der Perpustakaan Nasional Republik Indonesia, ein Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) zur Intensivierung der gemeinsamen Zusammenarbeit. Die Vereinbarung zielt auf eine engere Vernetzung, regelmäßigen fachlichen Austausch und gemeinsame Projektarbeit ab. Neben der Kooperation im Bereich der südostasiatischen Handschriftensammlung umfasst dies auch vielfältige Aspekte der digitalen Zusammenarbeit, wie den Zugang zu Ressourcen und Daten sowie potenzielle KI-Projekte.

Trial für Asahi Shimbun Digital bis 19.12.24 | Trial for Asahi Shimbun Digital until December 19th 24

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Für registrierte Nutzer:innen steht bis zum 19. Dezember 2024 ein Testzugang zur japanischen Zeitung Asahi Shimbun Digital zur Verfügung. Um das Angebot zu testen, loggen Sie sich bitte wie üblich ein und nutzen Sie bitte den hier hinterlegten Link. Anschließend klicken Sie auf dem nächsten Bildschirm unbedingt auf「朝日新聞デジタルにアクセスする」und gelangen somit zu den Beiträgen. Nach der Recherche ist es zwingend notwendig, die Webseite rechts oben über「マイページ」und den im dortigen Pull Down Menü angebotenen Logout-Button wieder zu verlassen, da sonst unnötig Simultanzugriffe blockiert werden. Ein einfaches Schließen des Browsers beendet NICHT die Session beim Anbieter. Vielen Dank für die Kooperation!

Laut Aussage des Anbieters waren die Artikel der Papier- und der digitalen Ausgabe ursprünglich identisch. Inzwischen werden jedoch vermehrt eigenständige Artikel in der digitalen Ausgabe veröffentlicht, von denen nur 10-100 monatlich in die Datenbank Asahi Shimbun Cross-Search aufgenommen werden. Insofern sind die Inhalte von der im Trial angebotenen Asahi Shimbun Digital und der bereits für CrossAsia lizenzierten Datenbank Asahi Shimbun Cross-Search nicht völlig übereinstimmend.

Wenn Sie eine Fortführung der Asahi Shimbun Digital nach Ende des Trials befürworten, schreiben Sie uns bitte eine Rückmeldung an x-asia@sbb.spk-berlin.de. Ohne Ihr Feedback können wir nicht tätig werden! Vielen Dank für Ihr Engagement!

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Registered users can test access to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun Digital until December 19th 2024. To test the offer, please log in as usual and use the link provided here. Then click on「朝日新聞デジタルにアクセスする」on the next screen to access the articles. After researching, it is absolutely necessary to leave the website via「マイページ」and use the logout button offered in the pull-down menu at the top right, as otherwise simultaneous access will be blocked unnecessarily. Simply closing the browser does NOT end the session with the provider. Thank you for your co-operation!

According to the provider, the articles in the paper and digital editions were originally identical. In the meantime, however, more and more independent articles are being published in the digital edition, of which only 10-100 are included in the Asahi Shimbun Cross-Search database each month. In this regard, the contents of the Asahi Shimbun Digital offered in the trial and the Asahi Shimbun Cross-Search database already licensed for CrossAsia are not completely identical.

If you are in favour of continuing Asahi Shimbun Digital after the trial ends, please write to us at x-asia@sbb.spk-berlin.de. We cannot take action without your feedback! Thank you for your commitment!

Military Drugs and Medical Texts: The Berlin Chinese Medical Manuscripts and Patterns of Consumption in the Mid to Late Qing

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Gastbeitrag von Forrest Cale McSweeney

Herr Forrest Cale McSweeney, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, war im Rahmen des Stipendienprogramms der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz im Jahr 2024 als Stipendiat an der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Forschungsprojekt: „Military Drugs From Soldiers to Physicians“

Dieser Beitrag erschien zuerst auf dem Blog der Staatsbibliothek.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), military medicine, and particularly military drugs, were an aspect of the income of soldiers. In a complex system of local procurement, the Qing government steered both simple ingredients and physicians themselves to the privileged Manchu warrior elite in the Eight Banners often stationed in the far West, and likewise to regular soldiers in the Green Standard Armies. After the 1780s this procurement process was governed by the War Expenditures Regulations junxuzeli 軍需則例 (the Qing created specialized regulations called zeli 則例 for a variety of administrative domains). However, apart from this, the Qing emperors dispatched chengyao 成藥, or pre-prepared formulas, directly to soldiers throughout the empire through the honorary conferral system which had been a regular feature of government in imperial governments since the Tang Period (618–907).

