Chronology Entry
Year
1905
Text
[Liang, Qichao]. Likhunchzhan : ili, Politicheskaia istoriia Kitaia za posliedniia. [Transl. by]. A.N. Voznesenskii. (S. Peterburg : V. Berezovskii, 1905). Übersetzung von Liang, Qichao. Li Hongzhang. (1901). 李鸿章
Zhang Qingtong [unknown], while in S. Petersburg, translated the book together with A.N. Voznesenskii. He sent a copy of the translation with a letter to Leo Tolstoy.
Letter from Tolstoy to Zhang Qingtong :
"For a long time now I have worked fairly intimately with Chinese religion and philosophy, even if, as a European, far from sufficiently thoroughly. Quite aside from Confucius, Mencius, Lao Tzu, and the commentators on them, I have been especially captivated by the teaching of Mo Ti, agains whom Mencius turned himself… May God preserve China from the cours of Japan. The Chinese, like all of us, should develop their spiritual powers and not strive for technological improvements, which only create harm if the sould be turned the wrong way. I am wholly of your opinion that a spiritual bond exists between the two great peoples, Russian and Chinese, and that they should work hand in hand. But this should not be through political ties or any kind of governmental agreemets. Both, and especially their farmers, must work out for themselves a new way of life independently of government. They should not, however, strive for 'freedoms' of all sorts, such as freedom of thought and speech, popular political representation and the like. Rather it should be that true freedom which consists in the possibility of living without any need for government or anything else to decree moral law for them."
Zhang Qingtong [unknown], while in S. Petersburg, translated the book together with A.N. Voznesenskii. He sent a copy of the translation with a letter to Leo Tolstoy.
Letter from Tolstoy to Zhang Qingtong :
"For a long time now I have worked fairly intimately with Chinese religion and philosophy, even if, as a European, far from sufficiently thoroughly. Quite aside from Confucius, Mencius, Lao Tzu, and the commentators on them, I have been especially captivated by the teaching of Mo Ti, agains whom Mencius turned himself… May God preserve China from the cours of Japan. The Chinese, like all of us, should develop their spiritual powers and not strive for technological improvements, which only create harm if the sould be turned the wrong way. I am wholly of your opinion that a spiritual bond exists between the two great peoples, Russian and Chinese, and that they should work hand in hand. But this should not be through political ties or any kind of governmental agreemets. Both, and especially their farmers, must work out for themselves a new way of life independently of government. They should not, however, strive for 'freedoms' of all sorts, such as freedom of thought and speech, popular political representation and the like. Rather it should be that true freedom which consists in the possibility of living without any need for government or anything else to decree moral law for them."
Mentioned People (2)
Liang, Qichao
(Xinhui, Guangdong 1873-1929 Beijing) : Politiker, Reformer, Jurist, Schriftsteller
Tolstoy, Leo
(Jasnaja Poljana 1828-1910 Astapowo) : Schriftsteller
Subjects
Literature : Occident : Russia
Documents (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1950 | Bodde, Derk. Tolstoy and China. With the collaboration of Galia Speshneff Bodde. (Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1950). S. 48-49. | Publication / Bod12 |
|