Recapping the World History Seminar “The Controversial Side of Building Monuments in Ancient Rome” on 18 January 2024

Dr. Christopher SIWICKI from the Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Exeter, was invited by the Centre for Comparative and Public History to deliver a lecture entitled “The Controversial Side of Building Monuments in Ancient Rome” on 18 January 2024. The speaker explored the societal impact of urban development in ancient Rome and highlighted how the construction of public buildings often led to the displacement of poorer residents. The talk delved into the resistances faced by these projects, illustrating that archaeological records may only present a partial narrative. Dr. SIWICKI emphasized the complex interplay of interests in urban planning, noting that advancements for ones often came at a cost to others. This approach offers a nuanced view of ancient Rome’s urban development and its varied impacts on different social groups.

 

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Recapping the Academic Seminar “Ancestors’ Shadow and Fortune: Canal Dredging and Land Disposal under the Reform of the Grain Tribute System” on 19 January 2024

Dr. LING Yan from Department of History, Sun Yat-sen University (Zhuhai), was invited by the Center for Chinese History to deliver a lecture entitled “Ancestors’ Shadow and Fortune: Canal Dredging and Land Disposal under the Reform of the Grain Tribute System” on 19 January 2024. The talk centered on two key words “Ancestors’ Shadow” and “Fortune”. In 1901, the grain tribute system was abolished, which brought about the “fortune” of institutional changes. Descendants of saints in Shandong played an important role in the competition for resources by virtue of their “ancestors’ shadow”. The speaker explained the reform of the grain tribute System. In the late Qing Dynasty, when the tribute grain system was abolished and the lakes dried up, a large amount of land appeared. A Land Bureau was formed to handle the rental and property issues arisen from these new lands and to maintain the official attributes of the lands. In the early years of the Republic of China, the Shandong Finance Department borrowed money from the United States and Japan to dredge the canal but ended up going bankrupt. At the same time, descendants of saints were still fighting for the land in the name of sacrifice. When the Nanjing National Government was established, the land Bureau was transferred to the Department of Construction of Shandong and the sacrificial land was almost classified as local public property. Afterwards, the floods in North China in 1931 prompted the restart of the Yellow River canal dredging project, but the progress was slow due to war and other reasons. Through the above analysis, the speaker believed that the political function of tribute grain system was more important than the income from taxes and rents, as well as ritual system. Descendants of saints also relied on the power of ritual system and the universal benefit of sacrificial land to carry out local integration. When the canal was separated from the political task, it resumed its good transportation function. With the failure in the decomposition of water tank and the landization of lake fields, it was difficult to support the cost of canal dredging, no matter it was state-owned or local government property.

 

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Recapping the Academic Seminar ““Sharing and Dividing: The “Four Branches of the Non-military Yao” as a Shareholding Unit and its Formation Mechanism”” on 19 January 2024

Prof. WU Tao from Department of History, Sun Yat-sen University (Zhuhai), was invited by the Center for Chinese History to deliver a lecture entitled ““Sharing and Dividing: The “Four Branches of the Non-military Yao” as a Shareholding Unit and its Formation Mechanism”” on 19 January 2024. The speaker firstly reviewed the process by which the Yao people enjoyed the privilege of tax and corvee exemption by cultivating and safeguarding the land under the garrison system of the Ming Dynasty. He then introduced the contract documents found in Qingxi Village, Yuankou Yao Township, Jiangyong County, Hunan Province. There are more than 500 contracts unearthed. The earliest ones were signed in the Longqing (1567~1572) period, and most were signed after the Qianlong (1736~1796) period. These contracts were related to the development of mountains and the increase in land transactions after the end of the 18th century. The speaker pointed out that these Yao people’s contracts had three characteristics: no tax collection, no deed tax, and no measurement. These characteristics correspond to the Yao people’s privilege mentioned above. The acquisition and division of these rights are also traceable in contracts. The phrase “Fifteen Articles of Yao Regulations” appears frequently in contracts. The speaker speculated that Qingxi Village was regarded as a unit and fifteen shares were divided internally after the abolition of garrisons and the change of the “dual tax reporting and payment to counties and garrisons” system. In addition, there were new tax units found in the contract documents, such as the Paijia local households led by Yaozhang and Yaomu. The tax units were recorded in Yao people’s contracts clearly to deal with the complex tax liabilities.

 

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World History Seminar (2023-24)

Organisers: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541

 

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Conference on Hong Kong in Archives

Organiser: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541

 

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2024 Manila Study Tour Online Briefing Session

 

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For teachers and students who have information to share with the Department, please email your articles in both Chinese and English to chanfiona@cuhk.edu.hk by 4:00pm every Monday.