Introduction
Early Globalism and Chinese Literature (Cambridge, HK: Cambridge University Press, 2025) 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. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Grants and Awards have demonstrated to be crucial for the completion and publication of this project. The Faculty Research Grant (2023-2025) of Lingnan University has funded necessary fieldwork and editing service of its early drafts. The HSSPFS (Humanities and Social Science Prestigious Fellowship Scheme) grant (2024-2025) from RGC of Hong Kong has made the open access option possible. We are very thankful for these.
Related Publications
In 2022, a teaching essay “Chinese Literature and the World: Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties” was published on MLA Teaching Volume: The Global Middle Ages edited by Geraldine Heng. To read more, click here.
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Yuanfei Wang 