Richard Joseph Smith

Professor of History and Director of Asian Studies Richard J Smith

This is a study of the development of the Yijing in China from the earliest times to the present. Drawing on recent scholarship in both Western and Asian languages, the author offers a fresh perspective on almost every aspect of Yijing theory and practice.

The Yijing (I Ching, Or Classic of Changes) and Its Evolution in China

Fathoming the Cosmos and Ordering the World

Danny Wynn Ye Kwok

University of Hawaii Press

Ten essays explore the boundaries between the metaphysical and human action in the philosophies of Chinese thinkers of the 17th to the 20th centuries. Some focus on individuals or groups, while others discuss broad patterns of thought and behavior; some consider only the elite culture or only popula

Essays in Chinese Thought

Cosmology, Ontology, and Human Efficacy

Despite efforts by Chinese governments to suppress their popularity, and the influence of Western ideas and science, almanacs have been one of the most widely distributed and read publications in Chinese societies all over the world. Perhaps no other single class of artifacts reflects more clearly the essence of inherited culture and its evolution in China in late imperial and modern times. Beautifully illustrated with block-prints and full-color covers, Chinese almanacs provide a unique insight into the structure, beliefs, hopes, and concerns of Chinese societies around the world. This perceptive introduction traces the almanacs' links with traditional calendars, astrology, and divination, and examines their importance as indexes of continuity and change, popular hopes and fears, aesthetic preferences, ethical concerns, and symbolic expression from the Tang dynasty to the present day.

Chinese Almanacs

For nearly two thousand years the Chinese Emporer, self-proclaimed ruler of 'All under Heaven', demanded the obedience not only of his subjects within China but also of peoples throughout the known world. Maps played a crucial role in the administration of this vast system of states. Charts offoreign lands and images of the 'barbarians' that populated them presented the world as the Chinese wanted it to be seen: with the Middle Kingdom as lord and other states as vassals paying tribute to it. In this richly illustrated history, Richard J. Smithshows how the Chinese depicted foreign lands and peoples in maps and encyclopedias through the centuries. He discusses the debates surrounding the production of maps, as well as their technical aspects and political, military and administrativeuses. Reproductions of many of the most beautiful and noteworthy maps of the Chinese world accompany the text. More than simple refelections of the lands and peoples they depict, these maps and illustrations are documents that reveal the evolving values of the grand and powerful society that produced them

Richard Joseph Smith

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