At the end of 2002, under the general title "Bulletin of NSU. Series: History, Philology " the first issue (Vol. 1) was published, completely devoted to Oriental studies. It was prepared, respectively, at the Department of Oriental Studies of Novosibirsk State University, ed. by V. I. Ozhogin. The new edition claims to be comprehensive, presenting various aspects of Oriental studies (historical, textual, cultural, etc.), covering the most diverse range of issues in thematic and territorial-chronological terms: from the anthropology of the Ancient Stone Age of China to the economy of modern Japan. In addition to the Novosibirsk authors, the articles were provided by experts from other Eastern studies centers in Siberia (Kyzyl, Barnaul), as well as from abroad (Hong Kong, Busan, Toyama).

The largest section of "Research" begins with an article by a Hong Kong archaeologist, Prof. Tan Chun, dedicated to the methods of making clothing from bast fiber (tapa) in ancient times. The author believes that it appeared in Southern China during the final stages of the Paleolithic. In subsequent epochs (up to the 16th century), such clothing was widespread in Southeast Asia, Central Africa, Meso-and South America, and played an important role in the cultural history of mankind.

A. E. Demidchik's article on bribery in ancient Egypt is unexpectedly topical. The first "golden wave" of bribery occurred in the era of troubles of the First transition period (XXIII-XXI centuries BC), when the power was massively invaded by the poor, and personal wealth began to matter more than social status. The "recipe" of the Pharaohs for the eradication of this social evil is also given: on the one hand, improving the welfare of officials and, especially, judges; on the other hand, merciless execution of all usurpers who "take a person like a crocodile".

Important theoretical problems are presented in the article "Specifics of nomadic Empire"by G. G. Pikov. Based on the materials of the Khitan Liao Dynasty, the evolution of a "typical nomadic empire"is shown. The root meaning (and purpose) of the term "empire" itself is to regulate various relations (primarily ethnic and tribal) within a complex social system. There is a dominant nomadic "core" that makes extensive use of "remote exploitation"; however, this was not the only form of contact with the "periphery"; in general, symbiotic relations developed. Rather simple governance mechanisms could not cope with the constantly complicated structure, and "the parasitic nature of the state caused its degeneration into despotic". The mentality of the" titular nation " of the empire, the Khitan, came into conflict with the imperial ideology. As a result, the overall entropy of power led Liao to an inevitable collapse.

Two articles are devoted to the literary monuments of China, the first - "The Canon of the hidden" by Zhao Rui, (T. G. Zavyalov), the second - to several classical works at once: "The Canon of three hieroglyphs", "The Canon of one Hundred Surnames" and "The Canon of a Thousand hieroglyphs" (E. E. Voitishek). Using a structured description of Zhao Rui's little-known text "Fan Jing" or "Chang Duan Jing", the author characterizes it as a representative work of the class of stratagem literature. As a result, two assumptions are presented: about the construction of the text according to the scheme "justification of basic principles - their concretization - practice of application"; and that the culture of stratagem thinking was developed not only by the school of military philosophy and the "I Ching", but also by the "school of diplomats". In the review of the cycle of medieval canons-collections of common hieroglyphs used in classical teaching both in old China and in neighboring countries

(c) 2003

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The article presents their dual function as educational materials: on the one hand, they are written primers, on the other-"a concentrated set of initial knowledge about nature, the world and the place of man in it".

Takeda Akifumi's article "On the Charms of Haiku" emphasizes the "playful", parodic (in relation to Waka poetry ) nature of this poetic genre, which seems to the author essential for a correct understanding of Basho's classical works.

V. I. Ozhogin's article offers an answer to the most important question not only in literary studies, but also in cultural studies: why did Leo Tolstoy's philosophical and artistic heritage become "in the flesh and blood" of Japanese culture? Having considered in detail the scenography of Tolstoy's plays in Japan, the researcher is convinced that the specific features of the poetics of the great Russian writer objectively brought him closer to the Japanese artistic tradition.

