1.CHENG Handa, “British Local Autonomy: Three Stages of the Rule of Law”.
British local autonomy has experienced the three historical stages: the rule of law and the rule by the people under the leadership of the judicial; democracy and service under the leadership of the Executive; high quality and high efficiency under the performance management. This process not only vividly shows the epoch connotation and development logic of British local autonomy, experienced a thousand years without decay, won the reputation of “the home of local autonomy” for Britain. What is interesting is that, British local autonomy still maintained a certain vitality until twentieth century.
2.LI Longguo, “ ‘Völkerwanderung’: The Origin and Development of the Term”.
In the late Roman Empire, groups of people entered into the Roman Empire, either by the invitation of the Roman governors or by invasion. In the following centuries these barbarous groups gradually established their own states. How to describe and explain this historical development, is always one major challenge at which the historians have to face. The historiographers in the Renaissance recognized these various northern groups as German people with a new term: Migratio Gentum (Völkerwanderung). In the early modern period there were two widespread theories explaining the origin of these people and the routes of their immigration: Immigration from east to west and Immigration from the North to the South respectively. After the World War II a new theory of Ethnogenesis first systematically put forward by Reinhard Wenskus, and then further developed along the way of ethnical Identity by the Vienna School. Nevertheless, there is still hot debate between the Anglophone scholars and the German historians about the role the ethnical groups played in the early Middle Ages.
3.FENG Yaqiong, “Ideas on Diet from the Perspective of Recipe Books in Early Modern England”.
Compared to the other sides of study on food history, both Chinese and foreign historians have not paid enough attention to the ideas on diet in early modern England. Recipe books are valuable materials to study such issues. The appearance and development of recipe books in early modern England were closely related to the conditions of society, culture and economy at that time. The contents of recipe books reflected contemporary people’s ideas on diet as well as the changes of social needs and social environment. Their viewpoints were much based on the thought of classical scholars; meanwhile, they put forward many creative ideas on diet. They paid lots of attentions to the medical characteristics of various food materials and suggested that people should choose appropriate food and cooking methods according to their body condition. Moreover, these recipe books contained various disease treatments, which were mainly made of common food materials. In short, diet was regarded as “a great remedy” in early modern England.
4.CHEN Kaipeng, “An Analysis of the Book of Sports in England in the Early Seventeenth Century”.
On the early seventeenth century, the Stuart government issued the Book of Sports twice to intensify the control of the public leisure life. On the surface, the law seemed to encourage people to take part in sports and entertainment, but its true aim was to suppress the Puritan forces, to strengthen the comprehensive control of social life and to consolidate the authority of autocratic monarchy. The issuing of the Book of Sports did strengthen the control of the society. However, the conflicts between the kingship and the Puritans became fiercer, which accelerated the advent of revolution.
5.Ida Bull, “ ‘All of My Remaining Property I Donate to the Poor…’ : Institutions for the Poor in Norwegian Cities during the Eighteenth Century”.
The eighteenth century saw a development of a stratified system of institutions for the poor in different social classes in Norwegian cities. Donations to private almshouses aimed at safeguarding the social position of special groups in the city, while the city’s poorhouse was responsible for the paupers from the lower classes. While charity to please God and secure a place in the afterlife was an old motive, the wish to protect particular social groups, such as relatives or personal servants, is a striking phenomenon at the end of the eighteenth century. Citizens with burgher rights by virtue of their craft or commerce defended their position against non-skilled workers. Private gifts to supplement the public poorhouses helped securing this aim. Case study shows that donations to institutions in Trondheim fall into a general picture of social stratification, not only in society at large, but among the poorer parts of the population as well.
6.ZHANG Yuxing, “The Tradition of County Administration in Ancient China and the County Autonomy Movement in the Republic of China”.
In Ancient China, the tradition of county administration was official governance. In order to govern the vast territory and a large population, the central government controlled the personnel administration power of county directly, controlled the grassroots by the household register systems of Bian-Hu, Li-Jia, Bao-Jia and patriarchal clan system, and civilized people with Confucianism. In such a case, it was difficult to emerge local autonomy from the non-government spontaneously. Lacking of ideological enlightenment, the common people couldn’t get rid of the ideas of “three cardinal guides and the five constant virtues” or “loyalty and filial piety”. And county autonomy movement of the National Government from top to down didn’t break away the traditional relationship between central government and local government. Therefore, county autonomy movement in the Republic of China inevitably came to nothing.
7.HE Zhangrong, “On the Folk Belief of Hakka in Meizhou, Eastern Guangdong Province”.
Meizhou, located in eastern Guangdong, is the population center of Hakka. The Hakka folk beliefs in Meizhou share both the religious heritage of Baiyue primitive beliefs in Qin and Han Dynasties, even from the pre-Qin period, and the distinctive Hakka features. By virtue of their mysteriousness, unique ceremonies, and profound impacts, which penetrate time and space, the Hakka folk beliefs in Meizhou have grown to be a rich traditional culture, interwoven with Hakka secular life, where they survive and remain today. The idea of conducting a study on Hakka folk beliefs in Meizhou is due to both the prejudiced ideas towards folk beliefs among today’s people and the lack of proper guide and management of folk beliefs in reality. Therefore, the meaning of this study is significant as it concerns the construction of a new type of cultural pluralism and harmony in contemporary society.
8.LIU Jun, “The Process of the Rule of Law of Labor Relations in Canada”.
Canada belongs to Anglo-Saxon’s cultural system, which advocates individual rights against the government mediation. Comparing to Germany, Holland and the Nordic countries, Canadian labor
relations have not been harmonious. As an immigrant country, there were various ethnic problems in Canadian labor relations, the class struggle between the capitals and labors was often diluted and concealed by ethnic problems. Canadian labor movements were neither like Britain in the performance of political parties, nor the simple unionism in the United States, but pursuited their own interests and social reform at the same time. After three changes during the past 150 years, Canadian labor relations step by step ruled of law, which played an important role in sustained economic development and social long term stability.
9.CHEN Jinpeng, “Diplomacy of Russia in the Near East in the Second Half of the Nineteenth
Century—— An Analysis of the Diplomatic Activities and Thoughts of Nikolai Ignatiev”. In the face of the unfavorable situation after the Crimean War, Nikolai Ignatiev improved the influence of Russia in Turkey through a variety of means, attempted to eliminate the restrictions of the Crimea war on Russia by western countries and expanded the influence of Russia on Balkan nations in the second half of the nineteenth century. Treaty of San Stefano is the peak of Ignatiev’s diplomatic career. It not only won broad support of the domestic public opinion in Russia, but also made Russia an important role once again in international relations in the Near East. His Pan-Slavism diplomatic thoughts were not consistent with the strength of Russia at that time, therefore his diplomatic career was coming to an end. By reviewing the history, it is beneficial for us to understand the traditional diplomatic strategy of Russia.
10.YIN Yuantao and LU Xin, “On the Athenian Grain-Tax Law”.
The Athenian Grain-Tax Law of 374/3 B. C. is one of the well-preserved and important Athenian state decrees published by Athenian polis. It has clear aims and intricate provisions, and its publication signifies a tax reform which is changed in kind instead of paying in cash. Grain-Tax Law covers the grain supplies in Athens, governmental intervention in grain trade, the relationship between Athens and her cleruchies, tax and tax buyers, and so on. Through these rich and important historical information which Grain-Tax Law provides, we can get to know much about laws, economy and democracy in Classical Athens.
