Daoist Philosophy and Literati Writings in Late Imperial China: A Case Study of the Story of the Stone

328 Pages·2013·3.552 MB·English

by  Zuyan Zhou

DAOIST PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATI WRITINGS
IN LATE IMPERIAL CHINA

Daoist Philosophy and Literati Writings
in Late Imperial China
A Case Study of The Story of the Stone
Zuyan Zhou
The Chinese University Press
Daoist Philosophy and Literati Writings in Late Imperial China:
A Case Study of The Story of the Stone
By Zuyan Zhou
© The Chinese University of Hong Kong 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from
The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
ISBN: 978-962-996-497-9
The Chinese University Press
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.chineseupress.com
Printed in Hong Kong
To Surong

Contents

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter One Quanzhen Daoism and The Story of the Stone . . . . . . .17
1.1 Skull, Beauty, and Mirror as Tutorial Devices:
A Quanzhen Pedagogy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
1.2 Heart as an Index of Spiritual Condition:
A Quanzhen Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
1.3 Zhen Shiyin:
A Quanzhen Patriarch Fictionalized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
1.4 Miracles and Disasters Consequent to Magic Shows:
A Quanzhen Rationale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Chapter Two Daoist Philosophy in Late Imperial China:
Adaptation, Appropriation, Transformation . . . . . . .67
2.1 The Evolution of the Discourse on the Natural (ziran)
and the Cult of Qing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
2.2 Seeking Self-Gratification (shi)
as a Guiding Principle in Identity Construction. . . . . . . . . . . .92
2.3 Freedom from Unscrupulous Action
and Selfish Desire (wuwei) as an Espoused Political Ideal . . .106
2.4 The Cult of Tao Yuanming:
Active Modes in the Personal Use of an Ancient Sage . . . . . .121
viii Contents
Chapter Three Chaos and the Gourd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
3.1 Hundun: Chaos as Benevolent Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
3.2 Hulu: Gourd as a Microcosmic Symbol of Dao . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Chapter Four Bird and Fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
4.1 Bird-Fish Imagery in Ancient Chinese Writings. . . . . . . . . . .174
4.2 Bird-Fish Imagery in Literati Writings of Imperial China. . .177
4.3 Bird-Fish Imagery in The Story of the Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
4.3.1 Bird-Fish Imagery in the Narrative Structure of the Stone .191
4.3.2 Bird-Fish Imagery in Jia Baoyu’s Characterization. . . . . . .197
4.3.3 Bird-Fish Imagery in Lin Daiyu’s Characterization . . . . . .203
4.3.4 Bird-Fish Imagery as a Trope for the Tragic Theme. . . . . .211
Chapter Five The Pure and the Natural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
5.1 The Confucian and Neo-Confucian Ideals of Purity:
A Critical Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
5.2 The Daoist Ideal of Purity:
An Affirmative Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
5.3 The Buddhist Ideal of Purity:
A Satirical Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
Chapter Six A Brief Reflection in Lieu of Conclusion:
Daoist Philosophy, Literati Writings,
and Cao Xueqin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291
Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307
Acknowledgements

The production of a book often incurs for its author debts of various
kinds—academic, spiritual, and psychological. Its publication provides
him a convenient channel to release his pent-up gratitude. It is, there-
fore, with great pleasure and deep emotion that I am composing this
short note of acknowledgement to convey my sincere thanks to those
who rendered me assistance on its journey to publication.
First and foremost, I want to thank Prof. Anthony Yu, who
promptly responded to my solicitation of opinions on my manuscript
while he was on a lecture tour in Australia. Though by no means an
acquaintance, he kindly accepted me as an “unregistered student”
while he was also mentoring six dissertations at the University of
Chicago as a retired professor. After a meticulous reading of the
manuscript, he sent me detailed comments on each chapter, often on
individual lines, sharing with me his deep erudition and vast knowl-
edge of Chinese culture. Some of his comments were directly incorpo-
rated into this book. What moved me most is the fact that he
composed his last batches of e-mail responses to my manuscript when
he was seriously ill. I cannot but marvel at his humanitarian spirit and
his dedication to scholarship. I also want to thank Prof. Paul Ropp,
who told me that he had been contemplating a similar book for a long
time and gave strong support to this project. Ropp read an early
version of Chapter Two and offered me very useful feedback. My
thanks also go to Profs. Beata Grant and Qiancheng Li, my former
teacher and schoolmate respectively at Washington University, for
sharing with me their knowledge of Buddhism. Last but not least, I
am deeply indebted to Prof. Robert Hegel, my lifelong mentor, who
x Acknowledgements
encouraged this project from its inception and served as my constant
consultant until its completion.
It is an honor to work with the group of editors at The Chinese
University Press—Lin Ying, Wu Yongxi, and Agnes Chan, and with its
director Gan Qi, whose joint support made it possible to hit the print.
Special thanks go to Xie Maosong, a scholar in late imperial intellec-
tual history himself, whose appreciation of the manuscript at the early
stage warranted its serious consideration by the Press, despite being an
academic work with limited circulation potential in an adverse finan-
cial environment. The meticulous copy-editing by Brian Yu at the Press
and Ellen McGill improves this book in many ways. The prompt
response, professional handling, friendly collaboration, and deep
understanding of the editorial staff made me feel as if I had returned
to my homeland, China, whose culture nourished such a diligent
working style.
I also thank the two anonymous readers of The Chinese University
Press for accepting my provocative position in interpreting the indi-
vidualistic thinking of the late imperial period as a transformed version
of Daoist philosophy. Their support of this major thesis encouraged
me to develop my argument with more confidence in my revision. One
reader’s suggestion led me to change the title; another reader helped
me improve the manuscript in many details through his meticulous
reading. His urging to further explore the relation between Quanzhen
Daoism and Cao Xueqin’s novel, along with Prof. Yu’s early feedback
on the manuscript, prompted me to further research the inscriptions
of the Daoist religion in the text. This resulted in an additional
chapter, the Chapter One in this book, which, I believe, makes this
study more comprehensive by incorporating both the philosophical
and religious aspects of Daoism.
The early version of Chapter Three appeared in T’oung Pao under
the title of “Chaos and the Gourd in The Dream of Red Chamber” (winter
2001). A small portion of Chapter One was published in European
Journal of Sinology (winter 2011) as “Freedom from the Fetters of
Consciousness: A Daoist Dimension of The Story of the Stone.” I thank
the editors of both journals for permitting me to use them in this book.
I owe a debt to all the readers who reviewed these two pilot essays for