Abstracts of Major Articles

The East Africa and Indian Ocean Trade World from the Perspective of Global History （ZHU Ming）

In the traditional historical narrative, East Africa is often examined in the framework of world exploration centered on the west or a history of east-west exchange centered on China. However, we will have a new understanding of its status and significance by shifting our perspective to the trade network centered on the Indian Ocean and relocating it in global history. East Africa is located between the Indian Ocean trade world (foreland) and the East African hinterland, which helped it integrate into the world trading system. In the trade world dominated by the Indian Ocean, East African city-states and their hinterlands had positive impacts on the surrounding areas of the Indian Ocean and made the Indian Ocean trade full of vitality in history.

An Analysis on the United States’Voluntary Arms Embargo against South Africa in 1963 （LI Ruiju）

South Africa became an allied country for the United States after World War II. On the one hand, the U.S. denounced the South African government for its implementation of apartheid; on the other hand, it always accepted its arm-purchasing requests and refused to take economic sanctions. With the deepening of the cold war in southern Africa and under the international and domestic pressure, the Kennedy administration began to change its attitude toward apartheid in South Africa and decided to carry out limited sanction measures. It announced the voluntary arms embargo policy against South Africa on August 2, 1963. The U.S. government had expected to bring to an end the sale of all military equipment to South Africa by the end of 1963. However, the policy itself had several loopholes and there were no strict measures to implement it. The announcement of the embargo policy did not prevent South Africa from purchasing arms or developing its military industry. Its impact on the termination of apartheid was rather limited.

From Boom to Bust: The Change of Nigeria's Textile Industry （LIU Qinghai）

Textile industry is key to the development of most contemporary African countries. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and one of the representatives there. Its textile industry once had been thriving.However, it has declined recently. The development of textile industry in Nigeria can be divided into four stages: the formation and initial development in the 1950s and 1960s; the boom of the 1970s and the decline of the early 1980s; the collapse of the textile industry after a weak recovery during the structural adjustment program; the change of the textile industry policy and the further deterioration of the situation. This paper explores in detail Nigeria's textile industry from boom to bust and the main factors leading to its decline. In the end, this paper gives some thoughts on the current production capacity cooperation between China and Africa.

The New Changes of the Loyalist Biographies in Official History——the Compilation Guideline, Standard for Heroes, and Literary Style of the Loyalist Biographies in Song History （SUN Tinglin）

The loyalist biographies were an important part of the official history. Such biographies of Song History comprise 10 volumes, including biographies of 280 people. The compilation required objective, faithful record and at the same time allowed proper concealments. It regarded "loyalty to the emperor" as the morality standard of selected heroes, regardless of their statuses. It classified loyalty according to the deeds and showed the value orientation of the court. It had a clear literary style and made loyalty appealing, which helped to educate the people. The loyalist biographies of Song History not only reflected the idea of loyalty of the time, but also exerted a far-reaching influence on the loyalist biographies of official history for the later generations.

The Changes of Major Families and Regional Society in the Lower Yangzi Region in Late Ming（YANG Xi）

In the Lower Yangzi Region, we should pay attention to the major (Zhuxing) families who participated in the founding of towns in the mid-Ming dynasty. After the initial hardship, the families’development tended to be diversified. Besides the continuation of land ownership and business operations, these families conducted other activities, such as preparing the civil service examination, networking among family members, and expanding possible personal connections. This paper takes Xu, Qian and Gui Families as examples. The family divisions and migrations led to the formation of new market centers, which expanded the family influences and accelerated the regional development. At the same time, conflicts occurred frequently among different families, which showed the intensification of competition in this region. The development and changes of the major families in the late Ming dynasty shared similarities and maintained differences with other families of the same area. But it is important to note that they were more closely related to the regional development.

The Commercial Press and the Start of Chen Yun’s Revolutionary Path （CHEN Linhui, JIANG Dan）

Working in the Commercial Press was a critical period in Chen Yun’s life. First, he developed his Communist belief in 1925 when he was working for the press. Second, Chen also started his revolutionary career there by involving in the May 30th movement, leading strikes in the press, and assisting Shanghai workers to launch armed uprisings. Third, Chen became learned in the Commercial Press. He accumulated enough knowledge on economy and management, greatly enhancing his capability to deal with economic issues. In general, Chen Yun started his revolutionary career in the Commercial Press, and in turn, the Commercial Press had a great impact on his life and the Chinese revolution.

