1771
Asia
Chu's voluminous writings. In addition, Kim often
indicates the textual sources of Chu's ideas, but he
does not attempt to do this in all cases. Thus the
reader should not assume that Chu is not paraphrasing
or quoting from another text when a source is not
identified. Primary source materials are emphasized,
but Kim also selectively uses secondary research. As a
clear and comprehensive resource for neo-Confucian
concepts about the cosmos, this volume will be of
interest to those who are not specialiste in Chinese
history or philosophy as well as to those who are.
JOANNE D. BIRDWHISTELL
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
VICTOR CUNRUI XIONG. Sui-Tang Chang'an: A Study in
the Urban History of Medieval China. (Michigan Monographs in Chinese Studies, number 85.) Ann Arbor:
Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan
Press. 2000. Pp. xiv, 370. $50.00.
This monograph on one of the most important capital
cities ever built in imperial China is a welcome addition to the recent proliferation of writings on Chinese
cities. Developed from Victor Cunrui Xiong's doctoral
dissertation, the book reexamines Chang'an in terms
of its urban and socioeconomic development rather
than simply the physical and royal aspects of the city.
Based largely on traditional scholarship of Chang'an,
modern archaeology, and contemporary studies of the
city, the book also integrates secondary studies on
historical, institutional, ritual, monastic, economic,
and social issues in order to provide a comprehensive
account of the capital.
After an introduction, the volume is organized into
ten chapters. The story begins with an account of a
totally different city of the same name from the Han to
the Northern Zhou. Though Xiong explains that both
cities were located in close proximity and that "old
Chang'an had many physical links and intangible ties
to its Sui-Tang successor," the relevante of this account to the subsequent Tang capital could have been
made more apparent. Chapter two focuses on the
origin of Chang'an's urban form and layout. After
revisiting the Naba-Chen theories and a thorough
discussion of the location of critical components of the
city as well as the canonical prescriptions of Kaogongji,
the author attributes the layout of the capital to its
chief architect Yuwen Kai's preoccupation with geomancy. Given the importance of Chang'an's layout as a
prototype that inspired the plans of many other East
Asian cities, this aspect probably deserves some mention if not elaboration, either in this chapter or
elsewhere in the study.
The ensuing seven chapters deal with the essential
components that made up the Sui-Tang capital. Over
and above the functional zones of palace compounds,
administrative compound, markets and residential
wards, the author examines the important ritual aspect
and monastic communities of the city in separate
chapters. Chapters three and four are devoted to the
AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW
Palace City and Daming and Xingqing palaces, while
chapters five and six focus on the tentral and capital
administration and ritual centers. All these are related
to the emperor and his administrative and imperial
apparatus. In these chapters, Xiong reaffirms the
Sui-Tang innovation of a separate imperial city and the
importance of the southern suburban ritual center of
the Round Mound. Beyond describing the formal
layout, physical characteristics, and political and cosmological symbolism of the various zones and their
structures, the narrative also interweaves accounts of
political intrigues, administrative structures, ceremonial activities, and ritual procedures, giving the reader
an understanding of the multidimensional aspects of
imperial life at the Tang capital.
Chapter seven concentrates on market activities
conducted in the capital but goes beyond the confines
of the major official markets. Xiong asserts that, based
on their nature, commercial activities in the city could
be classified into two broad categories—hence accounting for the continuous presence of one category
of business within residential wards even before the
subsequent relaxation of trade controls and restrictions and the opening up of the wards. The residential
wards that made up most of Chang'an were rigidly
planned and severely controlled. Chapter eight begins
with a detailed discussion on the city's population and
proceeds to examine its network of streets and canals\
before focusing on the structure, management, and
subsequent erosion of the ward system. Like Seo
Tatsuhiko, Xiong divides the wards into six sectors to
clarify their character and content. Chapter nine provides an account of the rise and fall of the main
religious communities in the capital known for monastic diversity. Daoism and Buddhism were the major
religions of the city. Their presence not only impacted
the lives of imperial family and common folks alike,
but the extent of the monastic properties made them
important components of Chang'an's cityscapes. Once
again, Xiong enriches the study by providing details
and anecdotes of the capital's social, economie, and
cultural life. The book closes with an epilogue that
recounts the political upheavals that beset the empire,
particularly the Huang Chao rebellion and its aftermath, which led to the destruction and abandonment
of the city.
This painstakingly researched and vividly written
study distinguishes itself in its comprehensive coverage
of the city. It fills a lacuna in publications on the city in
Western languages and constitutes an important addition to the many Chinese and Japanese publications on
Sui-Tang Chang'an cited in the introductory chapter
and listed in Xiong's bibliography.
CHYE KIANG HENG
National University of Singapore
PHILIPPE FORÊT. Mapping Chengde: The Qing Landscape Enterprise. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i
Press. 2000. Pp. xviii, 209. $32.95.
DECEMBER 2001