Russian Studies of Chinese Traditional Drama and Storytelling Literature: An Overview

This article briefly introduces the history of Russian studies of Chinese traditional drama and storytelling literature, including research works and academic translations, as well as some details of the historical and cultural background of these studies. While not especially numerous, Russian studies had special characteristics that make them different from the corresponding contemporary research in other Western languages, so that one can even speak about the formation of a native Russian school of Chinese drama and storytelling studies in the mid-twentieth century. Russian works can be distinguished by methodology (such as those focusing on the interchange between literary and oral/pictorial traditions) and have used rare and unique materials preserved in Russian collections. Unfortunately, these studies remain largely unknown to Western scholars, so this article tries to make the major achievements of Russian scholars more accessible to English readers.