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Publications by Yiyun Ding
Tópicos Educacionais, 2020
Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolido... more Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolidos pela corte Qing, Yang Yinhang (1878-1945) e seus colegas formados no Japão fundaram a Escola Pública de Xijin, uma das primeiras experiências do novo estilo de escola pública no distrito de Wuxi. Suas atividades foram auxiliadas por membros da família Yang Yinhang, incluindo seus dois tios, os estudiosos originários da pequena nobreza Yang Fanfu e Yang Zhixun, e sua irmã Yang Yinyu (1884-1938), que mais tarde se tornaria a primeira reitora na história moderna da China. Essa esquecida rede social da família Yang em Wuxi por volta de 1902 é significativa para compreender como esses intelectuais chineses, que estavam originalmente envolvidos no sistema Keju, assumiram as reformas educacionais e implementaram uma agenda de reforma estatal. Focalizaram corajosamente suas experiências transnacionais em um campo no qual a ideia de “educação moderna” era ainda vaga. Esse artigo argumenta que, antes de que a corte Qing anunciasse o sistema escolar padrão para substituir o sistema Keju, a família Yang e suas conexões sociais formaram uma pioneira força de novos professores em Wuxi que não só mudaram profundamente a natureza do conhecimento e da educação e o papel social do professor na era Qing tardia, mas também anteciparam transformações da ética social e da ideia de gênero existentes na era republicana.
PhD Thesis by Yiyun Ding
This PhD thesis was awarded the 2017/2018 Chiang Ching-Kuo International Foundation PhD fellowshi... more This PhD thesis was awarded the 2017/2018 Chiang Ching-Kuo International Foundation PhD fellowship.
It recreates the life and world of a misinterpreted female educator, Yang Yinyu (1884-1938), who is portrayed as a counter-revolutionary villain in contemporary Chinese middle-school textbooks. Little is known about this individual except that she was the target of a radical student movement that aimed to expel her from her position as the president of Beijing Teachers University for Women in 1925. Despite being the first female university president in Chinese history, Yang was accused by the student protesters of being ‘feudal’ and ‘conservative’. The influential left-wing writer Lu Xun, then a professor at the university, criticised Yang as a ‘ruthless mother-in-law’ and supported the students’ violent protest. As Lu was promoted by the Chinese Communist Party as a ‘spiritual leader’ after 1949, his critiques shaped historians’ understanding of the anti-Yang movement and its role in the history of the Republic, in both Chinese and Western academia.
This thesis deconstructs this historical myth-making. By exploring the scattered materials left by Yang in the cities in which she lived, across China, Japan, and the US, it puts the pieces of her world together. It argues that Yang was a dedicated educator, who emphasised both modern pedagogies and moral education. Her goal in creating a national university for teacher training was overshadowed by student radicalism and political struggles in the anti-Yang movement. Furthermore, this journey to reappraise Yang’s life on her own terms provides us with a microscopic perspective to understand the less-explored areas in early-twentieth-century educational reforms: the roles of the earliest professional educators whose efforts lay the foundation for the meaning of modern education we perceive today. The degree of educators’ involvement or opposition to radical politics should not be the sole standard used in assessing their lives and contributions.
Conference Papers (History) by Yiyun Ding
The paper is a reappraisal of the New Life Movement, a political movement as well as social refor... more The paper is a reappraisal of the New Life Movement, a political movement as well as social reformation which was launched by Chiang Kai-shek, the Generalissimo and Chairman of the National Government of Republican China in March, 1934. The Movement had lasted in Mainland China for 15 years from the mid-1930s throughout the Second World War. It was finally ended in 1949 when Chiang and his Nationalist Party (also known as Kuomintang or KMT) lost the Mainland China to the Communists and withdrew to Taiwan.
In contrast to much of the previous scholarship centred on power distribution and political motives behind the Movement, this paper re-approaches the Movement from the perspective of Chinese educators and intellectuals, demonstrating why they were willing to participate the Movement. The paper argues that traditionalism grew out of their fear of cultural extinction when facing Japanese bombardment, which was in accord with Chiang’s political mobilisation. In this sense, the New Life Movement was by no means merely a top-down game of power orchestrated by Chiang Kai-shek to consolidate his absolute authority, but also a social movement participated in by educators and intellectuals, some of whom had political influences while others did not.
