Study of the Work of Slavophiles in China

Abstract

The philosophical and literary heritage of Russian Slavophiles in China has been the focus of Chinese researchers since the 1960s. Interest in the Russian philosophy of this direction emerged significantly later than in the works of representatives of European philosophy. The engagement with the works of Slavophiles in China yielded varying results during different periods. The aim of this study is to summarize the results of half a century of research by Chinese scholars on the works of Russian Slavophiles. The process of studying Slavophilism in China has gone through several stages. In the first stage, in the 1960s to 1980s, a time of resistance to foreign influences in Chinese culture, Chinese studies were predominantly descriptive in nature. The works of Kirievsky, related to folk creativity as the foundation of culture, generated the most interest. However, by the late 1980s, a significant number of analytical publications appeared, laying the groundwork for a critical understanding of Slavophilism as a phenomenon of Russian culture. In the 1990s, scholars focused on issues such as the discussions between Slavophiles and Westernizers, the bourgeois ideology of Slavophilism, and Slavophiles’ views on serfdom and autocracy, among others. The third period of studying Slavophilism is characterized by a substantial number of publications and translations, significantly expanding the range of questions to include the philosophy of language of the Slavophiles, their views on art, literary creativity, and more. Overall, the study of the creative heritage of Slavophiles in China reflects scholars’ interest in Slavophilism as a philosophical direction that mirrors the worldview foundations of Russian society, allowing for a deeper understanding of Russian cultural heritage. At the same time, it cannot be said that the study of Russian Slavophilism is exhaustive, leaving room for future research by Chinese scholars.