Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
Studies have so far focused on China’s cultural tradition as the country’s soft power resource. However, to make the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative a success, Beijing is required to also have...Show moreStudies have so far focused on China’s cultural tradition as the country’s soft power resource. However, to make the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative a success, Beijing is required to also have an attractive set of political values. This thesis investigates how this need for political soft power translates to the realm of international education, in which the Party-state is pushing for closer cooperation among the countries along the Belt and Road. To this end, official Chinese documents and media reports are studied, with a focus on education initiatives in Kazakhstan. By arguing that soft power behaviour is central to soft power building, this thesis has come to several conclusions. First, Beijing is actively deploying educational cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative as a means to strengthen its soft power. Second, alongside China’s cultural tradition, political values are relied upon to increase China’s attractiveness, indicating that Beijing attempts to specifically build up its political soft power. Remarkably, these political ideals are primarily related to China’s domestic governance and less to Beijing’s global governance principles.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In 1997, Yang Yi杨义(b. 1946) published his groundbreaking Chinese Narratology (中国叙事学, 1998), in which he expounded his ideas about a Chinese narratology that developed and manifests itself...Show moreIn 1997, Yang Yi杨义(b. 1946) published his groundbreaking Chinese Narratology (中国叙事学, 1998), in which he expounded his ideas about a Chinese narratology that developed and manifests itself separately from Western narratology. I will take Yang’s narratology framework as a starting point, with a focus on Yang’s understanding of narrative structure, and do a close reading of the novel The Lantern Bearer (带灯, 2013) by Chinese author Jia Pingwa 贾平凹(b. 1952) (the English translation by Carlos Rojas was published in 2017). I do this in order to answer the following research question: How does Yang Yi’s narratological approach of narrative structure compare to a “Western”-narratological approach of narrative structure? In my analysis, for Western narratology, I will focus on Mieke Bal’s (1997) Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative. I will argue that Yang’s idea of narrative structure allows for a reading that would not be possible by using only Bal’s theory of narrative structure. As a case study, I will investigate how the narrative structure of Jia Pingwa’s novel The Lantern Bearer relates to narrative structures found in traditional Chinese fiction from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) period.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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Why was the Obama administration unable to lessen strategic distrust and tensions in the Sino-American trade relationship, despite its intent to build a constructive relationship with China under...Show moreWhy was the Obama administration unable to lessen strategic distrust and tensions in the Sino-American trade relationship, despite its intent to build a constructive relationship with China under the Pivot to Asia? The mistake of the administration, according to this academic work, was not the wish to cooperate and engage with China, but the problematic execution of its proclamations as a result of domestic politics. The Obama administration sent confusing and conflicting signals towards the Chinese government: while its official discourse primarily emphasised cooperation and engagement, domestic resistance pushed the policymaking process towards implementation of foreign policy that suggested intentions of containment. The Obama administration seemed unable or unwilling to follow through on its words, leading to a discrepancy between the stated aims and the concrete results of the Pivot to Asia initiative. As a result, the United States failed to convince Chinese sceptics that it genuinely wanted to cooperate, and that it did not have nefarious hegemonic aspirations. Thus, ultimately, the failure to gather domestic support for engagement with China rendered the Obama administration unable to reduce strategic distrust in the Sino-American relationship.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
The thesis analyses grassroots-government interactions in the formation and the development of the dagong 打工 poetry scene of Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. Dagong poetry is a wide...Show moreThe thesis analyses grassroots-government interactions in the formation and the development of the dagong 打工 poetry scene of Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. Dagong poetry is a wide and eclectic literary genre, written by Chinese rural migrant workers, often referred to as Chinese subalterns, who move to the cities to make a living, because of a lack of economic opportunities in the countryside. I use Bourdieu’s theory of the literary field to survey three main types of agents involved the dagong poetry dynamic and its discourse: (1) grassroots activists, (2) party-state-affiliated cultural policy institutions, and (3) intermediaries, meaning various individuals who advance the interactions of (1) and (2), and may be considered as belonging to both groups. By surveying textual sources, including literary journals, websites and public WeChat accounts, and through qualitative interviews with poets, critics, literary scholars and other agents involved in dagong poetry discourse, I provide in depth case studies of some of most important dagong poetry-related persons and organizations in the Delta region dagong poets’ community. The thesis shows that party-state cultural policy institutions play a significant role in formation and development of a literary community that began as a grassroots movement. Their far reaching influence is present in many aspects and is mainly executed through negotiation with grassroots groups, in which a crucial role is played by top-down and bottom-up intermediaries that are very helpful for attracting financial, political and also discursive support for the dagong poets’ community, but also ensure that dagong poetry discourse remains controlled and in line with government’s cultural policy.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
During the final years of the Yuan dynasty, a group of poets gathered in a district near the northern part of Suzhou’s city walls. This group became later known as the “Ten Friends of the North...Show moreDuring the final years of the Yuan dynasty, a group of poets gathered in a district near the northern part of Suzhou’s city walls. This group became later known as the “Ten Friends of the North City Wall” (Beiguo shi you 北郭十友). This thesis analyzes the friendship and social relationships of four of these friends. It challenges the significance of their literary gatherings in the north city wall district, while it focuses on the variety of other locations – estates, gardens, monasteries, scenic and historical sites - where their relationships were acted out. In the Yuan-Ming transition, when civil war and political instability greatly reduced opportunities for distant travel and social networking, these various places in and around Suzhou allowed them to maintain a social network through time and space.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
This thesis investigates how the cities Yuan Shangdu, Dadu and Jining compare when looking at their locations, layouts, trading positions, and distribution of material objects that were retrieved...Show moreThis thesis investigates how the cities Yuan Shangdu, Dadu and Jining compare when looking at their locations, layouts, trading positions, and distribution of material objects that were retrieved at archaeological excavations. The three case studies on the three cities portray their significance during the Yuan dynasty, on cultural, economic and political level. The thesis compares two capital cities of the Yuan dynasty and one hinterland city. The case studies structurally compare the layouts, which are all three very different from each other. Material objects that were excavated at the archaeological sites of Shangdu and Jining, imply that Shangdu was not so much a trading city but rather served the Yuan court, whereas Jining was a trading city in the hinterlands of the Yuan where many ceramics and other material objects were excavated. Dadu on the other hand, played an important role on both imperial political as trading levels.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In 2013, the re-opened Nanjing Museum added the Gallery of the Scene of the Republican Period (abbreviated as the Republican Gallery) to its permanent exhibition. This research attempts to explore...Show moreIn 2013, the re-opened Nanjing Museum added the Gallery of the Scene of the Republican Period (abbreviated as the Republican Gallery) to its permanent exhibition. This research attempts to explore the curatorial aim by examining the conceptualization of this exhibition hall. It suggests that the Republican Gallery has simplified the nature of Republican China and presented a selected, idealized Republican street view which the public is familiar with through mass media. By examining the Republican Gallery, the research expects to achieve a better understanding of the connection between memory and museums.Show less
