Nikolay Кaramzin’s Dedication to the Emperor Alexander I as a Preamble to the “History of Russian State” in Manchu and Chinese Translation by Zakhar Leontievsky
- Authors: Pang T.A.1
-
Affiliations:
- Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Issue: Vol 8, No 2 (2022)
- Pages: 96-123
- Section: Original Papers
- Published: 27.01.2023
- URL: https://journals.eco-vector.com/2410-0145/article/view/114833
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.55512/wmo114833
- ID: 114833
Cite item
Full Text
Abstract
The first official history of the Russian state “Istoriia gosudarstva Rossijskogo” (“History of Russian State”) was compiled by Nikolay Karamzin in 12 volumes (published in 1816–1828). The first eight volumes were printed in 1816–1818 and were most probably taken to Beijing by the members of the 10th Ecclesiastic mission (1820–1830). Among the students of that mission was Zakhar Leontievsky (1799–1874), who had spent ten years in Beijing and had perfectly mastered the Chinese and Manchu languages. During his stay in China, Leontievsky has translated into Chinese three volumes of Karamzin’s “History of Russian state”. Nowadays, the manuscript copies of this translation are kept in the Oriental collections in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Russian original by Karamzin begins with the Dedication to the Russian tzar Alexander I. Only the manuscript from the Oriental department of the Scientific library of the St. Petersburg state university has the Dedication translated into two languages — Manchu and Chinese. The comparison of the Russian original with the Manchu and Chinese versions shows that the translations turn to be Leontievsky’s interpretations of the original text written according to the rules of Chinese addresses to the throne. Additional translator’s comments were added to explain some episodes from the Russian history to the Chinese reader. Zakhar Leontievsky’s translation of the “History of Russian state” was the first introduction of Russian history to China.
About the authors
Tatiana A. Pang
Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences
Author for correspondence.
Email: ptatiana@inbox.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2597-2530
http://www.orientalstudies.ru/eng/index.php?option=com_personalities&Itemid=74&person=66
Cand. Sci. (History), Leading Researcher, Head of the Department of Far Eastern Studies, Deputy-director for Science
Russian Federation, St. PetersburgReferences
- KARAMZIN, Nikolay M. 1816: Istoriia gosudarstva Rossiiskogo [History of the Russian State]. Vol. 1–8. St. Petersburg.
- LIU RUOMEI 柳若梅 等 2021: Elosi cang Qingdai gaochaoben “luoxiya guoshi” 俄羅斯藏清代稿抄本 “羅西亞國史。 Yuanzhu [e] Kalamujin 原著 [俄] 卡拉姆津 (Н.М. Карамзин, fanyi [e] Lieangjiyefusiji 翻译 [俄] 列昂季耶夫斯基 (З.Ф. Леонтьевский). zhenglidianjiao Liu Ruomei 整理點校柳若梅 等” [The Qing dynasty manuscripts of “The History of Russian state” kept in Russia. Author (Russian) Karamzin, translated by (Russian) Leontievsky, critical publication by Liu Ruomei and others]. 北京: 学范出版社 (全球史和跨國史前沿叢書).
- PANG, Tatiana A. 2021: “Perevody na russkii iasyk s man’chzhurskogo iazyka, vypolnennye chlenami Pekinskoi dukhovnoi missii” [Russian Translations from the Manchu Language by the Members of the Orthodox Mission in Peking]. Vestnik Istoricheskogo obshchestva Sankt-Peterburgskoi Dukhovnoi Akademii [Herald of the Historical Society of Saint-Petersburg Theological Academy] 2(7): 77–89.
- PANG, Tatiana & MAYATSKY, Dmitry & LIU RUOMEI 2019: “Posviashchenie N.M. Karamzina, adresovannoe imperatoru Aleksandru I v kitaiskom perevode «Istorii gosudarstva Rossiiskogo»” [N.M. Karamzin’s Report to the Emperor Alexander I in the Chinese Translation of the «History of Russian State»]. Pis’mennye pamiatniki Vostoka 16, no. 1 (iss. 36): 5–34.
- PESHCHICH, Sergei L. & CIPEROVICH, Izolda E. 1968: “«Istoriia gosudarstva Rossiiskogo» N.M. Karamzina na kitaiskom iazyke” [“History of the Russian state” by N.M. Karamzin in the Chinese language]. Narody Azii i Afriki 6: 125–126.
- POLOVTSOV, Alexander A. 1914: “Leont’evskii Zakhar Fedorovich”. In: Russkii biograficheskii slovar’. Pod nabliudeniem A.A. Polovtsova [Russian bibliographic dictionary, under supervision of A.A. Polovtsov]. St. Petersburg: Tip. Gl[avnoe] upr[avlenie] udelov, vol. 10: 226.
- SHUBINA, Svetlana A. 2001: “Zakhar Fedorovich Leont’evskii”. Pravoslavie na Dal’nem Vostoke [Orthodox in the Far East] 3: 99–112. St. Petersburg: Izdatel’stvo SPb. universiteta.
Supplementary files
![](/img/style/loading.gif)