Such pre-prepared formulas were the products of China’s new and enormous bulk of pharmaceutical industry. By the 18th century these firms had begun to aggressively publish and market their drugs directly to consumers, particularly through the circulation of their catalogues (yaomu 藥目). The most successful pharmacy and the one closest to the Qing government was the Tongrentang 同仁堂. Of the 95 formulas confirmed to have been distributed to Qing soldiers from the 18th through the 19th century, 47 appeared on the Tongrentang’s catalogue. This amounted to a virtual subsidy for the metropolitan pharmaceutical industry in the Qing.

This cuts against our typical understanding of medicine in the Qing, which according to most scholars became far less attached to the state both materially and discursively throughout late imperial China from the mid-Ming (1368–1644). But was the state merely an indirect player in this new scene? Is it possible that the Qing state’s drug distribution efforts actually enhanced the profile of some drugs over others, even over that of the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry? Moreover, what can the Berlin Library’s Unschuld collection, the “Chinese Medical Manuscripts”, add to this discussion? These roughly thousand manuscripts contain a wide variety of individually copied medical texts primarily intended for private or use within a closed system of associates and circulated only incidentally. They range from copies of esteemed medical classics to large numbers of recipe collections reflecting the individual inclinations of physicians often operating beneath the level of mainstream medical literature.

It has long been a suspicion by scholars that in the late imperial period, the classical medical tradition operated more often than not as a legitimizing veneer over a much more obscure level of practical discourse which, in practice, viewed classical medical systems established in the Han Period (202 BCE–220 CE) expediently. With the added variable of known military drugs, we can further develop and clarify this hypothesis. Was Chinese practical medical discourse organized in any systematic way? Were there obvious patterns of consumption and practice which point to the influence of institutions, including the state? We can start to answer these questions by first trying to create a clear indicator of the Qing state’s capacity to modify medical discourse, starting at the published literate level. With the use of digital humanities tools and including many open-source databases, it is possible to see in clear terms the profile specific formulas had in the published medical records. The big pharmacies like the Tongrentang did not limit themselves to formulas they themselves allegedly invented, but rather they also co-opted previously existing formulas from a wide variety of origins, sometimes medieval or even ancient. Comparing the incidence of military formulas vs. Tongrentang (TRT) formulas across time, reaching back to the Song‑Jin‑Yuan Period (SJY, 960–1368), all relative to a control group as a baseline, can begin to illustrate the relative power of the state to enhance the profile of a specific formula.

Nearly all formulas distributed by the Qing or sold by the TRT which ultimately came from the medieval period begin at a consistently low textual incidence of 1‑2 texts per formula during the SJY and remain flat until the mid-Ming, when printing in all literary fields exploded. TRT formulas show a tendency to increase over time from the Ming (3.2 texts per formula) to the end of the Qing (10.1) – a factor of 3.2, noticeably higher than control at 2.7. The Qing government, when distributing medieval-era formulas, tended to select from high profile formulas, which increase from 7.45 in the early Ming to 35.25 by the late Qing texts – a factor of 4.3. But the Qing government often distributed TRT formulas to Qing soldiers. Such hybrid formulas skyrocketed in Qing texts, increasing by a factor of 7.85. It seems from this that Qing military distribution could have acted as a multiplier on TRT formulas, but this can only be seen most clearly when comparing these against military formulas totally unaffiliated with the TRT, where the factor actually increases – to 8.3. The Qing government was just as strong a multiplier as the most famous pharmacy in China, if not stronger.

The Unschuld manuscripts provide a glimpse into the efforts by physicians by the late Qing and early republican periods to determine the composition of such popular formulas, as the great pharmacies tended only to publish their applications, not their compositions. Formulas which came from the Qing’s Imperial Medical Academy Taiyiyuan 太醫院 were only recorded semi-officially in the private intra-government diaries and formularies of the Taiyiyuan and Imperial Pharmacy Yuyaofang 御藥房 physicians, which remained unpublished until modern times.

