Fundamental Information About the Russian State by Lin Zexu in 19th-Century China

Abstract

This paper is about a unique 19th-century Chinese manuscript Fundamental Information about the Russian State (Eluosiguo Jiyao 俄羅斯國紀要), which was written by the eminent Qing scholar-official Lin Zexu 林則徐 (1785–1850) on the basis of translations made from foreign sources. This and Lin’s other writings were a result of his pursuit to expand the horizons of China’s views about the outside world. One of the main tasks of Lin Zexu’s work was to show the contemporary power of Russia and investigate its origin. As a whole, the manuscript gives a brief description of the Russian empire divided into regions with inner and outer borders, the number of military forces within each region, climate-specific features, religious confessions, local crafts, the customs of the inhabitants, and some historical issues. The present paper provides commentaries on Lin Zexu’s work, which was published in China and wholly devoted to Russia. At the same time, it could be used to investigate the information about and image of Russia that existed in China. The author also discusses the historical role of Qing scholar-officials of the first half of the nineteenth century and their impact upon social thought in China.