Happy to share that my Cambridge Element book Early Globalism and Chinese Literature was officially published online on Feb 18, 2026. It has an open access option, and paperback and hardcopy versions.
Summary
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.
Contents
- PART I Buddhism And Literature
- Introduction to Part I
- 1 Buddhist Translation and the Chinese Language
- 2 Bianwen (“Transformation Texts”) and Their Importance
- 3 Buddhism, the Literary World, and the “Journey to the West” Stories
- PART II SEA AND STORY
- Introduction to Part II
- 4 Maritime Circulation of the Cinderella Story
- 5 Voyages of Zheng He: The World in Ming Literature
- Epilogue
- Appendix
- Acknowledgements
- The Global Middle Ages
- The Global Middle Ages
- Footnotes
- References
Yuanfei Wang 
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