Chinese Intelligentsia Research Articles

Reconsidering Isadora Duncan’s Global Legacy: The Reception of Duncan’s Writing and Dance in China

This article reevaluates the reception of Isadora Duncan among Chinese intelligentsia, literati, and dancers in the first half of the twentieth century. Contextualizing Duncan’s autobiography My Life (1927) and choreography within global cultural production, I focus on the transculturation and hybridity generated through the artist’s transnational circulation to China. Far more than just a pioneer of modern dance, Duncan was a cultural icon that Chinese intellectuals, women writers, and dancers appropriated for their own political and cultural purposes.

The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) in the poetry of Chinese authors (on organizing extracurricular activities in History)

The article describes the attitude of the Chinese intelligentsia to the events of 1937-1945 in China, which is reflected in specific activities and creative works. A number of works by Chinese authors are cited in the translations of Russian orientalists. The authors show that in the process of mastering the discipline "Recent History of Asian and African Countries", it seems useful that fourth-year History students of the Petrozavodsk State University in the undergraduate program "Pedagogical Education" (profiles "Education in Subject Areas" and "History and Social Studies") should develop a plan for extracurricular activities on the topic "Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) in the poetry of Chinese authors" in order to develop the ability to critically select educational material and creatively implement educational tasks. The material of the article can be used to organize extracurricular activities in educational institutions on this topic.

"Humanist Criticism": the contemporary transformation attempt of the Christian humanistic tradition

Zha Changping saw the lack of true belief in traditional culture from the group loss of intellectuals and the humanistic spirit aphasia phenomenon of artistic criticism. He transformed the Christian humanistic tradition and founded the contemporary art criticism theory of "Humanist Criticism".This paper summarizes the ideological characteristics of the Christian humanism tradition after the Reformation and the core attention of the contemporary Christian humanism tradition.The article points out that the Humanist Criticism shows the tradition of Christian humanism after the Reformation, and its theme "the renewal of human nature" properly responds to the core concerns of the contemporary Christian humanism tradition.On this basis, this paper holds that "Humanist Criticism" is an attempt to transform the tradition of Christian humanism in the Chinese intelligentsia (especially in the field of contemporary art criticism).

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The Gloomy twentieth anniversary of Chinese Pushkin Studies (1957 – 1976)

Russian Russian literature began to be studied in China in the late XIX and early XX centuries, and the work of A.S. Pushkin was the first to be translated from Russian literature in China. From that moment, Chinese Pushkin studies gradually developed. But since 1957, the process of popularization and study of Pushkin has stalled. Special attention is paid to Chinese Pushkin studies in 1957-1976 . The article examines the causes of the decline of Chinese Pushkin studies in 1957-1976. Special attention is paid to the tragic fates of outstanding Chinese Pushkin artists (Ge Baoquan, Lu Ying, Zha Liangzheng, and Wang Zhilyan) during the gloomy twentieth anniversary in China. The scientific novelty of this work is that it introduces Russian readers to the history of Chinese Pushkin studies and the tragic fates of Chinese Pushkin writers, fitting them into a broad cultural and political context and showing how political processes and ideological attitudes affect the development of humanities. The main conclusions of the study are that Pushkin's work supported and inspired the best representatives of the Chinese intelligentsia, despite the cruel censorship oppression and repression, who introduced their compatriots to the highest achievements of world culture and defended their right to free creativity.

On the history of the Russian translation of Chinese new literature in the 1920–1930s

The issue of literary relationship between China and Russia in the first half of the twentieth century remains relevant to contemporary Russian and Chinese literary studies. The purpose of this work is to examine the history of the Russian translation of Chinese new literature in the 1920s-1930s and explore how Soviet critics evaluated them. The paper provides a cultural-historical analysis and indicates that, in the USSR, the introduction to Chinese new literature was inextricably linked to the activities of Academician V.M. Alekseev in the 1920s, when systematic publication of the works of Soviet Orientalists was launched, and in the late 1930s, due to the persecution against the translation group, the intensity of the translation and publication of modern literary works began to wane. In the 1920s–1930s, the first translations, reviews, and literary-critical reviews appeared, most of which belonged to those who had direct contact with Chinese intelligentsia. Chinese cultural figures such as translators of Russian literature including Cao Jinghua and Xiao Can also played an important role in promoting modern Chinese literature in the USSR. Chinese new narrative prose was praised by Soviet critics for revealing a real picture of the changes in China. Much attention was paid to the thematic-ideological and ethical aspects of the works of Lu Xin and Mao Dun, who were deemed as “leaders” of modern Chinese literature in the USSR.

