CHZHICHEN Wang

The Chinese scholar Wang Chzhichena lot hypostasis. He was head of the Section for the Study of Russian emigres in the Russian Club in Shanghai (1), . Honorary member of the club, . renowned Chinese scholar-Russianist, . Head of the Department of Russia and director of the Center of the Institute of Slavic Studies in Europe and Asia, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, . member of the Academic Council IEA SHAON, . advisor and honorary member of the Museum of Russian Culture in g,
. San Francisco, USA.

Our conversation with this extraordinary man was a long and interesting, perhaps, another reason that this world-famous scientist kept very simple and it's not a drop of complacency and arrogance. He speaks in Russian, English proficiency and reading in French. Knowledge of his extensive, and he generously and unobtrusively share them with someone. He has rich experience and long years of painstaking work of collecting and processing the archives of the Russian emigration in Shanghai, San Francisco, Harbin.

After the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Languages, Wang Chzhichen began working at the Institute for Research of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (now the Institute of European and Asian countries) from the date of its creation and labor in it so far. He is engaged in a vast range of issues relating to Russia, Jewish, Portuguese and other exile in China, the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Slavic Studies and International Relations in the Far East. But perhaps the greatest contribution made by them in the history of Russian emigration in Shanghai. On this subject he published several important articles and book History of Russian emigration in Shanghai (2).

His research scientist, conducted not only in China but also in the USSR (1990), Russia (1997) and the U.S.. In 1992-1993. trained at Stanford University in the United States, California. This, as you know, one favored by Russian emigres states, where they moved soon after his departure from China. In 1998. Wang Chzhichen was also training at the American University of Utah. In 1995. He was invited by the University of Macau (the former Portuguese colony) for processing of materials on the history of the Portuguese colony in Shanghai (and then released a small book in English).

All this being said, Milestones, formal achievements and outcomes research scientist. But we want to know and what kov man by himself, what his views on life and what he thinks of CE studies and those people, whose history has described. According to Chinese tradition, to understand a person's world, it is important to find out who were his ancestors, in what environment he was raised, that shaped his life positions. According to Wang Chzhichena his family, one of the oldest in China in the written sources dates back to the days of Confucius, to the Eastern Zhou period (ie. 2500 years ago).

Parents Wang Chzhichena lived in Shanghai, where his father was a professor of Western literature at Shanghai University (he is fluent in English). Later he was editor of the Shanghai publishing house in mid-1930. editorial department head of the Chinese evening newspaper Vanbao (China Evening News), and thereafter until 1949,. editor in chief of the largest evening newspaper in China.

In 1940. Wang was born Chzhichen. After the founding of the PRC in 1949. ca newspaper was closed with the wording is not popular, but the KMT newspaper. He was offered a place in the department of culture at the municipal office. He agreed thinking that such work is better than prison. His duties included the preservation and restoration of historical and cultural monuments of Shanghai.

By this time Van Chzhichen was in high school Shanghai. It was the former American School (former "Grace" School) in the French concession, which, after in 1949. turned into an ordinary public school.

In the evening, Father Wang Chzhichena engaged in work for the soul translated the novels of British writers in the Chinese. In particular, translated the Modern comedy J. Galsworthy, and 3 of his novel.

Wang Chzhichen, finished school, (my father died at that time) decided to enroll in the Institute of Foreign Languages. Then, he says, entrants had to write "15 wishes" what items he wants to study at the Institute. All, as now, sought to English Department. Besides English, I wrote as desirable to study taju French and Russian languages. And I am determined to learn Russian language. So he got on the faculty of Russian language. And there was only one of the classmates who did not know a word in Russian (the rest were 6-year training in the Russian language in secondary school).

After graduation in 1963. Wang Chzhichen taught Russian at the Institute of Teachers Training in Shanghai. When the beginning of the so-called Cultural Revolution, Department stopped admitting new students and all teachers have left the village to learn from the masses and raise agriculture.

Wang Chzhichen not get into the village, he was sent to work in high school, where he taught Russian and English languages during the year.

After the "Cultural Revolution", continued Van Chzhichen began the reorganization of institutions across China. I examined a, I passed the exam-tolerance for the institute. In 1981. Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SHAON) and Huadunsky Pedagogical University jointly created the Institute for the Study of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. I received permission to work there: translating economic articles and information about the political situation in the USSR.

In late 1990. I was sent to USSR for training, which I held at the Institute of Oriental Studies. There I was collecting material for his books on the history of Russian emigrants, which I started in 1982. In Europe, America and Russia were practically no basic research on this topic. Incidentally, I learned that the Shanghai Book Depository Tsikavey Kanshulou (Zikawei Canshulou) there are many materials of the British, French and Russian newspapers, 20-40-ies. XX in. They were in good condition, just not been processed lay newspapers in different years, sometimes scattered instances.

I went to the library as a job, systematized daily newspapers and translated from Russian into Chinese almost 5-8 thousand characters read English newspapers and magazines.
After finishing work in 1990. I visited at the invitation of the USSR. My research interest in the U.S.. I came to America and worked in the library of Stanford University. I was amazed: Imagine, . driven from their displacement of, . Russian emigrants brought with them from China are not things, . not jewelry, . and newspapers and magazines in Russian! It really was the real intellectuals, stored in the print edition of America, . favorite magazines life,
. Bitterly that their children are not interested in this.
After the death of parents, some were thrown in trash bags on the street. Much is now irretrievably lost.

