HICCS 2025

This panel examines religious transformations and interactions in early China.

黃敬家(JING-JIA HUANG)
Department of Chinese, National Taiwan Normal University, Professor

题目：
婦女與宗教：宋代禪修女性從官宦世家到女中丈夫的轉變

摘要：
在中國佛教各宗派中，禪宗持有較為平等的性別態度，對女性的覺悟能力給予完全的肯定。然而，即使禪宗明確地聲稱覺性沒有生理性別之差，實際史料卻仍是以男性禪師為主，其中零星的女性禪修者的紀錄顯得格外珍貴。禪宗燈錄中雖然出現過唐代禪尼的身影，但她們僅是男性禪師傳記中的一段經歷。相對地，宋代禪尼在禪宗燈錄中有了獨立的傳記和明確的傳承法系，雖人數仍然不多，但有更多的禪門女性身影是被記錄在禪門筆記中。因此，本文從宋代禪門燈錄包括《嘉泰普燈錄》、《聯燈會要》、《五燈會元》，以及禪門筆記包括《羅湖野錄》、《雲臥紀談》、《宗門武庫》、《叢林盛事》、《枯崖漫錄》等所見的禪門女性修行者，來探究這些女性禪師的參學悟道過程及傳法活動，了解她們的生活樣貌，及其在禪門系譜中的地位。她們當中多有出身於士大夫官宦世家，乃至有出身皇家后宮者，她們多在生前已獲得禪師的印證，在燈錄譜系中有明確的傳承法系，擅於以詩偈傳達悟境，他們在傳法或與男性禪師逗機往來時，展現超越性別外相的悟力。透過本研究一方面可以建構宋代女性禪師的身影，以見女性禪修者獨立的人格與智慧典型。一方面有助於了解女性在宋代禪門的處境和貢獻，建構宋代禪門女性的歷史。

Elsa Cuillé
University of Strasbourg, Ph.D Candidate

Title:
Possessed by Spirits: Identities and Functions of Mediums in Tang China (618-907)

Abstract:
In short stories written or collected during the Tang dynasty (618-907), there are mentions of people whose bodies were used by spirits to convey words or actions. They were called by many names, but for the sake of clarity we will use the etic term “medium”, although the variety of emic names will also be addressed. Mediums can be defined by their association with spirit possession as a form of religious phenomenon. This paper will focus on gaining a better understanding of who these mediums were and what role they played in Tang dynasty Chinese society. This paper will start by addressing the methodological issues related to the study of less documented Chinese religious phenomena, especially when it comes to the Tang dynasty. The study of mediums in the medieval period faces a few obstacles First, there is a lack of reliable and direct sources. Second, it is difficult to identify certain situations as involving mediums. Finally, there is often no direct mention of possession, and the spirits seem to speak more than once without a clear intermediary. Then, using examples from anecdotes collected in the Taiping guangji 太平廣記 and dated to the Tang dynasty, I will question the identities and functions of the medium in Tang society. These questions will include whether the medium was a trained professional or an ordinary layman, whether he belonged to the elite or to the common people, and whether he was identified as a man or a woman. The type of spirit possession described will also be analyzed, as it may be spontaneous or induced. The rituals surrounding the possession (before, during and after) also provide information about the phenomenon and its actors. The behavior of the medium also varies; some transmit words of the entity possessing them, others do not. These words may be spoken or written in ordinary or special languages and scripts. In addition, the spirit that possesses the medium's body can be classified as benevolent or malevolent, and the interaction between the possessing entity and the rest of human society, especially the witnesses, can be positive or negative. With this paper, I hope to address a topic that is still understudied in the field of religious history, especially when it comes to religious actors in the Tang dynasty. This work may shed more light on the religious practices and actors of medieval Chinese society, as well as raise questions regarding gender and class.