ПРОИЗВЕДЕНИЯ БЭЙ ЦУНЯ КАК ПРОЯВЛЕНИЕ ФЕНОМЕНА КУЛЬТУРНОГО ХРИСТИАНСТВА В СОВРЕМЕННОМ КИТАЕ

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of cultural Christianity in modern China. This phenomenon suggests the desire to explain the norms and values of Christianity to the Chinese audience through the prism of the traditional foundations of Chinese culture. Examples of cultural Christianity include Chinese intelligentsia's fascination with the history and philosophy of Christianity; Chinese masters' creating Christian images and scenes of the Virgin Mary, the Nativity, etc. in the traditional Chinese guohua style; Chinese deltiology with pictures of famous temples in Harbin; the folklore heritage of Harbin residents, etc. Sharing the idea of the existence of cultural Christianity phenomenon, the authors analyze the works of the contemporary Chinese writer Bei Cun. After 1992, when he converted to Christianity, a key transformation took place in his work. Bei Cun strives to convey to the Chinese audience the Christian categories of sin, redemption, guilt, forgiveness, love, etc. The main theme of the novel I Have a Covenant with God comes down to the Christian concept that all people are born sinful and hope for redemption, and that confession of sin and repentance are the basis for forgiveness. According to the plot, the first chapters of the novel tell us that the main character, Chen Busen, has fallen into the abyss of sin. Being abandoned by his parents, he becomes a criminal and a murderer. In the final chapters, Chen Busen's soul finds redemption through comprehension, sincere repentance, and even love for the victim's relatives. Thus, by describing the contemporary realities of Chinese society in his works, Bei Cun introduces Christian ideas and values into the Chinese picture of the world and tries to bring Christianity and Chinese culture together.

THE DYNAMICS OF CHORAL CULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA IN THE 1930S ON THE EXAMPLE OF HUANG TZI’S ORATORIO ETERNAL REGRET

Choral music in China is a dynamically developing form of contemporary musical art. Scientific works devoted to the Chinese choral culture consider the 1930s of the 20th century as the most productive period in the development of this branch of musical creativity. The article examines the phase of the active entry of Chinese choral music into the sphere of the oratorio genre, which is directly related to the name of the great Chinese composer — Huang Tzi. It also highlights the issues of the country’s political life in the 1930s, which actively influenced the creation of nationwide singing movements and new choral works in the country. The oratorio genre, the genesis of which refers us to the European religious musical tradition of the 17th century, spread in China owing to the massive flow of Chinese intelligentsia to the territory of Western states throughout the entire beginning of the 20th century. In the article, the actualisation of the oratorio and its interpretation in a new light is presented as the merit of Huang Tzi, whose civic position was directly related to the desire to preserve ethnic origins in Chinese music and to complement them with Western composing techniques organically. Having proved himself not only as a composer but also as a theorist and teacher, Huang Tzi devoted most of his life to educating a large number of music professors, initiating a progressive approach to music education. His desire to raise the level of the composing school in China made it possible to enrich the repertoire of vocal and instrumental music with characteristics of the folk style. The oratorio Eternal Regret presented in the article is a unique creation that organically combines ethnic music and Western composition techniques. In the story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei (to the poems of Tang poet Bai Juyi), taken by the composer as the theme for the libretto, there is certain symbolism that has the conceptual plan of addressing the power to demonstrate the alleged results of Kuomintang’s unclear policy. Thus, directly related to political cataclysms and their final embodiment in the form of the Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945), the oratorio Eternal Regret is presented in the article as a consolidating core that inspired the civilian masses to fight the Japanese invaders. The analysis of Bai Juyi’s original poem “Eternal Regret” and a fragmentary historical-stylistic and vocal-choral analysis of the oratorio have been carried out. The artistic features of individual parts of the oratorio, seven of which were completed by the composer, are revealed. Based on literary sources and theoretical research presented in the article, the author asserts the special role of the oratorio Eternal Regret in history and its far-reaching influence on the prospects for the development of the Chinese choir.

