Technicians and Artisans of Heaven-And-Earth: Imperial Memories of Diviners, Physicians, and Craftsmen from Mid-Medieval China

by Stephan N Kory

Overview

Technicians and Artisans and Heaven-and-Earth reconstructs memories of significant but often overlooked figures from a remarkably diverse yet understudied period of Chinese history. The book includes translations of three biographical collections from the official dynastic histories of the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui featuring the lives of “technicians and artisans.” Through a comparative, intertextual, and literary analysis of these works, Stephan N. Kory not only sheds light on the roles and functions of diviners, physicians, and craftsmen in the imperial courts of mid-medieval North China, but also provides us with fascinating insights into medieval Chinese court life and society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789004732469
Publisher:	Brill Academic Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/04/2025
Series:	Prognostication in History , #12
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Stephan N. Kory, Ph.D. (2012), Indiana University, is Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Florida. He has published several articles on premodern China and Japan, including “Presence in Variety: De-Trivializing Female Diviners in Medieval China” (Nan Nü, 2016).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
List of Tables and Figures
Conventions
Chinese Eras and Dynasties
Northern Dynasty and Sui Rulers
The Twenty-Four Official Histories of China
Technicians and Artisans in Weishu 91, Zhoushu 47, and Suishu 78

Introduction: Aims, Sources, and Outline
 1 Aims
 2 Sources: Weishu 91, Zhoushu 47, and Suishu 78
 3 Outline

1 The Content, Compilation, and Aims of the Three Collections
 1 Nomenclature
 2 Genre
 3 Compilation and Sources
 4 Intent
 5 Concluding Remarks

2 Divination, Medicine, and Crafts in Medieval Knowledge Organization Systems
 1 Early Foundational Models
 2 Medieval Systems
 3 Daoist and Buddhist Perspectives
 4 Daoist Perspectives
 5 Buddhist Perspectives
 6 Concluding Remarks

3 Technicians and Artisans as Interpreters and Agents of Heaven-and-Earth
 1 Historical Overview
 2 Significance to the Central Court and Throne
 3 Significance to Peripheral Local Communities
 4 Concluding Remarks

4 The Imperial Selection and Appointment of Technicians and Artisans
 1 The Mandate of Heaven and the Service of Its People
 2 Testing and Appointment as Essentials for Good Governance
 3 “Backdoors” into State Service: Reclusion, Itinerancy, and Special “Skills”
 4 Imperial Offices Featuring Techniques and Arts
 5 Conclusion

5 The Reception and Transmission of Techniques and Arts
 1 The Reception of Techniques and Arts
 2 The Transmission of Techniques and Arts from Technicians and Artisans
 3 Conclusion

Translation 1: The Book of Wei “Arrayed Traditions of Technicians and Artisans”
 1 Introduction to Weishu 91
 2 Biographical Traditions
 3 Conclusion to Weishu 91

Translation 2: The Book of Zhou “Arrayed Traditions of Artisans and Technicians”
 1 Introduction to Zhoushu 47
 2 Biographical Traditions
 3 Conclusion to Zhoushu 47

Translation 3: The Book of Sui “Arrayed Traditions of Artisans and Technicians”
 1 Introduction to Suishu 78
 2 Biographical Traditions
 3 Conclusion to Suishu 78

Appendix: Suishu 78’s Six Types of Adepts and Twenty-Four Exemplars
Glossary: Techniques and Arts Featured in the Three Collections
Bibliography
Index