Meng Wang
Department of philosophy, Renmin University of China, Ph.D Candidate

题目：
從無明到戲論——龍樹對「緣起論」從本體論到認識論的解釋方法之轉變

摘要：
一直以來，龍樹都被看作是佛教思想的革新者，因其中觀學說的成立，佛教內部出現了部派佛教與大乘佛教的根本分野。龍樹為了防止有部學說基於「假必依實」的「本體論」準則來理解「緣起論」造成的種種過失，從「認識論」的角度重新理解緣起論，不僅徹底貫徹了緣起理則，而且使得緣起論更具語言哲學的意涵。而實現此種革新的核心路徑在於引入「戲論」這一重要概念，代替原先居於首要位置的「無明」，重構了認識論視角下的緣起鏈條，即戲論——分別——煩惱、業。此種路徑實現了對緣起論的解釋方法從本體論到認識論的轉變，是龍樹對於佛教核心理論「緣起論」的一次既重理性又重實修的成功拓展。

István Olajos
Eotvos Lorand University, Ph.D candidate

Title:
Hostility, Heated Debates and Silent Thievery – The Thousand Faces of Vivid Religious Interaction in Early Medieval China Recorded in the Shamanic Stories of the Taiping Encyclopedias

Abstract:
The main objective of the recent paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the development of religious life in early medieval China, focusing on the role of Chinese shamans (wu 巫) and their practices (wushu 巫術).
A key element of the author's study is the investigation of how shamanism persisted beyond the Han 漢 era (after-220 AD), along with an exploration of the various activities and rituals associated with wu that are depicted in later sources from the Song dynasty 宋朝 (960–1276). These source materials, i.e. encyclopedia Taiping yulan 太平御覽 and Taiping guangji 太平廣記, are dating back to the 10th century, and provide a unique advantage over other contemporary works: they preserve numerous accounts from the examined era that cannot be found in any other sources. Another important aspect of the analysis is an examination of the relationship between shamanism and the new religious movements emerging in the religious landscape of medieval China. Two major religious organizations, Buddhism and Taoism, are highlighted in this paper as they began their proselytizing activities during the same era and thus interacted not only with shamanism but also with one another.
A thorough examination of the rich source material in the Taiping encyclopedias provide us vital information about Chinese shamanism in the post Han period: first, the persona of wu and its shamanic activities did not disappear with the fall of the Han Dynasty, moreover it played an important part in people’s life in the turbulent historical period. Second, a categorization of shamanic activities emerges based on the application of wu techniques, depending on whether the shaman served at the imperial court, in rural areas, or during wartime.
Surprisingly, Buddhism and Taoism did not only see shamanism as a competitor and a collection of heretical practices, but in order to attract more followers, they often adopted various techniques from the wu. This religious rivalry and "thievery" are well-documented in the encyclopedias Taiping yulan and Taiping guangji. As for Buddhism, the stories often feature monks with supernatural abilities, who are portrayed as more effective healers than shamans. The tales also expose the negative karmic consequences (bao 報) associated with shamanic activities, which were often linked to Taoist practices. In the case of Taoism, it is generally observed that their main goal was to reform their system of activities and to minimize similarities to shamanistic techniques as much as possible.
Thus, the analysis of these stories offers a deeper understanding of the formation, relationships, and interactions among early medieval religious organizations. Moreover, it provides evidence for the continuity of shamanic activities during this period, which is often overlooked by scholars.

This panel explores the intersection of poetry, art, and aesthetics in contemporary Chinese culture, focusing on poet-artists in modern China, the influence of classical Chinese poetry on Feng Zi Kai’s comic creations, and the role of inscription in shaping modern aesthetic expressions in stone and script.

Paul Manfredi
Department of Chinese Studies, Pacific Lutheran University, Professor of Chinese

Title:
Contemporary Literati: Poet-artists in China Today

Abstract:
This presentation will explore the work of a group of poet-artists who are sometimes collectively named the “shipai” 诗派 (“poet’s group”), and who have been regularly exhibiting their visual art works in group shows since around the year 2010. More specifically, I am examining the relationship between this group and some of their classical precedents in the literati tradition. Broadly speaking, the literati tradition continues to find new expression in contemporary China, and the work of these poet-artists is a good case in point. As China grows more culturally influential in the global context going forward, understanding how ancient traditions are reformed and elaborated into more recent aesthetic trends is important. Beyond this, examining this particular group of artists who work in poetic and visual realms helps us to better understand some essential dynamics of Chinese cultural production of the past three decades, specifically in terms of the impact of market capitalism on creative work. Artists featured in this discussion include Yan Li 严力, Mang Ke 芒克, Lv De'an 吕德安, Luo Qing 罗青, Yu Xiang 宇向, Chu Yu 楚雨, and others.