“National Dreams”of Intellectuals in the Republic of China——the “New Year's Special Issue”of The Eastern Miscellany in 1933 （GENG Mi）

In January 1933, several articles solicited “national dreams”in "New Year's Special Issue" in The Eastern Miscellany. The solicitation was initiated by the editorial department of the magazine. It had two themes: "China in the future" and "personal life in the future". More than 100 intellectuals participated.The number of people who contributed to the theme of "China in the future" was larger and the contents were richer. When the intellectuals of the time were confronted with the national danger, they thought deeply about how to revive the country and the nation, and raised their own ideas and suggestions. By analyzing these "dreams", we not only understand their expectations of the national future, but also observe the ideological imprint in their minds.

Multiple Competitions in Rent Reduction in Jin-Sui Border Area during the Anti-Japanese War（LI Jun, DONG Yumei）

After the outbreak of the anti-Japanese War, The Eighth Route Army advanced into North China,opened up anti-Japanese bases behind the enemy, and extended its force to the rural society in the Shanxi-Suiyuan border area. In this process, the Communist Party of China regarded land as the major problem in order to mobilize the peasant to participate in the anti-Japanese war. Rent reduction thus became an important way for the Communist Party to solve the rural issue during the war. In the process of rent reduction, landlords and peasants struggled for their own interests, but the base government and the grass-roots cadres of the CPC did their best to mediate relations between the two sides. The movement showed the extension of the CPC grass-root organizations to the rural society and the Party’s effort to incorporate peasants into the revolutionary ideology. The peasant began to step on the political stage in the rural society. The traditional rural “elite”gradually lost its original position, and the rural society began to lose its solidarity and transform to the new model.

A Deserted Field: Studies on Confucius in Mainland China from 1949 to 1955（YANG Hongyu, WANG Jie）

In China’s modern period, although the status of Confucius had gradually declined, there were a large number of publications on Confucius during the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, studies on Confucius in mainland China was relatively few and deserted. From October 1949 to December 1955, there were only eight academic articles published, less than 50,000 words in total. The main reasons for this phenomenon were: the highly radical and revolutionary nature of the new regime, the ideological reform movement which dampened the enthusiasm of the intellectuals, scholars being busy with ideological and political learning, and the lack of academic communication platform.

A Further Study on the Chinese Literature Junlin Bingren Baojian Preserved in Japan （ZHAI Shihang）

The Chinese literature Junlin Bingren Baojian（《军林兵人宝鉴》）preserved in Japan has recently been published in China by Li Zixiong and Wang Maohua, but the book’s nature, author and value are still openly debated. In my opinion, Junlin bingren baojian is not a typical military theoretical work, but a military daily-use book. Although the book is closely related to Shishi Qishu Jiangyi（《施氏七书讲义》）, and borrows the preface from the latter, we are sure that by comparing the early editions and contents of the two books, the author of the book is not Shi Zimei. In fact, it was compiled by commercial publishers of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The real value of the book lies in that it preserves a precious example of military daily-use books of the time, facilitates the study of military thoughts’influence on the general public, and provides important historical materials for the study of military communication between ancient China and Japan.

Taking History as a Method: Naito Konan's Study of Oriental History （HUANG Yan, CHEN Yang）

The viewpoints in Naito Konan's Oriental history are coherent enough to form a complete doctrine.Based on the idea of "oriental culture", Naito affirmed the value of Chinese culture, and put forward the hypothesis of“the shift of the cultural center”. He argued that "Japan's mission" was historically justified in order to promote the progress of the "oriental culture". According to the changing "oriental culture", he again raised the ideas like "three periods of Oriental History" and "China’s modern period starting from the Song Dynasty". It is obvious that Naito Konan took history as a method to construct his argument for his purposes.

The Rise of the Early Chinese Business in Australia（1850—1901） （ZHANG Qiusheng）

In the 19th century, 60 thousand Chinese in the coastal provinces, Guangdong and Fujian in particular,travelled to Australia for gold, constituting an important part of the global migration. During the half century between the gold rush and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Chinese began to engage in commercial and economic business activities, and a variety of business organizations emerged. First,this paper discusses the background and reasons for the emergence of the early Chinese business. Secondly,the major commercial activities and their characteristics are investigated. Finally, it analyzes and evaluates the influence and significance of the Chinese business and economic management activities which promoted the growth of Australian economy and the formation of migration culture.

