The culture of the East has always attracted Europeans with its sophistication and originality. Not surprisingly, the desire to get to know her better led to the emergence of scientific disciplines that study this topic. The complex of sciences exploring the East is called Orientalism or Orientalism. One of its sections is sinology. From the article you can find out the meaning of the word "Sinology", as well as the history of the development of this scientific discipline.
The concept
As was said, in Oriental studies the cultures of the countries of the East are studied. Examples of sections of Orientalism: Japanese studies, Buddhology, Egyptology, Iranian studies, Semitology and others. By the names of these disciplines you can guess what they are studying. What is sinology?
Translated from Late Latin, Sina means China. Thus, Sinology is a complex of sciences that study the culture, religion, economy, history and language of China. Scientists studying this discipline are called Sinologists. Another name for sinology is Sinology or Sinology.
At present, the science of sinology is of interest to many scientists and simply to inquisitive people. People study the Chinese language, go to universities for specialties related to oriental studies and Sinology. But where did the development of interest in the culture of the Celestial Empire begin?
First research
The history of sinology is a multi-step process. The beginning was laid in the XII-XIII centuries. in connection with the development of trade. Many Europeans traveled to China for trade purposes, but later there was a breakdown of contacts, which lasted until the 16th century.
The resumption of relations began in the era of the great geographical discoveries, when the sea route to India was discovered bypassing the African continent. Portuguese and Spanish sailors, arriving in India, learned about its trade relations with a certain state "Chin".
At that time, the main focus on the part of the Europeans was missionary activity in the Middle Kingdom. Representatives of the monastic orders, in particular, the Augustinians and Jesuits, went to China to collect information and for preaching.
Soon, the first publications dedicated to this country began to appear, for example, Gaspard da Cruz's “Treatise on China”.
At that time, none of the Europeans knew the Chinese language, so their studies of this country can not be fully called synological. However, it was they who laid the foundation for the formation of science.
Sinology in the XVII-XIX centuries
Gradually, interest in China went beyond Spain and Portugal.
From the end of the 17th century, France became the center of synological research. This is due to the fact that the French Jesuit monks began to occupy positions in China close to the emperor. In particular, under the guidance of the Jesuit Jean-Baptiste Duald, a series of studies on China was published.
We can say that from that moment on, sinology is an official science, and not just a collection of scattered information about a country. Studies affected many areas: Chinese philosophy, art, porcelain manufacturing, music, the nature of the country, etc. At the same time, the first translations of works of Chinese literature into Latin appeared.
Among nineteenth-century scholars involved in synology, it is important to mention James Legg, a professor at Oxford University, who founded the Department of Chinese in it. Another scientist, Robert Morrison, is known for composing the first fundamental Sino-English dictionary.
Russia also showed interest in China. Among the Russian synologists of that time, K. A. Skachkov, A. O. Ivanovsky and S. M. Georgievsky should be noted.
Sinology of the 20th century and modern sinology
In the XX century, in addition to studying Chinese traditions, language and literature, there was an increased interest in the country's historical past, in particular, archaeological research began on its territory.
After the Great October Revolution, a new round of interest in China took place in the USSR, and Soviet sinology took shape. One of the main works of the synology of the last century is the translation of the Book of Changes by Julian Schutsky.
In the second half of the twentieth century, separate directions in sinology were distinguished - these are daology, Buddhology, etc. And in the USSR at that time the first Russian-Chinese dictionaries appeared. At the end of the century, specialties devoted to Sinology began to open in universities.
At the beginning of the XXI century, the encyclopedic publication "The Spiritual Culture of China" was published in Russia.
So, Sinology is a complex of scientific disciplines devoted to the study of China, its language, culture, and history. It has come a long way since its inception, and now many scientists around the world are conducting research in its various directions.