Lok Yan Emily Tang
School of Professional and Continuing Education, University of Hong Kong (HKUSPACE), College Lecturer

题目：
畫中有詩：中國古典詩詞對豐子愷漫畫創作的啟發與影響
Poetry in Painting: The Inspiration and Influence of Classical Chinese Poetry on Feng Zi Kai’s Comics Creation

摘要：
豐子愷（1898-1975）是近代中國漫畫的奠基者，學界普遍認同他的漫畫創作深受日本畫家竹久夢二的影響，「漫畫」一詞亦從日本引入；然而，豐子愷也有傳統中國文人的一面，他上承中國文人畫的減筆畫脈絡，截取古典詩詞句子入畫，創作出大量趣味盎然、充滿詩情畫意的漫畫。本文分析豐子愷的畫作、創作理念及過程，探討中國古典詩詞對豐子愷漫畫創作的影響，以見出他在選取學習日本繪畫的藝術風格時，背後所植根的中國古典詩詞美學。

Alina Scotti
Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, PhD Candidate

Title:
Aestheticizing Stone and Script: Inscription in Three Modern Guises

Abstract:
This paper examines three, visual and/or textual representations of script by scholar-artists in late Qing and Republican China, all of which encircle a central, human figure into stone materials that further contain
carved inscriptions. First, it will consider an 1866 self-portrait by iterant artist Xuan Ding 宣鼎 (1832-1880); second, Ren Bonian's 任伯年 (1840-1896) 1886 portrait of the painter-epigrapher Wu Changshuo 吳昌碩 (1844-1927); and third, Lu Xun's (1881-1936) 1925 prose-poem Epitaph 墓碣文. The paper interrogates how and why intellectual and artistic subjectivity extend into and is absorbed by inanimate material (stone) and form (script). It will argue that an entanglement of human potential and stony script demonstrates a locating of modern identities beyond both metaphysical and material knowns. The two portraits embed the image of the scholar-artist into stone (an inkstone or a stone rubbing-like background). Antiquarian visual convention creates a contrast of black-and-white negative space that is broken only by accompanying painterly renderings of carved-in script, akin to stelae inscriptions and epigraphic calligraphy. Stone in Lu Xun’s Epitaph becomes a haunting yet stabilizing presence amidst the splitting of the literary form into something that is both prose and poem, speaking and inscribing, and this stabilizing ability forces the stone into a central narrative position. Each of these works raise questions of the simultaneous location of creative subjectivity in human form and in inanimate materiality, interconnected by script, thereby adding new dimension to the role of both script and of material in modern Chinese cultural history.

本双语论坛探讨中国古代文学与社会的多个层面。
This panel explores various aspects of Chinese literature and society.

Yu Hsuan Yeh
University of Tokyo, Ph.D Candidate

题目：
虛構的對談者：六朝之際「主客問答體」的衰退與「駢體議論文」的興起

摘要：
本研究旨在以「主客問答體的衰退」這一現象為起點，探討魏晉六朝時期《文心雕龍》等文論中存在的「駢體議論文」之出現，進一步思考此時期議論文作法的轉變，在漢文史上具有何種意義。
漢代的議論性文章多採用「主客問答體」展開，而六朝期的議論性文章則以「獨白式」為特點，即虛構的對談者「客」從文章中消失，議論文成為「作者／敘述者」的獨自演繹。從文章學的角度來看，客（提問者）在銜接、引導同一文章之複數論點、主題上，起著重要的作用。而一旦「客」從議論性文章中消失——或者客的位置外部化（「客」的位置與文章讀者重合）——則文章內部必須建立緊密一致的內在邏輯，才能構成連貫的議論文。這樣重大而深刻的變化，如何藉由一般被認為結構僵化、長於「描寫」與「讚頌」的「駢文」達成？正是本研究關心的主題。
在更廣泛的意義上，本研究將有助於理解漢文圈域內溝通與表達方式的變遷：透過對於駢體議論文的成立史考察與書寫構成分析，本文期望重審學界對於駢體的定見，進一步提供新的契機，促進吾人對於在19、20世紀東亞地區之「文明開化」過程中，扮演了重要角色的議論文的理解。