Boissonade and the Botan Tribe Incident （LIU Dan）

Triggered by the Botan Tribe Incident in 1874, “the International Law”advocated by Japan and the“Sino-barbarian”order held by China conflicted fiercely in terms of the sovereignty of Ryukyu and the jurisdiction of the aborigines of Taiwan. To prove the independence of the aborigines of Taiwan and justify of its invasion, Japan appointed Boissonade, the legal advisor, to help Okubo Toshimichi negotiate with zongli yamen in Beijing. The proposition made by Boissonade based on “the International Law”secured the advantage of Japan in the negotiation, although it also prevented the war from being waged between China and Japan.

Coping with the Crisis: Rescues of the 1906 San Francisco Disaster （WANG Zhiyong, SONG Xinyang）

In 1906, a violent earthquake and subsequent fires hit San Francisco. Immediately after the disaster,San Francisco government organized various forces to carry out emergency rescues. Meanwhile, the federal government and the Congress were mobilized to aid San Francisco. The federal army played an important role in helping the victims, providing relief supplies, and maintaining social order. The newly-established American Red Cross, as an important organization for disaster relief, fully functioned. At the same time, all sectors of society also donated generously for food, clothing and relief funds. With a series of efficient emergency rescues, the San Francisco citizens gradually returned to their normal life. This experience laid a solid foundation for the city’s urban reconstruction.

Edward Benes and Britain's Recognition of the Czechoslovakian Government in Exile during World War II（SONG Haiqun）

During the Second World War, Britain's recognition of Czechoslovakia's Government in exile experienced a rather tortuous process. In this process, Britain made the initiative. However, the personal efforts of the President of the Czech government, Edward Benes, and the impetus of the international forces, especially those from the Soviet Union, cannot be ignored. Britain's recognition of the Czech government in exile encouraged the people of Czechoslovakia at home and abroad to fight against fascism, promoted the resistance movement, consolidated and even expanded the international prestige of the Czech government in exile.Through this incident, we can see that Czechoslovakia was in a weak position in the international community during the Second World War, but the efforts of its leaders helped achieve a relatively good outcome for themselves.

A Review of Studies on the American National Image Making during the Cold War （HU Tengjiao）

The American national image making has been paid more and more attention by scholars in the recent years. Scholars combine textual research with discourse analysis and focus on the following four topics: the overall U.S. image-building, the image construction of some of its domestic groups, the particular medium(live display media, traditional print media and electronic audio-visual media) used to construct its national image, and the self-shaping of the national identity or the construction of the otherness. The topics greatly expand the American cold war history field, and help us examine how the U.S. image discourses or symbols served for its soft power in the cold war. Furthermore, they help us understand the relationship between the U.S. national image, overseas identity and its current diplomacy. But scholars should go further to study the definition of the American national image, the relationship between its cold war propaganda and the national image making, the interaction between the national image rhetoric and its cold war institutional reform, the complex role played by the U.S. international communication in its international image construction, and so on.

The Dilemma, Countermeasure and Lesson of the Welfare System in Aging Britain——The Delay Policy of the Pension System （TANG Jun）

The aging problem affects the formulation and implementation of national pension system, and had an impact on the sustainable development of the welfare system. In contemporary Britain, the society is evolving from deep aging to super-aging due to the increasing elderly population and women's late marriage and fewer childbearing. With the worsening of the aging problem, the pension and social security expenditures continue to expand, and the sustainability of the welfare state is at risk. In order to alleviate the welfare dilemma caused by aging, the successive British administrations have adopted the policy of postponing retirement, but this is only a temporary measure. In the long run, the only way to fulfill the sustainable development of the welfare system is to improve the fertility rate and change the population structure. China is also deeply affected by the "silver-hair tide". How to solve the national pension dilemma? The experience of Britain is worth learning from.

From “Plundering Confederacy Hypothesis”to “Tribal-State Theory”: The Western Interpretations on the Early Ottoman State in the Second Half of the 20th Century （JIANG Xinyu, HAN Zhibin）

At the beginning of the 20th century, western scholars began to pay attention to the origin of the Ottoman Empire. Paul Wittek’s “Ghazi thesis”was a response to this issue, and was regarded as a classical theory in the academic circle. Since the 1940s, however, scholars have questioned the “Ghazi thesis”, but only two scholars raised new ideas, namely the“plundering confederacy hypothesis”proposed by the American scholar, Health Ward Lowry, and the “tribal-state theory”, a cultural anthropological interpretation proposed by Rudi Paul Lindner. The two different paradigms only reflect a certain dimension of the early Ottoman state’s formation. Contrary to popular assumptions, Christians and the local residents of Bithynia played a role in promoting the formation of the early Ottoman state.