A New Look at China
 UH
Press' book Defining Chu,
edited by Constance A. Cook and John S. Major examines the “southern” culture
of China, roughly identifiable with the state of Chu during the
period between 700 and 200 BCE. Early Han artists and writers
were encouraged to preserve “exotic” and “barbaric” Chu
images and songs as an antidote to the harsh laws of the Qin.
This somewhat disparaging view of the Chu has persisted to modern
times
despite material remains that reveal a culture possessing a level
of sophistication equal to (or surpassing) that of contemporary
northern (Confucian) civilization. Splendid works of art, excavated
in modern Hubei and Henan, along with literary, religious and
historical texts, attest to the complexity and distinctiveness
of Chu culture;
yet the nature of that distinctiveness and its significance in
the history of China have never been adequately addressed.
This books is the first in a Western language to attempt such
a broad and in-depth analysis of a single Chinese state. It traces
the evolution of the Chu from a vassal state of Zhou in the spring
and autumn period to its rise and fall as a great hegemonic kingdom
in the Warring States period and its eventual resurgence in the
early Han dynasty.
Defining Chu begins with an overview of the historical
geography, an outline of archaeological evidence for Chu history
and an appreciation
of Chu art. Following chapters examine issues of state and society:
the ideology of the ruling class, legal procedures, popular culture
and daily life. The final section surveys Chu religion and literature
and includes an analysis of the Chuci, the great anthology of
Chu poetry, and its impact on mainstream Chinese literature.
A translation of the "Chu Silk Manuscript" is appended.
This document has intrigued scholars since its discovery in Changsha
some 60
years ago. The inclusion of this rare and difficult text, available
for the first time in an effective and accessible translation,
will make this volume indispensable to students and scholars
of early Chinese history and thought.
Defining Chu is available from UH
Press.
—Text excerpted from the UH Press Web
site
UH
In Print
UH faculty and staff who had articles or other works published.
• Manoa Assistant
Professor Hyun Joon Kim published “Financial Determinants of
Corporate Bond Ratings: An Examination of Hotel and Casino Firms” in
the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 2004.
E-mail news about UH faculty and staff who have appeared In Print to newsatuh@hawaii.edu.
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