Bin Hu
Law School, Renmin University of China, Assistant Professor

题目：
略论宋代官用通语、方言的政治意义与社会功能

摘要：
宋代建立了在御前奏对、接待外宾等公务场合应当使用通语而不宜使用方言的习惯性规则。使用官用通语成为官僚必备的行政素养。这一规则得以建立，主要缘于保障政务信息沟通效率和准确性的必要。除了将语言视为沟通交流的工具，宋人认为选择使用何种语言表现了身份认同。从朝廷的角度看，宋人认为朝廷应以近畿方言为正音通语。故有宋一代以汴洛之音为官用通语，象征着本朝定鼎中原的正统地位。靖康南渡后朝野仍然强调汴落之音为“正音”，正是为了强化本朝绍继北宋正统的政治认同。从官僚个人的角度看，官僚在应当使用通语的场合故意操用方言常被视为个人身份认同的表达。由此看来，宋人眼中的语言不是随机生成的符号系统，而是具有政治意义、发挥社会功能的象征体系。宋人对于官用通语（“正音”）和方言的理解，构成了近代乃至当代国人展开语言问题争论的“前史”和传统脉络。

Han Chen
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Graduate Student

Title:
Human and Nature in Xie Lingyun and Wang Wei’s Poetry

Abstract:
The thesis will use the global ecology method to analyze the Chinese traditional natural poetry of Xie Lingyun and Wang Wei. This thesis focuses on how natural ecosystems and imagery relate to Chinese philosophy, politics, and reclusion. The thesis will compare natural elements in Xie Lingyun and Wang Wei’s poems, indicating the transformation from environmental politics to environmental reclusion. It will mainly argue Xie Lingyun uses Confucius in environmental politics and uses Daoism as a regimen to live longer. On the other hand, Wang Wei uses Daoism as a metaphysical cultivation and Confucius as moral cultivation. With the introduction mainly presenting the intellectual background and historical facts, there will be three chapters in my thesis. Chapter 1 will analyze the actions (you wei有为) and non-actions (wu wei无为) of the two poets. Chapter 2 is about the physical and metaphysical in the two poets’ reclusion. Chapter 3 mentions how the poets transform from environmental politics to environmental reclusion.

Chenxin Guo
Department of Chinese Language and Literature, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Masters of Philosophy Student

题目：
观看的隐匿与感知的分歧 ——唐宋闺情词中屏风书写之差异的性别动因

摘要：
词体文学写闺情的传统历来受到学界关注。但既有研究忽略了男性词人与女性词人所作的闺情词在意象选择方面的差异性。屏风书写是分析此种差异性的合理入径。作为闺阁中常见而重要的家具，屏风高频出现于男性词人的作品，却几乎不见于女性词人写就的闺情词中。这种差异背后关键的性别动因未得到充分探讨。本文以屏风书写为中心，围绕文本写作视角与对闺阁空间的感知两方面分别剖析不同性别作者的作品。
本文论述分为以下三部分。首先，以男性词人作品集《花间集》中的闺情词为文本依据，揭示男性词人将闺阁中屏内空间视为不完满存在的预设。这些合围的屏风内是等待并邀请爱人注入意义的封闭空间。男性叙述的空间逻辑也流露出男性作者近似“窥视”的视角。其次，依据《花间集》后男性词人的闺情词文本，着重分析“屏-镜”的共现所象征的“窥视-自视”双重观看结构，并结合宋代闺阁题材绘画中“屏-镜”结构的高频出现，探讨这种结构背后男性词人与画家的创作动因。最后，依据女性词人为数不多的屏风书写，论述这种书写背后关注物的实用性而非艳情投射的视角。同时，以女性词中最常见的具备空间划分功能的器物帘幕为对照，探讨了女性词人笔下另一种向外的互动式空间感知。