One group of military formulas stands out in terms of their relevance to the collection. They are those formulas which have an extremely limited or even negligible presence in the larger historical-literary record, yet were nonetheless distributed to Qing soldiers. It is in the Unschuld collection where some of the only historical records exist of what precisely these formulas (in total 14) consisted of and what they were used for by physicians. If Qing military distribution was a significant multiplier to a formula’s profile, then why did these formulas remain relatively obscure and appear only in practical literature? Analyzing the Unschuld manuscripts for patterns against the assumption that military distribution affected the formulas’ profiles offers clues. Despite all having virtually no presence in mainstream texts, medical or otherwise, some formulas can still be incredibly common across the practical domain. The drug Huanglianshangqingwan 黃連上清丸 “Pills with Rhizoma Coptidis to Clear the Upper Body” is an example of this, being invisible in medical and historical literature yet appearing in 52 separate manuscripts. At the other extreme is “Depression-Overcoming Harmony-Preserving Pill” Yuejubaohewan 越菊保和丸, which appears in only two.

Formulas were often obscure in literature but popular in manuscripts: cf. entry Huanglianshangqingwan 黃連上清丸 “Pills with Rhizoma Coptidis to Clear the Upper Body” from Wansangaodan 丸散膏丹 “Pills Powders Plasters and Elixers”, p. 54. – SBB PK: Slg. Unschuld 8002 (Retrieved from http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000601F00000054)

Formulas were often obscure in literature but popular in manuscripts: cf. entry Huanglianshangqingwan 黃連上清丸 “Pills with Rhizoma Coptidis to Clear the Upper Body” from Wansangaodan 丸散膏丹 “Pills Powders Plasters and Elixirs”, p. 54. – SBB‑PK: Slg. Unschuld 8002 (Retrieved from http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000601F00000054)

Despite such range, most of the formulas exhibit a profound degree of standardization throughout the collection in spite of the fact that the published record could not have provided a conduit of communication between the authors of the manuscripts. The fact that many such formulas appear on the TRT catalogue would in theory account for this. Huanglianshangqingwan is regularly appended with variants of the catalogue’s claim that it “treats overabundance/fullness of heat/fire in the triple burner” 治三焦實火. Fenqingwulinwan 分清五淋丸 “Clear-Turbid Five Stranguaries Pill” is a counterexample. Being absent from the TRT catalogue, practitioners would have had to find its application of “treating heat evil of the bladder and a swollen and painful penis” elsewhere, yet not only is its composition very consistent across documents, but this application does even repeat verbatim. Where did this formula come from, if not from medical literature? The most immediate possibility is: directly from the Qing court. Fenqingwulinwan appears in at least two modern reconstructed private intra-government diaries or formularies, where their applications to bladder diseases were the same, but their compositions were inconsistent. The ingredients from the Unschuld documents, though, draw from the common ingredients from the government formularies. There is a possibility that composition diffused from the imperial court.

A concordance between imperial court use and the practical literature of the Unschuld manuscripts would not be unexpected.  Using Chen Keji’s 陈可冀 systematic cataloguing of court medical cases in the Qing, one can find many obscure military formulas in use both at court in the Qing and in the manuscripts, such as Wujisanwan 五積散丸 (for cold affliction in the stomach), Jinyiqushuwan 金衣祛暑丸 (dispelling summerheat and unseasonal qi), Jiuqiniantongwan 九氣拈痛丸 (heart problems). The Qing court regularly used highly obscure formulas it shared with its soldiers, completely bypassing its own orthodox medical compilation, the “Golden Mirror of Medical Orthodoxy” 醫宗金鑒. Fully three-quarters of Qing military drugs do not appear in it, and half were absent from the Golden Mirror and yet were still used at court. The question remains, was it really the big pharmacies which were accounting for this concordance?

