EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

Section 3 21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 39 Lau Ulrich (University of Hamburg) The Statutory Offence of Illicit Sexual Intercourse (jian 奸 ) as Reflected in the Legal Manuscripts from Qin and Early Han Times Key words: “Ernian lüling”, gender relations, “Wei yu deng zhuang”, “Yuelu shuyuan cang Qinjian lüling”, “Zouyanshu” Illicit sexual intercourse figures prominently among the statutory offences which were referred to in the legal texts excavated or looted from ancient tombs. In four exemplary criminal cases from the two Qin and Han time case collections “Wei yu deng zhuang” and “Zouyanshu”, the focus is laid on the prosecution of illicit sexual intercourse. Statutes and ordinances compiled in the “Ernian lüling” and in the forthcoming “Yuelu shuyuan cang Qinjian lüling” contain applicable legal regulations concern- ing the prosecution of this offence. According to these provisions, various types of sexual relations were punishable. Not all forms of extramarital sex within the household were prosecuted. The level of sentence varied depending on status of sexual partners and the degree of relationship. The attempt to explain the etymology of the key word jian 奸 may exemplify the formation of Chinese legal terminol- ogy. The present paper will analyse the legal prerequisites under which criminal proceedings against persons suspected of committing illicit sexual intercourse could be initiated. In addition, this paper will examine the reasons as to why at the beginning of the Chinese empire many forms of premarital and extramarital sexual relations were prosecuted more severely than in previous times. The paper will offer new and interesting insights into everyday social life and into the conceptions of gender relations during Qin and early Han times. Lebedeva Alexandra (Saint Petersburg State University) Rhythm and Tempo Figures of Tang Poetry: Han Shan and Shi De Verses Key words: Tang poetry, rhythm, tempo, Han Shan, Shi De, musical figures This paper is focused on the detection of rhythm figures that could be discovered in the High and Middle Tang poetry. Classic poetry recital was often close to singing, each poetic form beside strict metre rules used to have its own tempo and rhythm, esp. for ci 词 poems. To solve the issue we have chosen verses composed by prominent Buddhist Chan 禪 monks Han Shan 寒山 and Shi De 拾得 who lived circa the 2nd half of the 8th century. Their literary heritage is abundant of various poetic forms, encounters about 600 classical verses, part of them is written on medieval vernacular Chinese close to baihua 白话 such as “three character verses”. The rhythm study of monks’ poetry gives an opportu- nity to provide conclusions on typical rhythm figures of that time and will probably shed light on the issue of the popularity of monks‘ poetry. Achieved data could draw parallel between musical figures and temporythmic structures and in its turn will help to compare it with temporhythmic data of further literature epochs. Liu Chiung-yun Evelyn (Academia Sinica) The Power of Falsification:The Fabulous Afterlives of An Obscure Historical Figure Key words: Ming drama, Ming loyalism, historical fiction, falsification Throughout the Ming dynasty, the whereabouts of the Jianwen Emperor (1377–1402), who lost the throne to his uncle, the Yongle Emperor (1360–1424), remained unknown. Seeking to solve this mystery, historians collected rumors and scoured written texts, but all to no avail: the sources were too fragmented. The situation changed when Casual Notes Written in Exile (Congwang suibi 從亡隨 筆 ), a falsified historical record, was published in the 1620’s. Claimed by its publisher to be a newly emerged account written by Cheng Ji 程濟 , a Ming loyalist who had followed Jianwen during his more than twenty year exile, the work was taken to be an eyewitness account, became widely popular at that