We discussed the research scope and methods of epigraphy, emphasizing that epigraphy should not only focus on the names and uses of objects, but also on the interactive relationship between "name" and "object". The study of nominalism should go beyond textual interpretation and mutual verification of cultural relics, placing objects in historical and cultural contexts to reveal their impact on society, culture, and ideological concepts. Cultural history is composed of famous objects, and the study of different objects can construct a three-dimensional cultural landscape. Under the influence of the new cultural history, drawing on the paradigm of material cultural history, taking famous objects as the entry point, integrating language and literature research, and forming the research paradigm of "cultural history of famous objects". This paradigm focuses on the interaction between famous objects and humans, expanding the research object to natural and man-made things, and entering the fields of conceptual history and cultural history through textual examination and mutual verification of cultural relics. Xue Aihua's research on famous objects is a typical case of the study of "cultural history of famous objects". His research places famous objects on the extension line of Chinese language studies, combined with anthropological concerns, providing methodological inspiration for the study of famous objects.

1、 Xue Aihua's Promotion of Traditional Sinology in Europe

Discussed Xue Aihua's promotion of traditional European Sinology. The study of famous objects in ancient China, such as "Erya" and "Shuowen Jiezi", was clarified through linguistic research and textual analysis in Qing Dynasty textual criticism. The study of Western language and literature is similar to the Qianjia textual research, both emphasizing linguistic analysis and textual verification. However, Western research forms are more diverse, with different researcher identities and a "otherness" perspective. It focuses on intercultural exchange and later draws on anthropological methods for on-site investigation. The Paris School in France is a representative of the study of Chinese language and literature, such as Shawan, Mabel, Bohe, and Gulyan. American Sinology is divided into the American Chinese School led by John Fairbank and the traditional Chinese School originating from the European Sinology tradition, with a focus on ancient China. Xue Aihua is the representative of the latter. He emphasizes the combination of linguistics and philology, based on close reading of texts, to verify and restore historical facts and phenomena. Xue Aihua has promoted the study of Chinese language in both literature and cultural history, and his works have a strong literary and cultural historical tendency. The overall cultural perspective makes his works more extensive and profound in both structure and content. This tendency is related to its anthropological origins, reflected in the focus on the culture of the "other" and the structure of comparative discourse and point aggregation in works.

2、 The Writing Method of 'The Golden Peach of Samarkand'

Xue Aihua's nine major works and over a hundred essay reviews are divided into two parts: the study of the Four Descendants and the study of famous objects, and the study of Taoist literature. His research interests focus on the famous objects in the heterogeneous cultures of the Tang and Five Dynasties, presenting cultural landscapes through the network composed of famous objects. The Golden Peach of Samarkand "is a representative work of his research on famous objects, which revolves around imported objects from the Tang Dynasty. It does not involve political and economic systems, the four ethnic groups, religion, or literary studies, and aims to present the daily life scenes and concepts of the Tang people through famous objects. There are 19 themes in the book, each of which is further divided into detailed items, resembling a similar book, with people and animals, plants, organic matter, inorganic matter, daily life and religious supplies, and books as the order, showing the development of traditional language and literature. The Golden Peach of Samarkand, influenced by anthropology, has a different problem consciousness and work structure from the Paris School. Its origins can be traced back to Laufel's "China Iran Compilation". Laufer and Xue, both German, were important scholars who introduced European traditional sinology to the United States. The Golden Peach of Samarkand inherits Laufer's method, taking historical objects as the cutting point, with an anthropological perspective, involving exchanges between multiple cultures, and the work structure forms a network of single articles on the same theme, like a book. The study of the famous objects in "The Golden Peach of Samarkand" aims to restore the cultural life of the Tang Dynasty under the influence of foreign objects, describe the social and cultural aspects presented by different famous objects one by one, and then integrate them into a whole picture, without making abstract theoretical summaries of the picture, leaving it for readers to interpret. This writing style is similar to "Shishuo Xinyu" in that it restores a more three-dimensional historical and cultural landscape through multiple famous objects.

3、 The Reading Method of 'The Golden Peach of Samarkand'

It emphasizes that when reading "The Golden Peach of Samarkand", one should use problem awareness as a clue to explore the complexity of Tang Dynasty culture. The book takes "Ni Chang Yu Yi Qu" as an example to showcase a side of Tang Dynasty culture, and focuses on foreign objects through the writing characteristics of "imported goods". The discussion in the book about the song of Ni Chang Yu Yi reveals the popularity of Tang Dynasty Yu Yi, its relationship with Taoism, and its connection with Central Asian culture. When discussing foreign objects, Xue Aihua integrated ancient mythology, Taoist culture, Tang Dynasty customs, and foreign products, showcasing the full picture of feathered clothing in the Tang Dynasty. Translator Wu Yugui pointed out that Xue valued ideas and imagination, believing that foreign objects had a strong impact on people's thoughts, ideas, and imagination at that time. The book also explores the influence of foreign music in the Tang Dynasty and how foreign culture changed the daily lives of ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty. Xue proposed that foreign objects underwent screening and adjustment in Tang society, and the acceptance and integration of foreign objects in Tang society was a process of learning and adaptation. The book also discusses the mutual domestication of matter and culture, as well as the infiltration of foreign objects into Chinese culture. By connecting different entries, one can have different understandings of the culture at that time, reflecting the exquisite structure of 'The Golden Peach of Samarkand'.

4、 The Inspiration of "The Golden Peach of Samarkand" on the Study of Famous Objects

Explored Xue Aihua's contribution to the study of famous objects in "The Golden Peach of Samarkand" and its implications for contemporary research. Xue Aihua's research emphasizes that the core of the study of objects is to understand people and culture, rather than just objects. He revealed the profound significance of human lifestyle, cultural history, spiritual history, and institutional history through the study of material culture. Xue Aihua's research methods include expanding the scope of historical materials, flexibly using materials, and combining interdisciplinary methods such as historical linguistics, philology, archaeology, anthropology, and sociology. His research not only focuses on the materiality of objects, but also involves the history of concepts and ideas, emphasizing empirical research based on close reading of texts and literature review. Xue Aihua's research inspiration lies in combining the interpretation of famous objects with cultural history, providing new perspectives and methods for the study of Chinese language, literature, and material cultural history.