Books by Xiaolin Duan
In 1573, 712 bales of Chinese silk arrived in New Spain in the cargos of two Manila galleons. The... more In 1573, 712 bales of Chinese silk arrived in New Spain in the cargos of two Manila galleons. The emergence and the subsequent rapid development of this trans-Pacific silk trade reflected the final formation of the global circulation network. The first book-length English-language study focusing on the early modern export of Chinese silk to New Spain from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century, An Object of Seduction compares and contrasts the two regions from perspectives of the sericulture development, the widespread circulation of silk fashion, and the government attempts at regulating the use of silk. Xiaolin Duan argues that the increasing demand for silk on the worldwide market on the one hand contributed to the parallel development of silk fashion and sericulture in China and New Spain, and on the other hand created conflicts on imperial regulations about foreign trade and hierarchical systems. Incorporating evidence from local gazetteers, correspondence, manual books, illustrated treatises, and miscellanies, An Object of Seduction explores how the growing desire for and production of raw silk and silk textiles empowered individuals and societies to claim and redefine their positions in changing time and space, thus breaking away from the traditional state control.
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University of Washington, 2020
West Lake, near scenic Hangzhou on China's east coast, has been a major tourist site since the tw... more West Lake, near scenic Hangzhou on China's east coast, has been a major tourist site since the twelfth century and a model for idealized nature. Visitors boat to its islands, stroll through its gardens, worship in its temples, and celebrate it in poetry and painting. Xiaolin Duan examines the interplay between cultural norms and the natural environment around West Lake during the Song dynasty (960-1279). After the Song lost north China to the Jurchens and the imperial court fled south, a new capital was established at Hangzhou in 1127, making the area the national political and cultural center. Duan shows how leisure activities in, on, and around West Lake influenced visitors' conceptualization of nature and sparked the emergence of the lake as a tourist destination, and how the natural landscape played an active role in shaping social pursuits and cultural constructs. Incorporating evidence from miscellanies, local and temple gazetteers, paintings, maps, poems, and anecdotes, she explores the complexity of the lake as an interactive site where ecological and economic concerns contended and where spiritual pursuits overlapped with aesthetic ones. The book will appeal to readers interested in urban and environmental history, cultural geography, and the sociology of tourism.
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Papers by Xiaolin Duan
American Review of China Studies, Volume 24, No. 2, Fall 2023, 2023
West Lake has been a cultural landmark since the twelfth century, when the capital was relocated ... more West Lake has been a cultural landmark since the twelfth century, when the capital was relocated to Hangzhou and the lake witnessed an increasing number of visits from elites and commoners alike. Since then, the lake has become an icon for China's landscape appreciation, literary and visual creation, and tourism. The scenic beauty of the lake has always been both the result of human enhancement and inspired garden designs. This paper delves into the reciprocal relationship between admiration of West Lake's natural surroundings and the creation of gardens that have collectively reinforced the notion of idealistic nature. First and foremost, the transformation of West Lake into a picturesque place and its development as a leisure destination blurred the boundaries between the natural landscape and cultivated gardens. At the same time, the aesthetics and allure of garden design enriched the lake's scenic grandeur. Privately owned lakeside gardens belonging to noble families added charm and entertainment to the area. Furthermore, West Lake views inspired garden design in other locations. The adoption and dissemination of naming conventions blurred the distinction between gardens and natural landscapes by emphasizing bordered, artistically depicted, and collectively cherished scenic panoramas. These vistas contributed to crafting individual experiences and establishing public spaces, thus fostering a harmonious coexistence between a sense of place and placelessness.
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Sillares, vol. 4, núm. 7, 2024
This is part of the dossier “Connecting both Indies: rethinking archaic globalisation and global ... more This is part of the dossier “Connecting both Indies: rethinking archaic globalisation and global history from a Pacific perspective: actors, spaces, and exchanges”
Starting in 1573 with the establishment of Manila, the circulation of Chinese goods along the trans-Pacific route brought the Ming Dynasty and the Spanish Empire into contact. Consequently, many people from Fujian Province, especially Zhangzhou city, went to Manila and facilitated the operation of the city. This paper examines the interactions of Zhangzhou immigrants in Manila, focusing their roles and living situations in Parián, the designated neighborhood for the Sangleys. In particular, the diplomatic conversation concerning the 1603 Incident is analyzed to elucidate how the Sangleys were perceived by both the Ming court and the Spanish governors. Records produced by Chinese elites, local gazetteers, and Spanish correspondence reveal the conflicts and negotiations between the Ming government and officials of the Spanish Empire concerning this matter, as well as local and state differences in views. While the contributions of the Sangleys were recognized and used to promote the moral superiority of both sides, they were not seriously considered by either the Chinese court or the Spanish government. The Sangleys offer a unique perspective on the positioning of these two state powers: Each desired to maintain a peaceful relationship yet simultaneously adopted a cautious stance. This study illuminates some of the connections and conflicts which emerged during early modern globalization.
