The Yongzheng Emperor 雍正 (1678-1735), overshadowed by the towering personalities of his father, Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), and his son, Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796), remains an obscure figure in Chinese history with a rather bleak reputation. He ascended the throne after his father’s death under suspicious circumstances that haunted him for the rest of his life and would shape his image to this day. Nevertheless, the emperor was a shrewd statesman and an efficient administrator who fought rampant corruption within the government and court society, as well as a gifted artist and patron of the arts who laid the foundation for his son’s splendour. The goal of this workshop, which coincides with the 300th anniversary of Yongzheng’s accession to the throne, is to examine the multi-faceted personality of this often overlooked Chinese emperor in all its facets and from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. We therefore invite contributions from all fields of Chinese studies that address the life and times of one of the most enigmatic rulers of late imperial China, including but not limited to history (including history of science), art history, media studies, anthropology, religious studies, literature, philosophy, politics, economics, and social sciences.
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89770550403
PROGRAM
THURSDAY, 6 JULY 2023
10.15 - 10.30 PREFATORY REMARKS (Donatella Guida, Phillip Grimberg, Federico Brusadelli)
10.30 - 12.00 SESSION 1
Lars Laamann (SOAS, London): “Huwaliyasun Tob huwangdi – Pater Familias of the Manchu Banners”
Dong Jianzhong (Renmin University, Beijing): “The Truth of Yongzheng's Succession and its Positive Influence”
Hsi-yuan Chen (Academia Sinica, Taibei): “A Matter of Urgency: A Study on a Newly Discovered Archival File Concerning the Yongzheng Emperor’s Succession to the Throne”
12.00 - 12.30 COFFEE BREAK
12.30 - 14.00 SESSION 2
Ma Kexin (SOAS, London) “In Pursuit of Temporal Illusion: The Reproduction and Imitation of Antiquities under the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1723-35)”
Kevin Lam (Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore): “The Emperor as Production Supervisor and Designer: Yongzheng and the Zaobanchu”
Phillip Grimberg (Erlangen University): “The Yongzheng Emperor’s ‘Pictures of Ancient Playthings’ (Guwantu) and Early Qing Antiquarianism”
14.00 - 15.30 LUNCH BREAK
15.30 - 17.00 SESSION 3
Harry Jiandang Tan (University of New England, Sydney): “Yongzheng’s Cosplay. The Early Expression of Chinese Political Cartoons” Anna Stecher (University of Naples): “Staging Aisin Gioro Yinzhen: The Mediatic Representation of the Yongzheng Emperor in the TV-Series The Yongzheng Dynasty (Yongzheng Wangchao, 1999)”
17.00 -17.30 COFFEE BREAK
17.30 - 19.00 KEYNOTE (Pamela Crossley, Dartmouth College, Hanover)
20.00 DINNER
FRIDAY, 7 JULY 2023
10.00 - 11.30 SESSION 4
Hu Minghui (UC Santa Cruz): “Geopolitical Dissolution of Barbarism in Yongzheng's The Great Righteousness and the Awakening from Confusion (Dayi juemi lu)”
Juul van Eijk (Leiden University): "Compassionate Occupation: The Shift of the Manchu Garrison away from Lhasa and further Connection of Tibet with the Empire."
Daniel Knorr (Cambridge University): “A Local Legacy of Autocracy? Shandong’s Luoyuan Academy in and beyond the Yongzheng Reign“
11.30 - 12.00 COFFEE BREAK
12.00 - 13.30 SESSION 5
Donatella Guida, Anna Chiara Trapani (University of Naples L’Orientale): “Yongzheng through Matteo Ripa’s Eyes: A Tale of Power and Persecution”
Eugenio Menegon (Boston University): “Yongzheng’s Conundrum. The Emperor on Christianity, Religions, and Heterodoxy”
Agostino Sepe (Università per Stranieri di Siena): “Chinese Civilians beyond the Palisade: An Inquiry into the Opening of Northern Manchuria to Han Commoners in the Yongzheng Era”
13.30 - 14.00 FINAL DISCUSSION