Türkiye'de Çin Algısı, 1923-1971

This study discusses the perception of China among Turkish authorities, within the framework of the documents in the Republican Archives, Turkish Presidency State Archives of the Republic of Turkey, between the years of 1923, when the Republic of Turkey was founded and 1971, when Turkey recognized the People's Republic of China. 1923-1971 is a productive period to examine how the perception in question was shaped by historical accumulation, how the knowledge and political accumulation inherited from the Ottoman period reflected on this perception, and how the social, political, and economic transformations that took place in the two countries played a role in this perception. First, the Ottoman perception of China in the late 19th century will be evaluated and the continuities that passed from this period to the Republic will be traced. Then, how the two countries perceived each other within the framework of diplomatic relations between Turkey and China in the period until 1949, when the People's Republic of China was established, will be discussed. During this period, the relations that developed in the context of the exemplary character of Kemalist modernization are important for the Chinese intelligentsia. Finally, it will be examined how Turkish official authorities view the Chinese region and the governments in the period between the establishment of the People's Republic of China and its recognition by Turkey. In this way, some continuous characteristics of Turkey’s perception of China and continuous topics such as the importance of Chinese Muslims, East Turkestan, and China in terms of relations with Russia are explained. The findings reveal that Turkey did not have a single Chinese policy in this period. As the Turkish foreign policy of the period in question operates within the framework of a particular modernization perspective, the reflections of this process on the Chinese perception are evaluated.

Analysis of internal regularities of modern reforms in PRC in the light of socialization processes

Currently, when developing its own successful course of development by certain countries, it is important to study the experience of reforms in modern China. From the end of the 19th century to the present day, the idea of development was formed in it, which later became known as the “theory of modernization”. Having come a long way since its inception in Europe, it was combined with the ideas of Chinese politicians and scholars, based on Marxism and the socialist path of development, and gradually turned into Sinicized Marxism as a powerful lever for the renovation of the country. Unfortunately, these achievements have been poorly studied even in China itself in terms of those internal springs that have provided a powerful upswing for the once underdeveloped country. Analysis of the reforms shows that they are primarily related to the observance and continuity of the theories of K. Marx, V.I. Lenin, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping in search in practice of different approaches to the rise of China’s productive forces, which were then improved and actively used throughout the country. At the same time, the country’s success stemmed from the development of socialization forms from the simplest to the most complex ones, where the main strategic role has always belonged to its most important form, i.e. planning. Under these conditions, the market, on the one hand, played a role in raising the productive forces of labor, and on the other – regulating the proportions of social production where a large share of living labor was still retained. Actively using the experience of the Bolsheviks in gaining and maintaining political power, and then the restoration of the war-torn economy, China applied in economic practice the experience of the first regulated market in Soviet Russia, i.e. the NEP. At one time, Marxism, accepted by the Chinese intelligentsia, began to comprehend the country’s place in the world and the reforms that took place after Deng Xiaoping came to power. This politician used the logic of formation of socialization forms, and one of them, i.e. the regulated market, capturing its dialectical nature and the need to move away from the dogmatic perception of Marx’s doctrine, drawing attention to the need to use different economic forms and methods of transformation, involving large mass of people. Hence, modern Chinese reforms, in fact, proved to be the implementation in practice of a spontaneous dialectical approach to the implementation of problems that combine different forms and means, at first glance far from the traditional economy. In this sense, they correspond to the spirit of our time, i.e. globalization, absorbing all the best that has been achieved in the world, and adapted to the peculiarities of Chinese culture. Globalization has made the world visible, and successful methods of transformation in different countries available for study. Hence, the results of Chinese reforms have long gone beyond this country and allow all states to use them, taking into account their national specifics.

Восприятие мыслей И.С. Тургенева в Китае

В течение длительного времени социальная и идеологическая ценность творчества Тургенева имела большое значение в К иитае. Расцвет восприятия Тургенева-мыслителя в первой половине XX века объясняется главным образом тем, что поднятые в его произведениях темы совпали с социальными реалиями и потребностями китайской интеллигенции на данном этапе исторического развития страны. Наибольший интерес в Китае вызвали образы Рудина и Базарова, которым посвящено множество противоречивых исследований. С 1980-х годов китайские исследователи постепенно начали рассматривать идеи Тургенева с более объективной и углубленной перспективы. В этот период появляются новые интерпретации общественно-политических, философских и религиозных идей писателя. Можно сказать, что в настоящий момент изучение идей Тургенева в Китае начало приближаться к сущности творчества писателя и открылось для разнообразных интерпретаций, однако вместе с тем наблюдаются некоторые проблемы.

