Digital Humanities

Introduction: The Seeds of Zayton Blown Across the Sea In the long annals of Quanzhou, beyond the silhouettes of trading sails, the most moving elements are the footprints of its people. Quanzhou is not only the starting point of the “Maritime Silk Road” but also the spiritual home for tens of millions of overseas Minnan people. Opening the Quanzhou Overseas Chinese Gazette and successive editions of the Quanzhou Prefecture Gazette, one discovers that these local records are essentially a symphony of life concerning “departure” and “return”. From the “private trade” of the Wanli era to the “crossing to Taiwan” in the Qianlong period, and the large-scale “descent to the Southern Seas” (Nanyang) in the modern era, the migration history of Quanzhou people constitutes the underlying code for the development of Chinese societies in Southeast Asia and globally. ...

A Question About the “Will to Beauty” How did Taiwan’s art and media modernize? You might think this is a grand question, but the numbers in the Revised Taiwan Provincial Chronicles will show you the answer. In 1927, the first “Taiwan Art Exhibition” (Tai-Ten) was held in Taipei. 33 pieces were selected for Oriental Painting, and 62 for Western Painting. These aren’t just numbers—this was the starting point of modern art in Taiwan. ...

A Question About “Paying Money” How much tax did people in Quanzhou pay? This question sounds mundane, but the taxation data recorded in the Wanli Quanzhou Prefecture Gazette and Qianlong Quanzhou Prefecture Gazette tells a real story about imperial finances and ordinary people’s lives. During the Wanli era, Quanzhou implemented the “Single Whip Law”—converting various taxes into silver for unified payment. During the Qianlong era, it became “Merging Poll Tax into Land Tax”—the head tax was abolished and folded into land taxes. ...

A Staggering Number How did Taiwanese people learn to live with earthquakes and typhoons? The Revised Taiwan Provincial Chronicles contains a set of numbers that might leave you speechless: Between 1909 and 1982, Taiwan recorded 17,564 felt earthquakes and 62,542 unfelt tremors. That’s an average of two felt earthquakes every three days. You read that right. On April 21, 1935, an earthquake killed 3,276 people. 12,053 were injured. 17,907 buildings were completely destroyed. ...

A Fact You Probably Don’t Know Where did Taiwanese people come from? Some say from the mainland. Some say indigenous origins. But a set of data from the Revised Taiwan Provincial Chronicles might shock you: Taiwan and the mainland only separated 10,000 years ago. What does 10,000 years mean? Human civilization was just getting started. So in a sense, Taiwan and mainland Chinese “broke up” just yesterday. This story starts with a bone. ...

A Story of Rising from Nothing Do you know what Fujian really excelled at in ancient times? Not shipbuilding. Not trade. Exams. According to the Fujian Provincial Annals, Fujian produced a cumulative total of over 10,000 Jinshi scholars throughout history—that’s one-ninth of the national total. In the Song Dynasty alone, it was even more staggering: over 7,000 Jinshi, accounting for one-fifth of the nation’s total, ranking first per capita. So here’s the puzzle: How did this “remote wilderness” with its harsh geography become China’s premier talent hub? ...

Core Data Table: Key Indicators of Yan Fu and Knowledge Dissemination in Fujian Year Key Event/Outcome Core Data Source Citation 1885-1894 Yan Fu’s Exam Attempts Failed 4 consecutive provincial exams due to “eight-legged essays” 1892 Lu Zhuangzhang’s Phonetics Created China’s 1st pinyin system with 55 letters 1897 Founding of Cangxia Jingshe Pioneer of modern schools in Fujian; taught English/Math Oct 1898 Publication of Tianyan Lun Lithographed at Shiqi Jingshe in Fuzhou; became a masterpiece 1939-1947 Gaijin (Improvement) Journal Published in Yong’an; circulation > 10,000; sold nationwide 1983 Strategic Tech Decisions Provincial committee proposed “Winning by Wisdom” strategy Geographic Connections: Spatial Coordinates of Fuzhou’s Enlightenment Foochow Arsenal Academy: The origin of Yan Fu’s western scientific education. Houguan (Modern Fuzhou): Yan Fu’s hometown and site of the first Tianyan Lun lithographic edition. Cangxia Jingshe: Founded by Chen Bi; a cradle of modern education that changed Fujian’s academic atmosphere. Shiqi Jingshe: A vital publishing hub in Fuzhou that facilitated the social dissemination of enlightenment works. Fengchi Academy: Where Yan Fu lectured, introducing modern affairs into the curriculum. Background: “Opening Eyes to the World” in the Folds of Sea and Mountain Fuzhou, Fujian, as one of the first “Five Treaty Ports,” was among the earliest to feel the shockwaves of colliding Eastern and Western civilizations. In the digital archives of the Fujian Provincial Annals: Publishing and Biographies, we find a poignant historical irony: Yan Fu, a giant capable of translating Huxley’s Evolution and Ethics and later shaking the foundations of Chinese thought, failed his provincial exams four times between 1885 and 1894 because he couldn’t master the rigid “eight-legged essay” style. ...

