This talk examines the discourse on imperial authority and dynastic loyalty in late imperial China. Its focus is the veneration and commemoration of the loyalists who died serving Emperor Jianwen (1377-1402), whose throne was usurped in 1402.

Emperor Yongle (1360-1424) seized the throne from his nephew and then elided the history of his reign. Yongle then proceeded to become one of the most powerful and influential rulers of the dynasty, moving the capital to Beijing, projecting Ming power from Mongolia to the Indian Ocean, and consolidating the neo-Confucian curriculum of the civil service examinations.

Despite Yongle's imposing legacy, the practice of venerating these loyalists began shortly after his death, spreading across the empire and continuing down to the present day.

The persistent and widespread nature of this veneration and the debates it inspired indicate a significant and evolving tension in the definition and negotiation of loyalty to the throne in late imperial China.

Date: Oct 8

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings Room: G50

Website: www.soas.ac.uk

(China Daily 10/05/2012 page37)