Table of Content

20 November 2022, Volume 42 Issue 6

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The Righteousness of ZunZun (Respect): The Emotional Principle of Traditional Chinese Political Ethics from the Perspective of Mourning Dress System

LI Songtao

2022, 42(6):  79-106. 

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This article provides a theoretical exploration of the inherent spirit of the traditional Chinese political order. The study suggests that the establishment of Chinese political order is different at its origin from the power of paternal patriarchal system based on family property. Instead, it emphasizes the principle of ZunZun and righteousness of human nature in the establishment of a political order from Father (family) to Emperor(country). In Chinese civilization， there is a profound human foundation behind ethical relations， namely， benevolence and righteousness， which have the same ideological depth and height just as the rational tradition of the West. It became the source of the persistence of these private relationships in the process of modernization. Consequently， the Chinese have much more complex emotional principles besides power and interests when dealing with political various relationships. In politics， the inner emotional principle of political ethics， dominated by the monarch-subject ethics， was mainly the principle of ZunZun and righteousness. These two dimensions maintained and adjusted the specific patterns of monarch-subject relationship in the political order. On the one hand， in a hierarchical political structure， the monarch and his subjects should appropriately express their respect for each other in accordance with different rank positions; on the other hand， the moral code of emperor-subjects dictated that when the monarch became insolent and failed to abide by morality， out of self-respect his subjects could withdraw their support. This emperor-subject ethics with the emphasis on the righteousness of ZunZun， pondered and refined by Confucian sages， was condensed into the gigantic ritual system and it shaped the mental structure of the Chinese people. Although this relational ethics is difficult to be fully realized in history and reality， it still has a fundamental impact on the Chinese political order.

Modern Transformation of “Love for Hometown”(Sang Zi Qing Yi): The Emotional Dimension of Fei Xiaotong’s Social Theory

SONG Hongjuan

2022, 42(6):  107-131. 

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A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the social structure aspect of Fei Xiaotong’s social theory by the Chinese academia while little attention is paid to the emotional dimension of his theory. This paper focuses on Fei’s exploration of China’s modernization and the emphasis on emotion in his early social theory. In Fei’s view, China’s modernization should incorporate western modern technology into traditional Chinese social organizations to promote an effective transition of a society from tradition to modernity. He also pointed out that this transition is not only related to the basis of traditional social organizations but also inseparable from its emotional aspect. This paper firstly examines Fei’s discussion on the relationship between “love for hometown” and “feelings of kinship”， and on“local industry” and“local village-town community”. The study demonstrates that “love for hometown,” a social emotion old yet simultaneously new, is reinterpreted by Fei as the emotional foundation of modern Chinese society. Influenced by Durkheim and Malinowski, as well as the neo-Confucian“family- focused” thoughts of the time, Fei believes that China’s modernization should first bring “feelings of kinship” back to the family， and secondly give full play to the role of “local village-town community” and “love for hometown” outside the family. On the one hand， he argues that China’s moderation should be based on “local village-town communities，” where there is an emotional basis of “love for hometown” so as to avoid social anomie. On the other hand， he points out that “love for hometown” with regional and local moral sentiments can play an positive role in the formation of love for the nation， thus exploring the internal relationship between local communities and the modern state of China. This paper concludes that“love for hometown” is the key for us to understand the emotional dimension of Fei’s early social theory. It represents and constructs the root of the local society and the transformation of modern China as a whole， as well as the interpersonal connections between the local and the state. It hence has important significance for our current consideration on the modernization of China.

Rebuilding Smiles: The Production of Knowledge-in-Practice in the Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment

LIU Dan, HUANG Yingying

2022, 42(6):  132-159. 

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This study of practical medical sociology analyzes the process as well as specific aspects of practical knowledge production in the treatment of cleft lip and palate (CLP). Based on our fieldwork and in-depth interviews, this paper finds that as the meta-theme of cleft lip and palate treatment normalization is the goal to“create a normal face and reconstruct a normal life” for CLP patients. The sequential treatment method for cleft lip and palate in China， influenced by the western concepts， is a gradually localised “standard” treatment paradigm that stipulates the necessity of intervention in the socialization process of child development in addition to the treatment in order to rebuild normal life in the future. This normative therapeutic paradigm generates different aspects in the specific practice process. On the one hand， centering on facial reconstructive surgeries， Knowledge-in-Practice of CLP treatment aims to build normal faces for the patients. It facilitates two body techniques in situated medical treatment - nursing massage and language therapy. These two techniques jointly shape the patients’ visible body and functional body and thereby “normalise” patients. On the other hand， as the treatment progresses and CLP children grow， the goal of“reconstructing a normal life” becomes prominent in the intervention. It embodies the other aspect of knowledge- in-Practice of CLP treatment： “normal life” means to follow the development trajectories of ordinary children but also explore the bodily values of individuals with CLP. It encourages CLP children to cultivate individual specialties and win peer competitions in order to copy with the strong uncertainty of the future of CLP individuals. During the processes of routinizing treatment into everyday life and medicalizing parenting practice， the application of normative medical knowledge extends from medical settings to social life， and medical knowledge transforms into socialized knowledge as well. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between medical knowledge and practice， and between biology and society. It reevaluates the multi-dimensional， dynamic and value-related therapeutic practice so as to reflect on the action logic of each subject behind the treatment and the process of knowledge production. Finally， it enriches the empirical research on“marginalized bodies” from the perspective of medical sociology.

