European Journal of Sinology
《欧洲现当代汉学》年刊
ISSN: 2510-8999 (Print) | 2510-9006 (Online)
Since 2010 | Published by European University Press
Articles in this Issue
Love vs. Convention: A Comparative Study of Early Translated Novels between China and the West
爱情与传统：中西早期翻译小说比较研究
Abstract:
This paper examines a remarkable convergence in literary transmission between China and Western countries during the early modern period: the first novels translated between these cultures predominantly featured narratives of love and marriage that challenged societal conventions. Works such as Haoqiu zhuan (好逑传, c. 1683), translated into English as The Pleasing History (1761), and Heinrich Zschokke's "Adventure at New Years Eve night" (1818), translated into Chinese in 1906, both centered on couples overcoming social barriers to realize their love. This phenomenon reflects parallel socioeconomic developments in both regions, where growing mercantile wealth and nascent individualism created audiences receptive to narratives challenging traditional marriage arrangements.
Keywords:
translated novels, comparative literature, love narratives, cultural exchange, early modern period, individualism, marriage conventions, Haoqiu zhuan, Heinrich Zschokke
All Roads Lead to Rome: A Road Map to a Citizen's Rights
Abstract:
The ancient Mediterranean civilizations' approach to arteries of travel for people, animals, produce/products, and wagons to traverse, opens up fascinating discussions on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This paper places the BRI in the perspective of world history through the lens of the network of public Roman roads in antiquity.
Keywords:
Silk and Roman Roads, trade and infrastructure, ancient democracy, citizens' rights, rule of law, Belt and Road Initiative, comparative history
The Interweaving of Textual Cultures: How the Confucian Classics Became a Source of European Philosophy
Abstract:
This article examines the historical process through which Confucian classics were translated, interpreted, and integrated into European philosophical discourse during the 17th and 18th centuries. It focuses on the work of François Noël, whose comprehensive translations and philosophical interpretations of Confucian texts significantly influenced European thinkers, particularly Christian Wolff.
Keywords:
Confucian classics, François Noël, Christian Wolff, Zhu Xi, cultural exchange, Jesuit mission, hermeneutics, European philosophy, Enlightenment, intercultural philosophy