Yan Chongnian
Encyclopedia
Yan Chongnian was born in Penglai City
Penglai City
Penglai City , is a port, a town and an administrative subdivision of the prefecture-level city Yantai in Shandong Province, northeastern China. The port was formerly called Dengzhou . Penglai Water City or Water Fortress , a fortified harbor hidden from the sea, is one of China's oldest military...

, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...

, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 in 1934. He established Beijing Manchu Institute, the first academic institute focussed on the Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...

 history.

His publications include Biography of Yuan Chonghuan
Yuan Chonghuan
Yuan Chonghuan was a famed patriot and military commander of the Ming Dynasty who battled the Manchus in Liaoning. A commander of Cantonese origin, Yuan Chonghuan was known to have excelled in artillery warfare and successfully incorporated Western tactics with those of the East...

(ISBN 7-101-04869-2), True Stories of the 12 Qing Emperors (正説清朝十二帝, ISBN 7-101-04445-X), and Fall of Ming and Rise of Qing in 60 Years (明亡清興六十年, ISBN 7-101-05267-3).

Face-slapping incident

Yan Chongnian was attacked in Wuxi on October 5, 2008, as he promoted his new book, The Kangxi Emperor. Yan was smacked twice in the face.
It is claimed that Yan was labeled a traitor
Hanjian
In Chinese culture, a Hanjian is a derogatory and pejorative term for a race traitor to the Han Chinese nation or state, and to a lesser extent, Han ethnicity. The word Hanjian is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for any race or country...

 for advocating on the CCTV
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...

 program Lecture Room
Lecture Room
Lecture Room is a popular TV program of China Central Television, mostly featured on CCTV-10, which invites scholars to provide lectures on various disciplines. In its early days, areas featured included biology, physics, economics, history and literature, with lecturers from around the world...

 the following view points:
  1. Wu Sangui
    Wu Sangui
    Wu Sangui was a Ming Chinese general who was instrumental in the succession of rule to the Qing Dynasty in 1644...

    , the Ming general who had opened the gates at Shanhai Pass to let 150,000 Manchu soldiers march into China proper
    China proper
    China proper or Eighteen Provinces was a term used by Western writers on the Qing Dynasty to express a distinction between the core and frontier regions of China. There is no fixed extent for China proper, as many administrative, cultural, and linguistic shifts have occurred in Chinese history...

    , resulting in the annihilation of the Ming Dynasty
    Ming Dynasty
    The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

    , should be reevaluated for avoiding the mass bloodshed that may have resulted had he not surrendered.
  2. Censorship and Literary inquisition
    Literary Inquisition
    Literary Inquisition refers to official persecution of intellectuals for their writings in Imperial China. Wénzìyù took place under each of the dynasties ruling China, although the Qing was particularly notorious for the practise. Such persecutions could owe even to a single phrase or word which...

      by the Qing should be viewed in the light of ensuring social stability and harmony.
  3. The Manchu invasion and the subsequent Yangzhou massacre
    Yangzhou massacre
    The Yangzhou massacre took place in 1645 in Yangzhou, China, during the Qing Dynasty. Mass killings of residents in Yangzhou were conducted by Qing troops under the command of Prince Dodo after they conquered the city from forces loyal to the Southern Ming regime of the Hongguang Emperor.The...

    , plus massacres of other ethnicities were designed to promote the integration of different ethnic groups.

Yan's responses to a reporter's question:
  1. "Yan: Let me make a statement here: I have checked up on all those quotes. I said none of them, they are pure fabrication. I have been critical of the Literary inquisition
    Literary Inquisition
    Literary Inquisition refers to official persecution of intellectuals for their writings in Imperial China. Wénzìyù took place under each of the dynasties ruling China, although the Qing was particularly notorious for the practise. Such persecutions could owe even to a single phrase or word which...

     and never expressed any opinion on Han costume. If someone insists that I said such things, please point out in which book and on which page, or in which of my talks. The imprecision of the quotes is not scholarly at all.
  2. Yan: I can clear that up. I never write poems. I can show you my ID and tell you assuredly that I am a Han Chinese. I correct these Internet rumors every time someone asks. Someone even faked my blog and cooked up discussions between me and someone else. I can assure you that I do not blog....Those people, who probably haven't read my books at all or watched all the episodes of my show, act out of nationalist prejudice to take things out of context and even distort and fabricate. Those who disagree with my historical views are entitled to do so. But hitting me is not about academics.


An Internet opinion poll on www.people.com.cn conducted an opinion poll asking three questions:

(1)He asked for it.

(2)Objection to the use of slapping. But then, one needs to have the right to express one's opinion.

(3)I support Yan Chongnian.

As of 5 Nov 2008), 2,320,950 responses had been received. 42.7% picked (1), 49.7% picked (2), and 7.6% picked (3).
  • The Punch Felt Around China,China Expat has a detail report on the face-slapping incidence, including translations of some Chinese netizens' comments:


External links

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