It is only by studying responses by intellectuals to the campaign in light of their concern for the preservation of Chinese culture can we begin to move away from understanding the Movement as more than a matter of high political manoeuvring and come to understand its true impacts in shaping Chinese society and culture during the Second World War.
Most of the scholarship about Chinese feminism focuses on the period of the 1910s, when the New C... more Most of the scholarship about Chinese feminism focuses on the period of the 1910s, when the New Cultural Movement started, and takes it as a period of Enlightenment for feminism in China. The other research focus is on the period of 1950s, because of the Marriage Law, that had altered the structure of marriage and undermined the a long-term patriarchal society. However, this paper uses a case study of China's first female university president Yang Yinyu, to examine the origins and contradictions of feminism, when the idea was firstly introduced into China. It asks two research questions, first, what did it mean by 'feminism' in China at the turn of the 20th century? Second, how did an individual live with the development and evolution of this ideology?
MA dissertation (Politics, Philosophy, Economics) by Yiyun Ding
The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of autonomy, by analyzing two case studie... more The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of autonomy, by analyzing two case studies: the internal wars of Bosnia and the recent disputes among Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia. It argues that although setting up an autonomy is a workable and effective method to cease violence and seek further development in the short term; it is, meanwhile, a dangerous and risky existence that might accelerate secession in the long run. It should be implemented carefully, as the beginning of a new process. The conclusion suggests several issues that may increase the prospects of autonomy.
Nowadays, China, an authoritarian state led by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) is introducing t... more Nowadays, China, an authoritarian state led by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) is introducing the Western deliberative democracy into its regime, and launching several deliberative experiments. However, despite the proliferation of deliberative experiments in China, what paradoxical is that culturally, the CCP is restoring the old Confucianism into the contemporary society and its political culture, which forms a unique Confucian society discouraging democracy. This dissertation is driven by a question: Is the CCP taking the deliberation to boost democratization or to enhance its authoritarian regime? I will seek to answer by combining theoretical and applied perspectives.
Papers by Yiyun Ding
The Journal of Asian Studies, Feb 1, 2020
Tópicos Educacionais, 2020
Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolido... more Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolidos pela corte Qing, Yang Yinhang (1878-1945) e seus colegas formados no Japão fundaram a Escola Pública de Xijin, uma das primeiras experiências do novo estilo de escola pública no distrito de Wuxi. Suas atividades foram auxiliadas por membros da família Yang Yinhang, incluindo seus dois tios, os estudiosos originários da pequena nobreza Yang Fanfu e Yang Zhixun, e sua irmã Yang Yinyu (1884-1938), que mais tarde se tornaria a primeira reitora na história moderna da China. Essa esquecida rede social da família Yang em Wuxi por volta de 1902 é significativa para compreender como esses intelectuais chineses, que estavam originalmente envolvidos no sistema Keju, assumiram as reformas educacionais e implementaram uma agenda de reforma estatal. Focalizaram corajosamente suas experiências transnacionais em um campo no qual a ideia de “educação moderna” era ainda vaga. Esse artigo argumenta que, ...
This thesis recreates the life and world of a misinterpreted female educator, Yang Yinyu, who is ... more This thesis recreates the life and world of a misinterpreted female educator, Yang Yinyu, who is portrayed as a counter-revolutionary villain in contemporary Chinese middle-school textbooks. Little is known about this individual except that she was the target of a radical student movement that aimed to expel her from her position as the president of Beijing Teachers University for Women in 1925. Despite being the first female university president in Chinese history, Yang was accused by the student protesters of being ‘feudal’ and ‘conservative’. The influential left-wing writer Lu Xun, then a professor at the university, criticised Yang as a ‘ruthless mother-in-law’ and supported the students’ violent protest. As Lu was promoted by the Chinese Communist Party as a ‘spiritual leader’ after 1949, his critiques shaped historians’ understanding of the anti-Yang movement and its role in the history of the Republic, in both Chinese and Western academia. This thesis deconstructs this histo...
