#502 “The Observers”

Background:

• In 1644, the Qing (meaning “pure” or “clear,” 清) dynasty was established by Manchus (Manzu 滿族), an ethnic group that lived in what is today northeastern China.
  
• The Kangxi (康熙) emperor ruled during the time that the story takes place. The Kangxi emperor, succeeded by his son, the Yongzheng (雍正) emperor, and then grandson, the Qianlong (乾隆) emperor, led a remarkable period of stability, prosperity, and territorial expansion that lasted from 1662 to 1796.
  
• These emperors were remarkable performers, playing khan to the Mongols, Buddhist wheel-turning king to the Tibetans, and sage-emperor to their Chinese subjects.
  
• The Kangxi emperor began a tradition among Qing rulers of publicly honoring Confucian tradition. One way he did so was by issuing the “Sacred Edict” (Sheng yu 聖諭) in 1670, summarizing the sixteen maxims he considered to embody Confucius’s most important values. He and his successors also became personally well-versed in the Confucian classics, sponsored literary endeavors, and erected structures commemorating upstanding moral exemplars like successful examination candidates and chaste widows.
  

Text-to-text analysis: Kangxi’s “Secret Edict” (1670), trans. by Lydia Gerber (original source):

• First, work individually to read the brief document (see reverse) and underline any points that sound familiar from our past engagement with Confucianism.
  
• Then, work with a partner to draw lines between the text and examples in the first chapter that seem to relate to the conditions in Tancheng as Spence describes them. Be sure to include a page number along with your work.
  
• Finally, answer the questions that follow the chart.
  
  • What do you see as the key themes in the edict? What seem to be the main interests of the state in relation to the subjects of the empire?
    
  • Do you think the Kangxi emperor would have viewed the people of Tancheng as good subjects? Why or why not?
    
  • Spence suggests that the “whole cult of state Confucianism must have seemed remote to most of the people of [Tancheng]” (Spence, 16). Why? What might they rejected or found irrelevant, for example, of the Kangxi emperor’s “Sacred Edict”? What, aside from orthodox Confucianism, guided their ways of believing and acting?
    

Further discussion (focus on sources):

• How would you characterize Huang Liuhong’s attitude toward ordinary people under charge?
  
• What are some aspects of local life we learn from Pu Songling’s accounts that we would probably be missing if we were to rely on officials like Feng and Huang?
  
• Is it useful to read fiction when we’re interested in fact? How should we see Pu Songling’s accounts as we grapple with local life of this area?