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German Sinology Today
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2011
Extract
In contrast to the general tendency of resurgence of academic life in Germany, which has been reported from all the former academic centers and even from an additional one at Mainz, the pace of the recovery of German Sinology has been rather slow. Some of the main former seats of Far Eastern studies still remain unoccupied. The reason for this special development is, in the first place, lack of personnel. Of the old generation Alfred Forke, who held the chair of Sinology at Hamburg University for many years, and Erich Hauer2 died during the war. Otto Franke, the Nestor of German Sinology, died practically from hunger and exhaustion soon after the war. Several of the most promising German Sinologues have left Germany during the past fifteen years, mostly for political reasons. G. Haloun, Walter Simon, and Bruno Schindler are working in England; Balazs resumed his Sinological studies in France; Karl A. Wittfogel heads the Chinese History Project sponsored by the University of Washington at Columbia University; Ferdinand Lessing has been for more than ten years at the University of California, Berkeley, and Wolfram Eberhard, who taught at Ankara, Turkey, is now a member of the faculty at Berkeley too. Franz Michael joined the Far Eastern Institute at the University of Washington years ago, as recently did Erwin Reifler.
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- Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1949
References
1 Most of the information presented is taken from private communications. A collection of notes by Rudolf Löwenthal, put at the writer's disposal, is gratefully acknowledged. A bibliography of “Sinological literature in Germany, 1939–44” will be found in Quarterly bulletin of Chinese bibliography, n.s. 7 (March-December 1947), 21–64. Attention is also drawn to Wolfgang Franke's article “The younger generation of German Sinologists,” Monumenta Serica, 5 (1940), 437–46, and to that of Eduard Erkes, “Die kulturpolitische bedeutung der deutschen Sinologie,” Die weltkugel (June 1948), 38–40.
2 The manuscript of Hauer's Manchurian dictionary was accepted for publication by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur-und Vülkerkunde Ostasiens, Tokyo. Proofs of about two thirds of the work were received regularly by Walter Fuchs at Peiping, who had consented to correct them. However, the setting up has never been finished.
3 See Theunissen's obituary in Monumenta Serica, 12 (1947), 277–96Google Scholar. Word has been received that the fourth volume of Franke's Geschichte des chinesischen reiches, which includes the Sung and Yöan dynasties, has just been published.
4 He is the editor of a revived English edition of Asia major.
5 His studies on post-Han ideology will be published shortly.
6 His latest researches into the social problems of China include: “The composition of the leading political group during the Five dynasties,” Asiatische studien, Berne, 1 (1947, 19–28;Google Scholar“Some sociological remarks on the system of provincial administration during the period of the Five dynasties,” Studia Serica, Chengtu, 7 (1948) 1–18.Google Scholar A voluminous study on the question of social mobility during the Topa regime is in press. His book Die chinesische novelle des 17–19. jahrhunderts, eine soziologische untersuchung has been published as supplement 9 of Artibus Asiae.
8 Most of his contribution on Chinese bronzes and above all on Chinese painting have been published in Monumenta Serica and in Sinologische arbeiten, vol. 1. Aside from his monumental publication on Chinese furniture and his excellent treatment of Chinese architecture he edited and commented on two collections of Chinese bronzes: Frühe chinesische bronzen aus der sammlung Oskar Trautmann (Peiping, 1939) and Sammlung Lochow, Chinesischev bronzen I (Peiping, 1943).
9 Loehr's essays on Chinese art and archeology are numerous. Most valuable are his translations from and evaluations of Chinese bronze inscriptions in Sinologische arbeiten, 2 (1944), 30–91 and Monumenta Serica, 11 (1946) 269–325.
10 Wolfgang Franke's strength lies in his scrupulous researches into Ming history; see “kompilation, Zur und shih-lu, überlieferung der Ming,” Sinologische arbeiten, 1 (1943), 1–46;Google Scholar 2 (1944), 1–29; 3 (1945), 165–68; “Yung-lo's mongolische feldzüge,” Sinologische arbeiten, 3 (1945), 1–45Google Scholar; “staatsmann, Yü Ch'ien und kriegsminister, ” Monumenta Serica, 11 (1946), 87–122Google Scholar with “Addendum” in Studia Serica, 6 (1947), 193–208Google Scholar. See also his valuable bibliography of wartime Sinological studies in China, published in Bulletin of Chinese studies, Chengtu, 6 (1946) 137–71;Google Scholar “Die hanzeitlichen felsengräber bei Chia-ting,” Studia Serica, 7 (1948), 19–39Google Scholar; “Preliminary notes on the important Chinese literary sources for the history of the Ming dynasty, 1368–1644”, Bulletin of Chinese studies, 7 (1947), 107–224Google Scholar. He stayed in Chengtu for two years but recently returned to Peiping.
11 Jaeger was purged, then reinstated, then retired in October 1947 as a new investigation seemed imminent. The case of Stange is similar.
12 Walter Fuchs needs no introduction. His miscellaneous contributions, mostly published in Monumenta Serica as well as his editions of the Jesuits' and Mongol atlas, published as monographs 4 and 8 of Monumenta Serica, are well known. Titles published in less accessible places include: “Bulhuri Omo, die “älteste fassung der mandjurischen stammessage,” Sinologische arbeiten, 1 (1943), 47–52Google Scholar, and “Rare Ch'ing editions of the Keng-chih-fu,” Studia Serica, 6 (1947), 149–57.Google Scholar
13 Hoffmann mainly worked on Chinese literature; see his “Kurze einführung in die technik der San-ch'ä,” Sinologische arbeiten, 1 (1943), 119–35.Google Scholar
14 Heissig specialized in Mongol history and literature. Published titles include: “Ein mongolisches textfragment über den Ölötenfursten Galdan,” Sinologische arbeiten, 2 (1944), 92–160;Google Scholar 3 (1945), 169–76; Bolur Erike, eine mogolische chronik aus der Kienlung-zeit (Monumenta Serica monograph 10) (Peiping, 1946). He is now working on the Neyiči toyen biography.
15 “Author of Die goldene horde (Leipzig, 1948) and of the article “Die Mongolenzeit” in Geschichte der islamischen länder (Berlin, 1948).
16 His recent publications include: China und Europa (Leipzig, 1947) and Die chinesische geschichte als dialektischer prozess (Leipzig, 1946).
17 Karow is working on the history of Far Eastern medicine and is preparing a reasoned edition of the Daidōruijuhō.
18 To his detailed studies on modern Chinese law Bönger recently added researches into T'ang law: “Das kapitel öber die gesetzgebung der T'ang dynastie im T'ung-tien,” Sinologische arbeiten, 3 (1945), 152–64;Google ScholarQuellen zur rechtsgeschichte der T'ang-zeit (Monumenta Serica monograph 9) (Peiping, 1946);Google Scholar“Über die verantwortlichkeit der beamten nach klassischem chinesischem recht,” Studia Serica, 6 (1947), 159–91Google Scholar. A complete translation of the T'ang code has been finished and awaits publication.
19 He recently published a survey of Chinese painting: Meistenierke chinesischer malerei aus der sammlung der japanischen Reichsmarschälle Yoshimitsu und Yoshimasa (Berlin, 1947).Google Scholar