Optional Titles From Puxian Opera ‘Spring Grass’ Archives to the ‘Viral IP’ Evolution of a Living Fossil Cultural Seafaring: Historical Records of Xinghua Opera and Modern Governance Logic Digital Ancient Scripts: Tracing Emotional Resonance and Governance in Puxian Tragicomedy Core Data Table: Representative Repertoires & Impact Indicators Year Key Event / Play Core Data / Achievement Source 1956 “After the Reunion” Adapted; filmed in 1960; Top 10 Modern Tragedy 1960 “Spring Grass” Debut Adapted by Chen Renjian from traditional texts 1979 30th National Anniv. “Spring Grass” won National 1st Prizes for script & performance 1980 Inst. Reconstruction 700+ papers published between 1985-1997 1981 “Tears at the Pavilion” Won the 1st National Excellent Script Award 1993 International Impact “Spring Grass” included in ‘New China Literature & Art Series’ Geographic Connections: Cultural Nodes of Puxian Opera Putian/Xianyou (Xinghua Prefecture)：Cradle of Puxian Opera and home to the Lisheng Troupe. Beijing：Center for national performances and top-tier artistic awards. Singapore：Site where the script of “Spring Grass” was published in United Evening News, showcasing overseas reach. Hong Kong：Location of the film adaptation “Jia Xu Cheng Long” by Phoenix Film. Henan：A province where the play’s regional adaptation famously “saved an entire troupe”. Background: A Living Fossil in the Folds of Mountains and Sea Xinghua Prefecture (modern Putian and Xianyou) is not only the home of the Mulan Pei hydraulic miracle but also the cradle of Puxian Opera, one of China’s oldest surviving theatrical forms. In the digital archives of the Fujian Provincial Annals, it is hailed as a “Living Fossil of Song-Yuan Southern Opera.” After a millennium of evolution, it burst into a new life at the end of the 20th century, creating a series of “viral” IPs with national impact. ...

Core Data Table: Key Indicators of Fujian’s Scientific & Industrial Evolution Year/Period Key Event/Achievement Core Data/Description Source 1956 Chen Jingrun’s Early Paper Published “Tali Problem,” praised by Hua Luogeng Science & Tech 1963 10-Year Science Plan 889 projects covering agriculture, industry, and basic science Planning Annals 1964 National Exhibition Waterwheel pumps won 1st prize; self-propelled scrapers won 2nd Science & Tech 1966 Priority Agricultural Research 22 major projects established, including mountain high-yield models Planning Annals 1978 Chen Jingrun’s Breakthrough Reduced the minimal prime parameter from 80 to 16 Science & Tech 1984 Mawei Shipyard Upgrade Leap to 10,000-ton capacity with 480k RMB investment Science & Tech 1986 “300-3000” Plan Target of 1,000 new products and 1,000 tech personnel to production Science & Tech 1990 Tech Export Breakthrough Annual tech export contracts reached US$454,500 Govt Annals Geographic Connections: Key Nodes of Fujian’s Innovation Map Mawei, Fuzhou: The cradle of modern shipbuilding and the 1984 site for the 10,000-ton vessel breakthrough. Xiamen University: Academic origin for legends like Chen Jingrun and Tian Zhaowu. Sanming City: A vital demonstration zone for fungus research and the “Spark Program”. Fuzhou 54 Road: Location of the province’s first forex adjustment center and a hub for tech policy talks. Yongan Tianbaoyan: A national nature reserve approved in 1989, a key site for ecological research. Longyan Meihuashan: A biodiversity gene pool where extensive species and environmental surveys were conducted. Background: Seeking the “Primary Productive Force” in Geographic Folds Fujian is located on the southeastern coast, defined by mountains and a scarcity of arable land and resources. According to the Fujian Provincial Annals, the province’s scientific takeoff was not built on mineral wealth but on a profound realization—the strategy of “Winning by Wisdom” (以智取胜). From the global acclaim of mathematical genius Chen Jingrun in the 1950s to the establishment of the “Science Monthly Talks” in the 1980s, these archives document how a region can carve a path to modernization by valuing knowledge and talent. ...

Introduction: Place Names—The Tree Rings of History Place names are more than geographical coordinates; they are “historical products” created over centuries as societies evolve. From the perspective of Digital Humanities, toponymy serves as a vast database of proper nouns identifying the evolution of spatial dimensions. Through archival retrieval from the Revised Taiwan Provincial Chronicles, we can clearly see how this land shifted from the “primeval call of Austronesian tongues” to a “multi-ethnic cultural palimpsest”. This post takes you into a 300-year naming laboratory to decode the cultural DNA behind these names. ...