Tópicos Educacionais, 2020
Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolido... more Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolidos pela corte Qing, Yang Yinhang (1878-1945) e seus colegas formados no Japão fundaram a Escola Pública de Xijin, uma das primeiras experiências do novo estilo de escola pública no distrito de Wuxi. Suas atividades foram auxiliadas por membros da família Yang Yinhang, incluindo seus dois tios, os estudiosos originários da pequena nobreza Yang Fanfu e Yang Zhixun, e sua irmã Yang Yinyu (1884-1938), que mais tarde se tornaria a primeira reitora na história moderna da China. Essa esquecida rede social da família Yang em Wuxi por volta de 1902 é significativa para compreender como esses intelectuais chineses, que estavam originalmente envolvidos no sistema Keju, assumiram as reformas educacionais e implementaram uma agenda de reforma estatal. Focalizaram corajosamente suas experiências transnacionais em um campo no qual a ideia de “educação moderna” era ainda vaga. Esse artigo argumenta que, antes de que a corte Qing anunciasse o sistema escolar padrão para substituir o sistema Keju, a família Yang e suas conexões sociais formaram uma pioneira força de novos professores em Wuxi que não só mudaram profundamente a natureza do conhecimento e da educação e o papel social do professor na era Qing tardia, mas também anteciparam transformações da ética social e da ideia de gênero existentes na era republicana.
This PhD thesis was awarded the 2017/2018 Chiang Ching-Kuo International Foundation PhD fellowshi... more This PhD thesis was awarded the 2017/2018 Chiang Ching-Kuo International Foundation PhD fellowship.
It recreates the life and world of a misinterpreted female educator, Yang Yinyu (1884-1938), who is portrayed as a counter-revolutionary villain in contemporary Chinese middle-school textbooks. Little is known about this individual except that she was the target of a radical student movement that aimed to expel her from her position as the president of Beijing Teachers University for Women in 1925. Despite being the first female university president in Chinese history, Yang was accused by the student protesters of being ‘feudal’ and ‘conservative’. The influential left-wing writer Lu Xun, then a professor at the university, criticised Yang as a ‘ruthless mother-in-law’ and supported the students’ violent protest. As Lu was promoted by the Chinese Communist Party as a ‘spiritual leader’ after 1949, his critiques shaped historians’ understanding of the anti-Yang movement and its role in the history of the Republic, in both Chinese and Western academia.
This thesis deconstructs this historical myth-making. By exploring the scattered materials left by Yang in the cities in which she lived, across China, Japan, and the US, it puts the pieces of her world together. It argues that Yang was a dedicated educator, who emphasised both modern pedagogies and moral education. Her goal in creating a national university for teacher training was overshadowed by student radicalism and political struggles in the anti-Yang movement. Furthermore, this journey to reappraise Yang’s life on her own terms provides us with a microscopic perspective to understand the less-explored areas in early-twentieth-century educational reforms: the roles of the earliest professional educators whose efforts lay the foundation for the meaning of modern education we perceive today. The degree of educators’ involvement or opposition to radical politics should not be the sole standard used in assessing their lives and contributions.
The paper is a reappraisal of the New Life Movement, a political movement as well as social refor... more The paper is a reappraisal of the New Life Movement, a political movement as well as social reformation which was launched by Chiang Kai-shek, the Generalissimo and Chairman of the National Government of Republican China in March, 1934. The Movement had lasted in Mainland China for 15 years from the mid-1930s throughout the Second World War. It was finally ended in 1949 when Chiang and his Nationalist Party (also known as Kuomintang or KMT) lost the Mainland China to the Communists and withdrew to Taiwan.
In contrast to much of the previous scholarship centred on power distribution and political motives behind the Movement, this paper re-approaches the Movement from the perspective of Chinese educators and intellectuals, demonstrating why they were willing to participate the Movement. The paper argues that traditionalism grew out of their fear of cultural extinction when facing Japanese bombardment, which was in accord with Chiang’s political mobilisation. In this sense, the New Life Movement was by no means merely a top-down game of power orchestrated by Chiang Kai-shek to consolidate his absolute authority, but also a social movement participated in by educators and intellectuals, some of whom had political influences while others did not.
