Volume 104

This study examines the roles that Sogdian women played along the Silk Road by analyzing their participation in religious activities, their influence in commercial activities, and their authority within the family. Compared to other societies on the Eurasian continent at that time, Sogdian women held a unique social position. They presided over religious ceremonies that integrated Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, operated trading enterprises across Central Asia, and had legal agency in marriage agreements, thereby influencing family dynamics. Contract evidence indicates that they achieved economic autonomy through property ownership and commercial agreements. As cultural mediators, their inter-ethnic marriages facilitated the exchange of art and technology between different regions. Despite enjoying these freedoms, their behaviors were still constrained by patriarchal norms. Through interdisciplinary analysis of contracts, art, and letters, this study emphasizes their contributions to the multiculturalism along the Silk Road and re-examines the gender dynamics of pre-modern Eurasia.

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This paper explores the possibility of transforming kitchen tools into wearable items, integrating functionality with fashion. It traces the evolution of kitchen utensils from the Stone Age to today’s industrial products, emphasizing how the artistic and cultural significance of these items has gradually diminished over time. By redesigning common kitchen tools like forks, spoons, and whisks as jewellry or accessories, this study demonstrates their potential as both functional and aesthetic objects. The research also examines the environmental benefits of such innovations, highlighting how the use of sustainable materials like stainless steel can reduce waste and carbon footprints. A survey indicates a growing public acceptance of wearable kitchen tools. The paper concludes that wearable kitchen tools hold significant potential in terms of both aesthetics and environmental impact, offering new creative possibilities for design. Future research could explore the challenges in production and marketing and further investigate the broad application of sustainable, wearable kitchen accessories.

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This article explores how family and cultural factors influence young men’s views on feminism in China. It seeks to investigate how family structure and education experiences shape their sensitivity to gender-related issues. Employing a qualitative research design, this research uses semi-structured interviews to investigate how socioeconomic and cultural family backgrounds influence young male individuals’ attitudes toward feminism. Findings reveal a general endorsement of gender equality among participants; however, those raised in male-dominated households often demonstrated a superficial understanding of feminist concepts, with minimal awareness of gender inequality in their daily lives. Overall, this research underscores the need for more intentional and open discourses around feminism and gender equity within both educational settings and family environments in China.

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In the globalized context, transboundary pollution transfer is a significant environmental issue between developed and developing countries. This paper, through case analysis, focuses on two typical phenomena: unauthorized hazardous waste transfer and transnational corporations’ legal pollution discharge exploiting legal loopholes. It uncovers the legal disputes arising therefrom. The root causes lie in the “soft law” nature and judicial challenges of international environmental law, such as WTO jurisdictional barriers, transnational corporations’ liability evasion, and developed countries’ rule - making dominance, which have worsened developing countries’ passivity. Consequently, this paper proposes systematic countermeasures to promote global environmental equity, sustainable development, and to support the protection of developing countries’ environmental rights.

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The digital commerce era has intensified debates on trade mark infringement thresholds, particularly regarding non-display uses (e.g., search engine keyword advertising). Landmark cases like Interflora Inc v. Marks & Spencer Plc exposed theoretical ambiguities in whether "use as a trade mark" is a prerequisite for infringement. Based on a comparative case study, this paper focuses on the role of trade mark use as a “safety valve” in determining trade mark infringement, and advocates trade mark use as a necessary precondition for determining trade mark infringement. Through a comparative study of cases and laws in the UK and China, this paper finds that, despite theoretical disputes, both jurisdictions strictly treat trade mark use as an infringement prerequisite. This requirement acts as a critical "safety valve" to prevent undue rights expansion while balancing protection and free competition. In practice, courts focus on the functional purpose of use (not consumer confusion), distinguishing it from likelihood-of-confusion tests. This study finds that using trade marks is still a necessary step in today's trade mark systems, as evaluating their use helps maintain the law's original goals, which are to balance trade mark protection with freedom of expression and fair competition.

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With the rapid development of information technology and the widespread use of the Internet, the sharing economy has emerged as a major economic force in China. Among its various forms, the ride-hailing industry exemplifies the platform economy’s ability to diversify employment and improve public convenience. As of 2023, China’s sharing economy surpassed one trillion yuan in market size, with over ten million registered ride-hailing drivers, highlighting its strong growth momentum and market potential. However, this rapid rise also brings legal and regulatory challenges, particularly in identifying labor relations. The highly flexible and non-standardized working arrangements between platforms and drivers often fall outside traditional labor law frameworks. Consequently, many workers lack adequate protection in areas such as social insurance, minimum wage, and working hours. This paper focuses on the challenges of labor relationship identification under the sharing economy, using the ride-hailing sector as a case study. By analyzing representative judicial cases and comparing domestic and international academic theories and legislative practices, the study aims to explore the limitations of existing legal standards, assess the relevance of foreign experiences, and identify unresolved theoretical issues. Based on this analysis, it proposes targeted legislative recommendations to better protect the rights of workers in new economic forms and promote the adaptive development of labor law in China.

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This comparative study involves the influence of the Xiongnu on Han China and of the Scythians on Rome, focusing on military, cultural, economic, and political dimensions. Drawing on the Han Shu, Roman annals, and recent frontier studies, it shows that each empire responded to steppe threats by militarizing frontiers (Han fortifications and cavalry) and adapting mobile warfare. Economically, both engaged in trade and tribute. Politically, Han emperors used treaties and tributary demands to pacify the Xiongnu; likewise, Roman emperors negotiated with steppe princes. Culturally, mutual perceptions and borrowings appear in both cases: Chinese histories emphasize Xiongnu “barbarians” yet Xiongnu tombs yield Chinese-style artifacts, while Greco-Roman accounts conflated “Scythians” with Celts and exoticized them as wandering horse nomads. Situated in the late Western Han and the late Republic/early Empire, the paper demonstrates that the Huns prompted Han centralization and frontier militarization, whereas Scythian contacts led Rome to deepen economic integration of steppe networks. This juxtaposition illuminates divergent imperial responses to nomadic pressures and advances our understanding of ancient statecraft under external threat.

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