A Cultural Journey of a Diplomat in Late Qing Dynasty

Author: Li Huachuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Chen Jitong (1952-1907) was a prominent figure in the cultural, diplomatic, and Sino-Western cultural relations history of the late Qing Dynasty. He lived in Europe for 16 years as a diplomat, engaging in extensive interactions with European political and cultural figures. He wrote numerous works in French, which created a sensation in Western literary circles in the late 19th century and were translated into multiple languages, including English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Danish. The author of this book conducted an in-depth exploration of the Chinese and French literature related to Chen Jitong. After verifying the basic historical facts, the book focuses on studying Chen Jitong's cultural experiences, describing how he spread an idealized "Cultural China" image to the public in Europe, and analyzing the reasons for the changes in his cultural stance after returning to China.