V. I. Ozhogin's article is joined thematically by his translation of Minoura Tatsuji's note ("Tolstoy and Tokutomi Roka"), which ends with the sacramental phrase: "If Tolstoy is immortal. Roca, apparently, is also immortal."

E. L. Frolova's article "Some features of Japanese proper names" presents a brief history of the development of the onomastic system, describes the formation of the institute of surnames, modern models of the formation of surnames and personal names, forms of appeals, as well as Japanese toponymy. In addition, special attention is paid to the analysis of geographical names associated with Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, where Ainu roots predominate.

The article by B. C. Boyko examines the characteristics of the nadirate, which managed to lead Afghanistan out of the crisis of the late 1920s. This regime included not only the harsh suppression of any opposition and the restoration of elementary order (which could not fail to attract after the reigning anarchy), but also revived the policy of moderate transformations. Thus, the monarchy became moderately conservative (or, with reservations, liberal), which ensured its viability over the following decades.

An essay on the history of language building in Taiwan, carried out by the Kuomintang Party in the 1950s and 80s, is presented in the work of Yu.A. Azarenko. Educational and mass media activities of this period were aimed at establishing the State language as the only means of communication between citizens. The creation of a homogeneous linguistic community that unites different ethnic groups was elevated to the rank of the most important political task on the way to success in the social and economic development of the island.

The article by V. N. Akulinin and N. S. Epifanova "National peculiarities of inter-budgetary relations in Japan" shows the mechanisms of redistribution of financial resources to provide a standard level of public services for the entire population, regardless of the place of residence, as well as to solve other problems. It is interesting, for example, that the metropolitan prefecture (and three other most developed regions) did not receive transfers at all. However, even in this quite effective model of fiscal federalism, which has been proven by the practice of successful economic development, there are shortcomings due to a significant degree of centralization of financial flows.

In addition, the Research section includes articles by E. E. Malinina "Subjects and Motifs of Zen painting", Yu. K. Andreev "From the history of Chinese books in Russia in the first years of Soviet power", M. A. Boenko"The education system in China".

The section "Translations" presents the work of the Korean scholar Prof. Kwang Jin-seok "On the Structure and Types of Soul Journey Stories". The study is devoted to a comparative analysis of the shamanic mythology of indigenous Siberian peoples, Koreans (the stories "parite-gi"), Manchus ("The Tale of the Nishan Shamaness") and Altai Turks (The Legend of Kubaiko, etc.). There are two types of stories about the journey of shamans ' souls to another world: to search for and send off someone's soul.

In addition to scientific articles (taking into account the above-mentioned note by Mioura Tatsuji), this section includes translations of folklore works (fairy tales) Oriental and classical Chinese poetry.

The category "Teaching materials" includes two articles. The main idea of the first one (E. L. Frolova) is that students of Oriental studies should cultivate a sense of pride in their chosen specialty. The second (Yu Su-hua) describes a number of techniques,

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used at the initial stage of teaching Chinese, borrowed from the methodology of teaching Chinese as a native language, which are aimed at improving the level of proficiency in speech skills. The section also includes the working program of the course "Traditional Chinese Medicine: a historical and cultural introduction" (S. A. Komissarov).

N. V. Abaev's article on the prospects for the development of the" Russian-Eurasian civilization "presents the"discussions". The author believes that in order to overcome the centrifugal processes and strengthen its own influence in the world, Russia should make full use of the potential of traditional Buddhism, as well as take the initiative to sign the "Eurasian Charter", which proclaims the legal personality of all ethnic groups of the continent in defending their own ethno-cultural, environmental, economic and other security.

In addition, "Reviews" and "Information about scientific life"are highlighted as special categories.

The new journal will be published at least once a year; it is included in the list of peer-reviewed journals. Working languages are Russian and English; you can use Oriental graphics (for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and black-and-white illustrations. Publishers and the editorial board invite their colleagues from the Oriental studies centers of other cities and countries for further cooperation.

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