Evolution of the geographical image of the USSR in the presentation of Chinese writers (on example of Hu Shi and Chen Duxiu)

Abstract

Geographical images are systems of ideas, concepts and stereotypes that represent a particular territory in people's minds. Geographical image is one of the most important means of describing and understanding a country. The study of geographical images is of great practical importance and contributes to various aspects of foreign policy, regional politics, intercultural communication and tourism. The aim of this study is to analyze the image of the USSR of the 1920s and 1930s in the works of the writers of the New Culture Movement on the example of the leading representatives of the movement, Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi. Hu Shi and Chen Duxiu were more concerned with the political image of the Soviet Union, and that their views were closely linked to their own political positions and views. After the October Revolution, Marxism spread widely in China and during this period, Hu Shi and Chen Duxiu lauded the Soviet Union as a great political experiment that deserved praise and opened up new avenues for human society. However, as the shortcomings and problems of the Soviet system became apparent and Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi's rejection of Marxist ideas changed their views of the Soviet Union, they began to criticize its problems and attack the dictatorial rule of Stalin.