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Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies, 2023
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Japanese monks traveled to Hangzhou and spent time a... more During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Japanese monks traveled to Hangzhou and spent time around West Lake. At the time, Hangzhou was known for hosting five temples among the imperially recognised "Five Mountains and Ten Monasteries". During their stay in Hangzhou, Japanese monks communicated with local monks and scholars, wrote poems, and observed the monasteries. Diagrams of the Five Mountains and Ten Temples, which details the temples' architecture and furniture styles, was later referred to in constructing the Japanese Buddhist system. At the same time, these monks rendered their sightseeing experience in poems, circulating words about the lake's scenic beauty. Place names around the lake frequently appeared in poetry gatherings, and more poems were composed for paintings about the lake. The lake became a cultural trope within and beyond the Gozan literature, featuring iconic place names, visual culture, and multilayered mobility in real and imagined dimensions. The example of West Lake in Gozan culture offers a case study for cultural appropriation and the role that landscape appreciation can play in this process. Locations were crucial in trans-cultural appropriations. Specific places serve as anchored loci for organising and systemising a developing body of cultural knowledge.
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Ming Qing Studies, 2021
Xiaolin DUAN (North Carolina State University), in Remembering West
Lake: Place, Mobility, and Ge... more Xiaolin DUAN (North Carolina State University), in Remembering West
Lake: Place, Mobility, and Geographical Knowledge in Ming China, explores
how the information in Song Dynasty gazetteers and journals about Hangzhou
were reproduced, adapted, and disseminated during the Ming, as Hangzhou’s
West Lake became the first sightseeing destination in response to the developing
commercialized tourism. Travels, collective memory and imagery, legends and
literary production contributed to the broadening of geographical knowledge,
because – as the author notes – “temporality-in-place reveals the contrast
between the cyclical time of nature and the linear time of human history.”
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全球史评论 Global History Review, 2018
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Book Reviews by Xiaolin Duan
The Middle Ground Journal: World History and Global Studies., 2017
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Syllabus by Xiaolin Duan
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Books by Xiaolin Duan
Papers by Xiaolin Duan
Starting in 1573 with the establishment of Manila, the circulation of Chinese goods along the trans-Pacific route brought the Ming Dynasty and the Spanish Empire into contact. Consequently, many people from Fujian Province, especially Zhangzhou city, went to Manila and facilitated the operation of the city. This paper examines the interactions of Zhangzhou immigrants in Manila, focusing their roles and living situations in Parián, the designated neighborhood for the Sangleys. In particular, the diplomatic conversation concerning the 1603 Incident is analyzed to elucidate how the Sangleys were perceived by both the Ming court and the Spanish governors. Records produced by Chinese elites, local gazetteers, and Spanish correspondence reveal the conflicts and negotiations between the Ming government and officials of the Spanish Empire concerning this matter, as well as local and state differences in views. While the contributions of the Sangleys were recognized and used to promote the moral superiority of both sides, they were not seriously considered by either the Chinese court or the Spanish government. The Sangleys offer a unique perspective on the positioning of these two state powers: Each desired to maintain a peaceful relationship yet simultaneously adopted a cautious stance. This study illuminates some of the connections and conflicts which emerged during early modern globalization.
Lake: Place, Mobility, and Geographical Knowledge in Ming China, explores
how the information in Song Dynasty gazetteers and journals about Hangzhou
were reproduced, adapted, and disseminated during the Ming, as Hangzhou’s
West Lake became the first sightseeing destination in response to the developing
commercialized tourism. Travels, collective memory and imagery, legends and
literary production contributed to the broadening of geographical knowledge,
because – as the author notes – “temporality-in-place reveals the contrast
between the cyclical time of nature and the linear time of human history.”
Book Reviews by Xiaolin Duan
Syllabus by Xiaolin Duan
Starting in 1573 with the establishment of Manila, the circulation of Chinese goods along the trans-Pacific route brought the Ming Dynasty and the Spanish Empire into contact. Consequently, many people from Fujian Province, especially Zhangzhou city, went to Manila and facilitated the operation of the city. This paper examines the interactions of Zhangzhou immigrants in Manila, focusing their roles and living situations in Parián, the designated neighborhood for the Sangleys. In particular, the diplomatic conversation concerning the 1603 Incident is analyzed to elucidate how the Sangleys were perceived by both the Ming court and the Spanish governors. Records produced by Chinese elites, local gazetteers, and Spanish correspondence reveal the conflicts and negotiations between the Ming government and officials of the Spanish Empire concerning this matter, as well as local and state differences in views. While the contributions of the Sangleys were recognized and used to promote the moral superiority of both sides, they were not seriously considered by either the Chinese court or the Spanish government. The Sangleys offer a unique perspective on the positioning of these two state powers: Each desired to maintain a peaceful relationship yet simultaneously adopted a cautious stance. This study illuminates some of the connections and conflicts which emerged during early modern globalization.
Lake: Place, Mobility, and Geographical Knowledge in Ming China, explores
how the information in Song Dynasty gazetteers and journals about Hangzhou
were reproduced, adapted, and disseminated during the Ming, as Hangzhou’s
West Lake became the first sightseeing destination in response to the developing
commercialized tourism. Travels, collective memory and imagery, legends and
literary production contributed to the broadening of geographical knowledge,
because – as the author notes – “temporality-in-place reveals the contrast
between the cyclical time of nature and the linear time of human history.”