Духовная преемственность в русской культуре и современная образовательная парадигма Китая: от интеллигенции к элите

Результаты проведённых опросов и различных тестов по россиеведению в Китае показывают, что сегодня студенты, изучающие русский как иностранный (продвинутого уровня), ошибочно воспринимают русскую интеллигенцию как русскую элиту по принципу: элитарность начинается с интеллигентности. Благодаря устоявшимся стереотипам о великом культурном наследии России, студенты даже выпускных курсов не разделяют эти понятияи ассоциативно уравновешивают представителей русской интеллигенции с элитой. В статье дается краткий лингвокультурологический анализ преемственности русской культурной традиции по курсам обучения русскому языку как иностранному. Представителем русской интеллектуальной элиты и безупречным интеллигентом считается Д.С. Лихачев. И сегодня его личность задает очень высокую планку, поскольку ученый полностью посвятил себя служению науке, родине и делу гуманизма в ХХ веке. Формирование современной китайской интеллигенции является сегодня приоритетом в образовательной стратегии страны. Границы этического понятия интеллигентность коррелируются разными учебными курсами на протяжении всего процесса обучения. Темпы образовательной гонки влияют на увеличение числа интеллигенции в Китае (Цань Сюе, Мо Янь, Лао Ше, Лунь Интай и мн. др.), чему посвящается немало современных исследований. Поэтому научная деятельность Д.С. Лихачева привлекает внимание тем, что формирует представление о духовно-нравственной сути русской интеллигентности и духовной мощи интеллигенции, которая черпается из любви к России. Преданность и служение родине усваивается китайской молодежью как основа основ и руководство к действию. Особого внимания заслуживает тот факт, что из числа многих выдающихся деятелей науки и культуры России лишь немногие удостоены того, чтобы их имена проходили красной нитью на всех курсах межпредметного обучения русскому языку. Мы остановились на самых известных представителях русской интеллигенции, без которых померкла бы и русская литература, и русская наука.

A Historian’s Ethical Duty

Abstract In the wake of Japan’s occupation of Beiping (now Beijing) in 1937, the historian Chen Yuan’s choice between staying in or leaving the city (which would imply accommodation or resistance) was regarded not merely as a personal decision but also as a symbolic stance for the ethical principles of the Chinese intelligentsia. Based on a close reading of Chen’s historical writings during the Japanese occupation, this paper focuses on the inner world of this historian, and argues that a salient rhetorical feature of Chen’s wartime work was its role as a mechanism which he referred to as ‘illuminating the subtle’. This involved historical facts being cited and interpreted in a way that demonstrated the historian’s attitude and feelings towards contemporary events. It is proposed that the ‘illumination of the subtle’ is not accepted at face value as academic research, but rather that it is treated as a rhetorical device, in order to understand the inner logic and dynamism of this expressive mechanism.

The Title of the Collection of Yu Dafu «沉论》(1921) as an Image of Perception and Self-perception

The relevance of the research is determined by the interest of modern literary criticism to the issues of reflection in the artistic word of the processes of perception of each other by ethnic groups. The novelty of the work is defined by the appeal to the previously unpublished in Russia and not studied text of the collection by Yu Dafu Chen Lun as a source of reconstruction of the image of Japan's perception by the Chinese intelligentsia of the 1920s-1940s and self-perception. The problem of the research is to reconstruct the semantic content of the Chinese lexeme 沉 论 （Chen Lun) as an artistic concept of the image of Japan's perception and self-perception of the Chinese living there. The purpose of the work is to explicate the ideological and psychological mechanisms of creating images of perception and self-perception of the Chinese in the prose of Yu Dafu as a representative of the Left Wing of Chinese literature in the 1920s-1940s. The methodology of the work is based on a comparative analysis of the ideological and thematic content of the book and the semantics of the title of the collection, translations of these titles into Russian and English in different historical periods. The author uses historical-literary, comparative-historical methods, lexical-semantic analysis, comparative analysis of translation and translations with the original, conceptual analysis. On the basis of a comparative analysis of Russian and English translations of story titles (〇mut - Whirlpool), a lexical and semantic analysis of the word 沉论， key concepts and ideas of the collection, the author proposes another version of the translation into Russian as Pogryazshie (Drowned). The heroes of the Yu Dafu collection are young reflective Chinese intellectuals who came to Japan in the mid-1910s, have ambivalent feelings: the desire to see in Japan and the Japanese a model for self-improvement, and at the same time - dislike for the “higher” culture in relation to China. This study helps to reconstruct with psychological certainty the image of perception of Japan and the Japanese by revolutionary-minded Chinese youth of the 1920s, to explicate their image of self-perception, ideas about their own ethnos and ways of development of the Chinese state and Chinese ethnicity in this historical period. Keywords: literary images of perception, poetics of translation, China, Japan

