<p>The article compares two works &mdash; &laquo;Manchurian Princess&raquo; by Russian emigrant writer A. Heidok and &laquo;Spring in a Small Town&raquo; by Chinese writer Xiao Hong, which were created in approximately the same epoch and reproduce the same place of action &mdash; the north-east of China. Heidok&rsquo;s work appealed to the mystical ideas of Chinese culture (the idea of reincarnation); Xiao Hong&rsquo;s work was deeply influenced by Russian classical literature. Both stories present a story of tragic love, which breaks the traditions of a conservative society and radically changes the lives of the characters. The meaning of the characters&rsquo; lives lies in returning to the true nature of man &mdash; love, because only in it does existence find meaning; at the same time, the theme of love is closely intertwined with the theme of death. In both works there is an intersection of different epochs &mdash; the past and the present; at the same time, it is the past that determines the course of events of the present. Specific situations of the characters&rsquo; lives are revealed in a broad historical and cultural space, which allows the author to put before the readers the most important ethical and philosophical problems. A. Heidok&rsquo;s story shows how life in the previous birth influences the actions of a person in subsequent births; in Xiao Hong&rsquo;s story &laquo;the past&raquo; is the power of tradition, which does not allow a girl to get an education and determine her own destiny.</p>
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