Perception vs Reality of Landscapes:Exploring the potential of the genre of'bajing'for writing an environmental history of a Chinese frontier
The introduction of the genre of'bajing'or Eight Views from China's cultural heartlands to an ethnically and ecologically different and diverse frontier runs parallel to and reinforces the process of acculturation in Yunnan.As a genre of poetry and painting representing the eight most outstanding scenic spots in a district or country,the bajing were intrinsically linked to actual physical landscapes in a way that'civilised'them,and thus literally reflected and to some extent contributed to the assimilation and imaginary integration of the frontier into the Chinese heartland.This project aims to map the spatial and temporal distribution of Yunnan's bajing and to categorise and study them,in order to examine to what extent cultural concepts from outside have been imposed on and interacted with Yunnan's landscape,and what they meant in the new environment.In a series of case studies we further explore the potential of the source materials related to the bajing,such as geographical descriptions,illustrations,poems,and travel accounts for a historical study of these places and the meaning of their landscapes,both in real terms and in the imagination of the scholar officials who created them.We ask questions about the relationship between elite perceptions of landscapes and their actual physical reality,and ultimately,about what the study of landscapes can contribute to our understanding of the history of these places.
Yang Yuda Andrea Janku
Institute of Historical Geography,Fudan University SOAS University of London
国内会议
上海
英文
299-323
2018-05-01（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）