Stability in the Xi Era: Trends in Ethnic Policy in Xinjiang and Tibet Since 2012

This article looks at major trends in China’s minority policy under Xi Jinping. It studies various methods implemented in order to control the unrest including the usage of technology for the purpose of monitoring people’s digital and geographic footprints. It studies development versus stability debate and takes a cursory look at how BRI intersects the identity question. It also looks at various debates underway among the Chinese intelligentsia on the proper handling of the minority issue. Trend shows that under Xi, China’s ethnicity policy has hardenened is based on ensuring that the ethnic minority groups identify themselves as Chinese first before being Uighurs or Tibetans.

The Flexibility of Confucian Thought in Times of Crisis

The article is devoted to the crisis of Confucianism in the history of Old and New China, the causes of these crises, and the ability of Confucianism to respond to the demands of the times, to change under the influence of political, historical and ideological metamorphoses. Particular attention is paid to the flexibility of the Confucian tradition, which for thousands of years has remained the main ethical teaching for the Chinese intelligentsia and a fundamental instrument of government. The reasons for the stability of the Confucian doctrine are explained through analysis of the orthodox canons which changed in response to crises. The role of commentators on traditional treatises who greatly enriched the teachings of Confucius and contributed to its flexibility in the face of impending crises is also considered. The article also considers the stylistic changes carried out by the neo-Confucians under the guidance of the famous philosopher Zhu Xi. Those changes temporarily made Confucianism more resistant to all kinds of cataclysms, but in the end it was these changes that played a crucial role in the fundamental crisis in its teachings. There is no denying that the literature of Old and New China exposed all the flaws in Confucian morality. The criticism of Confucianism is especially thorough in the satirical literature that best highlights all the defects of Confucian orthodoxy. The article concludes with an examination of the role of Confucianism in modern China, and Xi Jinping’s new course is analyzed by invoking traditional Chinese thought, which abounds in his works and speeches. The reasons for the stability and flexibility of Confucian thought are explained.by reference to the thumbnail sketch of Chinese history in the article.

중국 지식계층의 루터 이해에 대한 고찰

중국 지식계층의 루터 이해에 대한 고찰

Reviving the Dragon: Social Ideas and Social Policy Development in Modern China

Social policy development in China is closely related to the generation and diffusion of social knowledge through which political and social elites define social problems and elaborate policy solutions. Drawing on theoretical insights from the ideational institutionalism, this paper seeks to trace the origin and evolution of the social ideas in order to map common threads spanning different phases of modern Chinese history. It argues that the “social” idea has been essentially shaped by the continuous desire for national resurgence in response to China’s perceived existential crisis triggered by Western imperialism at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Starting from the late Qing dynasty, the majority of the Chinese intelligentsia advocated for the restraint of individual rights in the service of promoting a strong statehood able to pursue commonweal and restore national pride. Social policy and social rights appeared more as a means to achieve other elevated goals than as an end in itself. In this light, the contemporary People’s Republic of China represents political undertakings that initially addressed the “national question” using a socialist approach, and later switched to market economic reforms. In various phases, the social ideas have been constantly reframed to accommodate changing political and economic circumstances with profound implications for social welfare developments with a clear disposition in favor of the statist approach.

Russian Higher Education in China

In the first half of the twentieth century, Russian emigrants in China established a network of higher education institutions based on the prerevolutionary Russian educational system. By referring to memoirs and publications in the periodical press, the author traces the history of the most significant educational establishments: Harbin School of Law, Harbin Polytechnic Institute, State Higher Teacher Training Institute, and Institute of Oriental and Commercial Studies. These institutions also played a role in forming the Chinese intelligentsia, with Russian faculty successfully training future engineers, lawyers, Orientalist scholars, teachers, theologians, and musicians.

Russian Higher Education in China

In the first half of the 20th century, Russian emigrants in China created a network of higher education institutions based on the Russian pre-revolutionary education system. By analyzing periodical publications and memoirs, we can trace the history of major institutions: Harbin School of Law, Harbin Polytechnic University, State Higher Teacher Training Institute, Institute of Oriental and Commercial Sciences. These institutions were also the cradle for Chinese intelligentsia, with Russian professors successfully teaching future engineers, lawyers, orientalist scholars, teachers, theologians and musicians.