Funeral Xiangsheng and the Operation of Social Relationship Among the Civilians in Beijing and Tianjin in the Period of the Republic of China

LI Xiaodong

2022, 42(6):  160-187. 

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With the increase of urban population mobility in modern China， it is necessary to discuss in depth the changes in the operational mode of social relations that are based on the different patterns of association. During the period of the Republic of China， Beijing and Tianjin were the biggest cities in northern China， and the scale of population movement was large， resulting in fewer blood related relatives than strangers and outsiders in social relations among the people. At the same time， under the influence of Manchus’ lifestyle， the urban culture of Beijing and Tianjin still attached great importance to the ritual gradation based on blood relation， manifested in stipulating everyone’s status and behavior standards in accordance with blood relation ethics. By analyzing funeral crosswalks (Xiangsheng) that reflected the urban culture of Beijing and Tianjin of the period， this paper argues that due to the dominant presence of migrant population， the pressure of family opinions gave way to the more tolerant community public opinions. Facing the shortage of blood relatives to carry out the normative procedure of ritual gradation， people began to embrace outsiders and strangers into the core circle of differentiated association of their mourning system. In this process， the operational logic of social relationship relied on “the distinction between righteousness and gains”， reflected as “friendship” and “taking advantage”. In the absence of blood relatives， the“friendship” based on“righteousness” enabled outsiders and strangers to enter the core circle of the differential mode of association， while “taking advantage” meant not only the pursuit of self-interest， but also the process where in the outsiders and strangers could adjust their positions appropriate to the differential mode of association.

Window of Time and Trauma of Time: The Temporal Effect of Left-Behind Experience on Subjective Well-Being

LIU Zhijun, YANG Shuai, WANG Yan

2022, 42(6):  188-213. 

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Existing studies have mainly focused on the current and short-or medium-term effects of left-behind experience， but lacked sufficient attention to the long-term and time-window effects， as well as the repair of negative effects of the experience. From the perspective of life course， based on the 2018 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey(CLDS)， this study analyzes the time effect of the childhood left- behind experience on the subjective well-being of adulthood in four aspects: cumulative length of left-behind， length after left-behind experience terminated， stages of being left-behind and different guardianship of left-behind. The results show that first， the experience of left-behind has a long-term negative impact on the subjective well-being of individuals， and shows a “double time effect”， that is， on the one hand， the longer the cumulative time of left-behind， the greater the negative impact in adulthood； on the other hand， the increase of the length of the post-left-behind period does not correspond to the increase of subjective well-being in adulthood. Second， the negative impact shows a reversed increasing characteristic of left-behind at age of junior middle school < at age of primary school < at age of preschool， indicating that the preschool stage is the“key window” affecting adulthood most critically. Third， regardless of the stage， single-parent and grandparent custody present negative impact on individuals with the former worse than the later. Finally， the propensity score matching method applied in the paper verifies the robustness of the impact of childhood left-behind experiences at all stages on individual subjective well-being in adulthood. This study confirms the enduring effects of childhood experiences on subjective well-being in adulthood， and reveals the duration effect， time window effect， and guardianship effect of childhood experiences.

One-Sided Demands or Mutual Needs? Combination of Needs and Parent-Child Choices in Inter-Generational Cohabitation

TAO Tao, ZHONG Yuqi, HUANG Jingyi

2022, 42(6):  214-240. 

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Changes in family living arrangements have accompanied China’s transition to modernization. The aim of this study is to explore the choice mechanism driven by the needs of both parents and children behind the seemingly homogeneous inter-generational cohabitation of different families. Based on the data from the 2018 China Elderly Longitudinal Social Survey, this study delves into the need and choice mechanisms of elderly parents and adult children living together， explores the heterogeneity in inter-generational cohabitation and the inter- generational interactions under ever changing inter-generational relationships. It further analyses the two dimensions of gender and birth order of adult children in different types of inter-generational cohabitation. The results show that， in terms of intergenerational co-living needs， cooperative cohabitation occupies the primary position in China， followed by nurturing cohabitation based on pure offspring needs， and then supportive cohabitation based on pure parental needs. The proportion of alienated cohabitation in which both generations are not in need is the least. The main theme of inter-generational cohabitation in China today is a shift in the centre of gravity and a strong emphasis on reciprocity. There are differences in the logic of inter-generational reciprocity between urban and rural areas. Rural parents place more emphasis on economic needs while urban parents place more emphasis on living needs. The demand of children in both rural and urban is led by housing needs. In terms of inter-generational cohabitation mechanisms， sons are still the preferred choice for inter-generational cohabitation. However， daughters are more likely to take on the responsibility of supporting parents， especially in rural area. Younger siblings in rural areas are more likely to enjoy help from their parents in inter-generational cohabitation and are also more likely to take on the responsibility of supporting parents. In short， change and continuity have always presented in Chinese society， and tradition and modernity are both rooted in Chinese family life.