Only one obscure military formula is in the best position to approach this question. Xijiaoshangqingwan 犀角上清丸 “Rhinoceros Horn Upper-Body-Clearing Pill” did not appear on the TRT catalogue, was used at court (to treat heat related diseases), and also appears among the Unschuld manuscripts. The only records of its composition are four internal formularies, where the composition profile is inconsistent with only a few overlapping ingredients. Nonetheless, when appearing in the Unschuld documents its applications always include the treatment of heat, and virtually all of its ingredients named in the Unschuld collection can be found in at least one of the surviving internal formularies. The implication is a tempting hypothesis: The Qing imperial court dictated to the Qing and later practical medical domain, by bypassing medical literature, through subsidizing the pharmaceutical industry and dispersing specific formulas through military distribution. It was the state, not the pharmacies, which enhanced drug profiles. More research is needed of course.

A counterpoint to this hypothesis would be the interesting case of Pinganwan 平安丸 “Peace and Security Pill”, certainly the most enigmatic formula of the early modern period. A simple search through the catalogues of the First Historical Archives of China will reveal that this formula was nearly omnipresent in the Qing official sector from approximately the Yongzheng Period (1722–1735), being distributed to civil officials, generals, bannermen, regular soldiers. No other medical formula appears more commonly in military distribution records or even in civil or court records.

Pinganwan appears on the TRT catalogue as a formula for treating a number of ailments, including “the nine kinds of heart pain” jiuzhongxintong 九種心痛 and a variety of gastrointestinal pains and disorders. However, because of its ubiquity in Qing government, a variety of archival sources reveal it had a wide variety of incompatible applications. It was sent to the Manchu general Fukanggan (1644–1766) in the Miao campaigns of the 1790s to help cure summerheat stroke. In Nepal in 1793, a thousand soldiers received the drug to combat miasmas. In 1729, an official received it for exposure to cold pathogen – probably a febrile disease. In 1722 Emperor Yongzheng himself cut straight to the point and just called it a wonder drug. This gets even more complicated in a case from 1759, when in Xinjiang, a memorial from the Manchu general Zhao Hui thanked the emperor for a conferral containing pinganwan and xianglianwan, both explicitly labelled “such medicines which cure blade and firearm wounds”. I can find only very limited evidence within any state or private sources suggesting pinganwan was used to treat wounds, especially ones identified so specifically. The only relatively well-known text pinganwan appears in is Ma Wenzhi’s 1892 collection on external medicine, which omits its application.

Widely circulated Pinganwan was all but unknown in wider medicine: cf. entry Pinganwan 平安丸 “Peace and Security Pill”, p. 109. – SBB-PK: Slg. Unschuld 8222 (Retrieved from http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000608E00000109)

Widely circulated Pinganwan was all but unknown in wider medicine: cf. entry Pinganwan 平安丸 “Peace and Security Pill”, p. 109. – SBB-PK: Slg. Unschuld 8222 (Retrieved from http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000608E00000109)

The mystery only compounds with the Unschuld collection, which has only a single entry of the drug, explicitly labeling it a “secret formula” mifang 秘方 and only very cursorily referencing aspects of its TRT description while giving only scant details of its composition. This is a departure from the normal experience when analyzing Qing military formulas in the Unschuld collection, which normally exhibit a reliable degree of standardization. However, in this case it is perhaps understandable as even Chen Keji could find no fewer than four separate recipes prevailing in the Qing period, each with highly inconsistent ingredients. The formula being in some sense secret cannot be an explanation for its inability to break out into larger discourse, as nothing could have been less of a secret in Qing government. At this point I speculate that the explanation lies at the top: Pinganwan was essentially a discretionary panacea, possibly influenced by the whims of imperial medical dilettantism, particularly of the emperor Yongzheng, who informally prescribed the drug to dozens of officials at a whim. Its resulting lack of standardization hampered any ability for it to circulate in the informally formatted system that was Qing practical medical discourse. This could explain how such a drug with such wide support from the state could have such a marginal impact outside of the state sector while allowing for the very real active correspondence between Qing medicine in government and in common medical practice. In the Qing, medical knowledge descended from state sectors via the military, but in many ways the halls of court, the offices of bureaucracy, and the garrisons of soldiers could each be their own medical worlds.

Vortrag im Rahmen von CrossAsia Talks am 20. 6. 2024