Globalization, Translation and Transmission: Sino-Judaic Cultural Identity in Kaifeng, China

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family
Cover of the book Globalization, Translation and Transmission: Sino-Judaic Cultural Identity in Kaifeng, China by Moshe Y. Bernstein, Peter Lang
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Moshe Y. Bernstein ISBN: 9783034325455
Publisher: Peter Lang Publication: January 25, 2017
Imprint: Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Language: English
Author: Moshe Y. Bernstein
ISBN: 9783034325455
Publisher: Peter Lang
Publication: January 25, 2017
Imprint: Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Language: English

Around the tenth century Jewish merchants from Central Asia arrived in Kaifeng. Welcomed by the Emperor, they integrated into China’s economy, society and culture. They intermarried with their hosts, following patrilocal custom with Chinese wives adopting their husbands’ Jewish traditions. In 1163 they built a synagogue, where the group, numbering 5,000 at its apex in the sixteenth century, continued to conduct Jewish rituals for seven centuries. Despite the loss of this building in 1849 by flooding, the families and clans of Jewish descent continued to recall their ancestral identity and preserved a few basic customs. In 1978 with the "opening-up" of China, foreign visitors to Kaifeng generated both a renewed interest in the group and a communal revival of its Jewish identification. This cultural revival has created both opportunities and risks, due largely to an ambivalent Chinese policy denying ethnic status to the Kaifeng Jews while allowing them limited cultural expression. This book explores how a small minority was able to transmit its blend of Sino-Judaic culture over the centuries and how their descendants are striving to revitalise that cultural heritage today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Around the tenth century Jewish merchants from Central Asia arrived in Kaifeng. Welcomed by the Emperor, they integrated into China’s economy, society and culture. They intermarried with their hosts, following patrilocal custom with Chinese wives adopting their husbands’ Jewish traditions. In 1163 they built a synagogue, where the group, numbering 5,000 at its apex in the sixteenth century, continued to conduct Jewish rituals for seven centuries. Despite the loss of this building in 1849 by flooding, the families and clans of Jewish descent continued to recall their ancestral identity and preserved a few basic customs. In 1978 with the "opening-up" of China, foreign visitors to Kaifeng generated both a renewed interest in the group and a communal revival of its Jewish identification. This cultural revival has created both opportunities and risks, due largely to an ambivalent Chinese policy denying ethnic status to the Kaifeng Jews while allowing them limited cultural expression. This book explores how a small minority was able to transmit its blend of Sino-Judaic culture over the centuries and how their descendants are striving to revitalise that cultural heritage today.

More books from Peter Lang

Cover of the book Biblical Representations of Moab by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Italian Yearbook of Human Rights 2016 by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Economic Growth and Development by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Aeußere oder innere Offenbarung by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Transparenzgesetz fuer Rheinland-Pfalz by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Die tuerkische Bourgeoisie Ursprung, Entwicklung, Gegenwart by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Ethik der Robotik und der Kuenstlichen Intelligenz by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book A Web of New Words by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Alles andere als unsichtbar / Tudo menos invisível by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Identitaet und Wissen in ausgewaehlten Werken Elie Wiesels und William Styrons by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Der Immaterialgueterschutz virtueller Ladengeschaefte by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Decolonizing Africa and African Development by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book The Dynamics of Knowledge Circulation by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book Developments by Moshe Y. Bernstein
Cover of the book The Rise of Bardolatry in the Restoration by Moshe Y. Bernstein
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy