2026/02/18 by Yuanfei Wang, Victor H. Mair · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Chinese history and philosophy #Comparative and World Literature #Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/9781009272360
openalex publication_date 2026/02/18 · openalex created_date 2026/02/18 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
Exploring 'early globalism and Chinese literature' through the lens of 'literary diffusion,' this Element analyzes two primary forms. The first is Buddhist literary diffusion, whose revolutionary impact on Chinese language and literature is illustrated through scriptural translation, transformation texts, and 'journey to the West' stories. The second, facilitated diffusion, engages with the maritime world, traced through the seafaring journey of Cinderella stories and the totalizing worldview in literature on Zheng He's voyages. The authors contend that early global literary diffusion left a lasting imprint on Chinese language, literature, and culture. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.