It is only by studying responses by intellectuals to the campaign in light of their concern for the preservation of Chinese culture can we begin to move away from understanding the Movement as more than a matter of high political manoeuvring and come to understand its true impacts in shaping Chinese society and culture during the Second World War.
Most of the scholarship about Chinese feminism focuses on the period of the 1910s, when the New C... more Most of the scholarship about Chinese feminism focuses on the period of the 1910s, when the New Cultural Movement started, and takes it as a period of Enlightenment for feminism in China. The other research focus is on the period of 1950s, because of the Marriage Law, that had altered the structure of marriage and undermined the a long-term patriarchal society. However, this paper uses a case study of China's first female university president Yang Yinyu, to examine the origins and contradictions of feminism, when the idea was firstly introduced into China. It asks two research questions, first, what did it mean by 'feminism' in China at the turn of the 20th century? Second, how did an individual live with the development and evolution of this ideology?
The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of autonomy, by analyzing two case studie... more The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of autonomy, by analyzing two case studies: the internal wars of Bosnia and the recent disputes among Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia. It argues that although setting up an autonomy is a workable and effective method to cease violence and seek further development in the short term; it is, meanwhile, a dangerous and risky existence that might accelerate secession in the long run. It should be implemented carefully, as the beginning of a new process. The conclusion suggests several issues that may increase the prospects of autonomy.
Nowadays, China, an authoritarian state led by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) is introducing t... more Nowadays, China, an authoritarian state led by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) is introducing the Western deliberative democracy into its regime, and launching several deliberative experiments. However, despite the proliferation of deliberative experiments in China, what paradoxical is that culturally, the CCP is restoring the old Confucianism into the contemporary society and its political culture, which forms a unique Confucian society discouraging democracy. This dissertation is driven by a question: Is the CCP taking the deliberation to boost democratization or to enhance its authoritarian regime? I will seek to answer by combining theoretical and applied perspectives.
The Journal of Asian Studies, Feb 1, 2020
Tópicos Educacionais, 2020
Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolido... more Em 1902, três anos antes dos Exames para o Serviço Público (o chamado sistema Keju) serem abolidos pela corte Qing, Yang Yinhang (1878-1945) e seus colegas formados no Japão fundaram a Escola Pública de Xijin, uma das primeiras experiências do novo estilo de escola pública no distrito de Wuxi. Suas atividades foram auxiliadas por membros da família Yang Yinhang, incluindo seus dois tios, os estudiosos originários da pequena nobreza Yang Fanfu e Yang Zhixun, e sua irmã Yang Yinyu (1884-1938), que mais tarde se tornaria a primeira reitora na história moderna da China. Essa esquecida rede social da família Yang em Wuxi por volta de 1902 é significativa para compreender como esses intelectuais chineses, que estavam originalmente envolvidos no sistema Keju, assumiram as reformas educacionais e implementaram uma agenda de reforma estatal. Focalizaram corajosamente suas experiências transnacionais em um campo no qual a ideia de “educação moderna” era ainda vaga. Esse artigo argumenta que, ...
This thesis recreates the life and world of a misinterpreted female educator, Yang Yinyu, who is ... more This thesis recreates the life and world of a misinterpreted female educator, Yang Yinyu, who is portrayed as a counter-revolutionary villain in contemporary Chinese middle-school textbooks. Little is known about this individual except that she was the target of a radical student movement that aimed to expel her from her position as the president of Beijing Teachers University for Women in 1925. Despite being the first female university president in Chinese history, Yang was accused by the student protesters of being ‘feudal’ and ‘conservative’. The influential left-wing writer Lu Xun, then a professor at the university, criticised Yang as a ‘ruthless mother-in-law’ and supported the students’ violent protest. As Lu was promoted by the Chinese Communist Party as a ‘spiritual leader’ after 1949, his critiques shaped historians’ understanding of the anti-Yang movement and its role in the history of the Republic, in both Chinese and Western academia. This thesis deconstructs this histo...