As soon as I started working in the library, I was approached members of the Museum of Russian Culture, Mr.. San Francisco, to help them put in order the documents and archival materials. (Thanks to the activities of the Museum, many archives and Russian Periodicals 20-40-ies. were selected, purchased, taken as a gift and preserved for posterity). I gladly agreed to do.

The result was a detailed catalog volume of 300 pages of typewritten. After finishing this work, the board of the museum give me the title of honorary member of the museum and
Adviser to the museum (for life).

A year of work at the museum learned a lot and learned a lot. At that time I often wondered how Russian's still not like other peoples. For the Russian money and wealth, wealth is not the most important thing in life, and most importantly spiritual.

Arriving in San Francisco, initially Russian immigrants did not have a center of cultural and social. When World War II ended and the town deserted building of the former Germanskogo club emigre activists appealed to the municipality for permission to deploy a Russian club. Soon after consent was obtained and the Russian Club in San Francisco, taking a large four-story building, began its work: they were placed library, a museum of Russian culture, gym, etc.. Not far from this building is the Orthodox Church of San Francisco.

From the U.S. to Shanghai, I've brought on my topics a lot of books, which was neither in China nor in Russia.

It was at that time you met with Brodsky, Solzhenitsyn and other well-known Russian people abroad? We asked the question to the Chinese scholar.

When I trained at the Hoover Institution, there to give a lecture was invited by Joseph Brodsky. When he learned that I have been studying the Russian emigration in Shanghai, was very surprised and pleased, because never thought that a scientist from the PRC is addressing this issue. He asked why I took such a complex and controversial subject that attracted me to it. I replied that I had known since childhood and admire Russian culture, he studied Russian literature, works of Russian classics, Russian interest in artistic creativity and beautiful etc.. And I think that Russian culture is one of the greatest achievements of not only the Russian people, but of all mankind. The existence of the Russian colony had a great influence on the development of modern culture in China. For example, modern music, modern theatrical life in Shanghai, ballet, art of singing, the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra of it all originates from the time of residence in Shanghai, the Russian emigres. This is a great initiative. It is very important for China. Few people are addressing this problem, I consider it my duty to examine all aspects of the life of Russian emigrants and to make a historically correct conclusion.

Hearing my words, Brodsky was very happy. He promised to send me your picture and gave an autograph. It is a pity that this talented poet died early.

Another famous Russian writer and Nobel Prize winner, too, Solzhenitsyn learned that at Stanford University working on the theme of immigrant Chinese scholar, wanted to meet me.

However, instead of one person I saw three. It turned out that Solzhenitsyn's unexpectedly invited to an audience at the Vatican and the Pope himself, he instead sent his family: mother, wife and son. They came to apologize to the great Russian writer. I was very touched by this. I told them: Mr. Solzhenitsyn - a real gentleman, and I'm just a scientist. Then I learned that his son was studying Chinese in Taiwan.

We had a long conversation about the life of Russian emigrants in China, about the famous people who have moved to the U.S. and still live there. Solzhenitsyn, through his relatives gave a wish to meet in the future, but I came back home and so we still do not see any.

Among other well-known emigre circles of people I have met several times with the journalist, Victor Petrov, who even dedicated a whole article to my work. He once lived in Harbin, and then in Shanghai. In the early 1930. worked in the newspaper Shanghai Dawn led Arnoldov and other.

Another highly influential among the emigrants, and just an interesting man director of the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco George Taran. His father was a tsarist general, commander of the guard brigade head of the Primorsky last white government of Lieutenant-General Dieterichs. He died at age 105, never seeing his homeland. George Taran in the U.S. worked as chief engineer of the American cigarette company Marlboro. At the time he graduated from the well-known in Harbin Polytechnic Institute. Then there was an engineer at the Chinese factory, and in mid-1950 went to the U.S..

This cheerful, a lot of knowledgeable people, a great connoisseur of Russian culture, has spent his life in exile. All his strength, he paid work in the Museum of Russian Culture single emigrant museum in the world.

Another interesting people the head of an exhibition hall of the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco, a descendant of the famous Russian writer NM. Karamzin, his great-grandson, whose father was an artist. By the way, a lot of paintings in a museum, a gallery.

I am currently working on the history of Russian emigrants in Harbin. Harbin Academy of Sciences is supported me. Release 3 books: one must contain a plan showing Harbin old buildings and their history. The second will consist of old photographs of Harbin and the buildings that have survived until today. In the third story of emigrants in Harbin.

We have to hurry up with finding the old houses, because the scale of the new
construction of very large. I even wrote an article in a local newspaper about Harbin thoughtless destruction of historical and cultural heritage of Russian emigrants. It attracted great public interest, but, unfortunately, little has changed.

During my trips to Harbin, I walked all the former Russian neighborhoods, taking photos, went to those areas which are almost half a century, were densely populated by Russian emigrants in the dock in Old Town, etc.. He went over 100 streets and lanes. Found many former Russian houses, photographed more than one film. Most Russian monuments quite unique and their images are made for the first time. For example, quite by chance found the former residence of General Horvath.

Today Van Chzhichen full of energy and enthusiasm. Among his plans for the idea of establishing the Shanghai Center of Russian culture with the sections of Russian literature, music, art. It is assumed that there will be demonstrations of Russia's films and make a small theater troupes from Russia. This idea has many supporters and sympathizers, but, alas (!), Few sponsors. There is hope that things will move off dead center.