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In this paper, I situate C.S. Peirce's theory of knowledge and action in comparison to Chinese philosophy. My argument is that the comparison makes it important to understand Peirce's abduction and his maxim as a much more potent force in comparative philosophy. Peirce's priority of practical effects over theory is similar to Confucian conceptions of truth and action. Jon Alan Schmidt has summarized sixty-one formulations of Peirce's maxim, from which I draw the four main expressions of the maxim here. According to Peirce, understanding the meaning of concepts in terms of actual effects is the core element of the maxim. This view can be seen as an echo in Wang Yangming's theory of the unity of knowledge and action. The theory is essentially a moral humanist philosophy. It integrates morality, ethics, and politics. It is similar to Peirce's pragmatic maxim, as James Liszka has explained. Finally, reflecting on the recent studies of Peirce's semiotics in China, I discuss the significance of Peirce's pragmatism in Chinese philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the curtailment of constitutional rights arising from the implementation of emergency measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China's Hubei Province, which was not at all counterbalanced by introducing new forms of due constitutional protection. Likewise, high expectations cannot be set on pre-existing means of constitutional safeguards since the Chinese government clearly refused to establish new or different safeguarding procedures nor did it deem it necessary to establish ad hoc courts in order to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper is laid out as follows: (1) fundamental rights in a contemporary socialist state: an overview; (2) containment measures against COVID-19 and flexibility of constitutional right;. (3) the centrality of governing bodies and restrictions of constitutional rights; (4) territorial governance and centralization of containment measures against COVID-19; (5) between soft law and totalitarian propaganda; and (6) the ubiquity of the Communist Party of China and the "alignment" of judicial functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to inform readers of the prevalence of and increasing demand for human trafficking, both domestically and globally, and to propose necessary next steps governments must take in order to end the demand for such human exploitation. This paper will closely analyze the issue of trafficking humans for sex and labor within the Western Hemisphere and throughout Asia by using the United States and China as primary case studies. These case studies analyze the specific actions or inactions taken by the United States and Chinese governments to combat modern day slavery, as well as the current criminal sentencing guidelines these countries employ. Further, this paper will examine the theories of criminal punishment, taking a specific interest in the deterrence theory of tort law as a method that can be used to deter offenders and possible future offenders from engaging in such heinous crimes against society. By focusing on the economic principles that fuel human trafficking, such as low-risk, high-reward; systemic inequalities; and supply and demand, this paper stresses the importance that legislatures, government officials, and country leaders across the globe take an assertive approach in not only enacting legislation that enhances criminal punishments for those who engage in the trafficking of persons, but also enforcing the provisions that are established within the legislation to reduce the overall demand for human exploitation. Lastly, this paper emphasizes the need to reduce at-risk victims’ level of vulnerability of exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In classical Greek philosophy, the pursuit of Truth was done primarily through logical argumentation using language as "Truth tool." The major thinkers in classical China, on the other hand, were famously suspicious of language, with Confucius declaring, "I wish to be wordless." They turned instead to music to express the philosophically ineffable. In this paper, we use the example of the Chinese guqin to show how music serves as "Truth tool" in the Chinese philosophical tradition; in fact, music may be Truth itself. Through a quartet of interrelated themes–namely, the "Search for Truth," the "Search for Harmony," the "Search for Ethical Awakening," and the "Search for Sagehood"–we show how playing the guqin constitutes the doing of philosophy in this musical tradition. Through the guqin, performers and listeners experience Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist philosophical insights; no words are needed. We conclude by proffering implications for contemporary music education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the current status of Abdulrazak Gurnah in Chinese literary and academic circles. Although Gurnah won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, recognition and translation of his works in China are still in their infancy. Gurnah is regarded as an expert in postcolonial literature in China and is frequently cited in related research articles. However, it was not until 2013 that some of his short stories were officially translated into Chinese, and none of his ten novels have been translated into Chinese so far. Research on Gurnah in China has only provided brief descriptions of his literary works or reviewed the status of his research in China and internationally. After Gurnah won the Nobel Prize, newspaper reports and research articles focused on his role as an immigrant and diasporic writer, triggering an upsurge in recognition of his importance. It is hoped that translations of Gurnah's works in China can be promoted to enrich people's understanding of African and postcolonial literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The writings of Emily Hahn demonstrate the ways in which the semi-colonial context of China served as a contested and transformative space in the Western literary imagination during the mid-twentieth century. During her nine years in China, Hahn became a well-known figure in America, writing a biography of the Soong sisters, a best-selling autobiography, and number of vignettes for the New Yorker that document her perspectives on life abroad. During this period Hahn also published two novels, Steps of the Sun (1940) and Miss Jill (1949), works that were less suited for a mainstream readership and which explored themes of inter-racial romance, drug-use, and prostitution. While Hahn's work can be read in terms of crossing boundaries and challenging normative conceptions of gender and race, her writings also offer a critical comment on the trope of transgression itself and its visibility in popular culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the negotiation of the Taiwan-Panama free trade agreement (FTA) and Panama's switch of diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China. It explains why Panama's revocation of recognition of Taiwan as a state does not mean the end of the Taiwan-Panama FTA. Topics discussed include Taiwan's abandonment of the claim to be the legitimate government of China, the country's international legal personality, and its World Trade Organization (WTO) membership.