Acta Orientalia 45. (1991)
1. szám - Critica - H. Schmidt-Glintzer: Lebenswelt und Weltanschauung im Frühneuzeitlichen China (I. Ecsedy)
CtUTICA Schmiut-Glintzeb, Hei.wig (hrsg.), Lebenswelt und Weltanschauung im Frühneuzeitlichen China. Münchener Ostasiatische Studien Band 49, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart, 1990. XII. 265 p. This book is based on the papers submitted to the conference of Werner- Reimers-Stiftung (Bad Homburg v.d.H.) held in the March 1986, a collection of studies of different size (1—3 printed sheets). According to its title, the authors endeavour to explain “The Way of Life and Aspect of Life in the early Period of Modern China”, but in the Introduction the editor found it necessery to refer to a book of a similar topic recently published (1988) by James T.C. Liu “China Turning Inward. Intellectual-Political Changes in the Early Twelfth Century”, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard U.P. This well reflects the real sense of the poetic title: only the age connects the papers, without a real conelusion, the spirit of the age being expressed by the privacy, i.e. by the lack of official obligations in the treated aspects of the persons and groups touched upon. That is, the authors see the characteristic change of the period in the distance of the outstanding intellectuals from the bureaucratic assignments and ambitions, jointly describing the age by different aspects of this independent life and thought. The reader concludes, that not so much the distance from official ideas, but the relationship to the official and general or customary aspect towards the present and past, with its written documents or prescriptions, is treated in this volume. Instead of the details of everyday life, expected from the studies of different topics, the changes in adhering to tradition and new ways of forming the traditional way of living and thinking are most interesting in this high standard scholarly work, almost independently from the intentions of the authors, which are sometimes regretted by the reader. The introduction of the editor deals first of all with the motives of the Sung age centred research, included in this volume. Schmidt—Glintzer points out that only the Han-times are represented in more works than the Sung period, and recently the latter period and its explanation have become more timely. She finds the reasons for the special development in question explainable by the economic processes and the vigorous trade characterizing these centuries, with religious and other intellectual impacts of foreign visitors and commercial or diplomatic partners of the Chinese Empire. Those who have met the theoretical problems of Chinese history, will not be surprised by the two most popular periods, since the age of the birth of Chinese policy and its governing system, official philology and literature, language and ethnic issues are involved in the Han period, but the second period of change requires more thorough analysis. Étienne Balâzs already noticed the innovation in religion, and in the economy, etc., that made a representative are of the Sung period — the reason why he founded the Sung Project for manysided documentation and research of the important phenomena bringing about innovation. But neither in his related studies nor in his theoretical works did he forgot to mention or declare that the colourful material and spiritual life of the Sung age did not have an effect on the historical path of China, which later on developed or rather under-developed on a historical by-way, distant from the main stream of world history. It is a pity that the editor praises the Sung period to the effect that it was the second time that something decisive happened to the Chinese economy and society, forming the fate and essence of China for a thousand years; thus tacitly admitting — without saying so and unfortunately without thinking so — that later on no development of this kind can be noticed, thus this “new age” essentially differed from that of Europe and world history by representing a unique age, not leading to higher developinent, but remaining outside the devel-