On February 6-8, 2006, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the 36th Annual conference "Society and the State in China". This forum, as in previous years, discussed a wide range of issues related to the history, economy, ideology and culture of our Far Eastern neighbor. The conference was attended by 97 participants from various scientific, practical and educational institutions and organizations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Chelyabinsk, as well as the People's Republic of China, Japan and Latvia: IV, IDV, IMEPI, ISEPN, ITI, BAN, ISAA at MSU, RSUH, MGLU, MSOU, IFTI, St. Petersburg.State University of Oriental Studies, Public Center for Strategic Studies, Baku People's University, Shijiazong University, Peking Renda University, Riga University, Publishing House "Oriental Literature", "Asia and Africa Today" magazine, Society for Russian-Chinese Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences, Far Eastern State University, MGIMO University, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, VNIIVS under the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, State Museum of Oriental Studies, Public Center for Strategic Studies, Baku People's University, Shijiazong University, Peking Renda University, Riga University,- Chinese friendship.

The growing role and importance of China in modern world politics and economy in recent years explains the increased interest in this country, which was reflected in the theme of this conference, in which a significant place was given to modern issues. In the report of V. G. Gelbras (ISAA at Moscow State University), it was noted that at present the Chinese leadership continues to focus on the task set earlier by Chinese President Jiang Zemin - to try to catch up and even overtake the United States in terms of key economic indicators in the shortest possible time. And there are some successes here, especially in the foreign economic aspect: the volume of foreign trade has tripled over the past five years, China's direct investment in the foreign economy has increased by about 36% per year, and Chinese investments in the US economy have also appeared. China has entered the top ten largest economies by volume. However, at the same time, many of the country's internal problems remain unresolved. The standard of living of a significant part of the Chinese population is very low. In terms of per capita GDP, China still lags far behind developed countries. A significant part of its GDP is growing solely due to the activation of foreign economic relations, which is not typical for developed countries. The quality of goods and production efficiency also leave much to be desired. There is a shortage of qualified specialists in the industry, and the average level of education in the country is still lower than planned.

All of this, taken together, leads to the conclusion that an adjustment is required, some change in priorities and the general model of economic growth adopted in China. And it seems that China has an understanding of this and a desire to improve its development strategy. But such an adjustment requires a determined will and very impressive material resources.

According to Huang Liliang (IDV RAS), China is currently undergoing a period of rapid transition to a new state of society that was not previously familiar to the majority of the population. This is reflected in the process of urbanization, industrialization and marketization, the significant movement of rural populations to cities, and the disappearance of many villages. Therefore, according to the speaker, significant structural changes are taking place in the very organization of Chinese society: a "system of microdistricts" is being formed as basic cells in people's relationships. Accordingly, the professional ties that have grouped people around certain institutions are weakening. Given the significant population of China, a certain limited natural resources of the country, the leadership has set it the task of building a new economy in the country.-

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The concept of a "new type of economic society" implies increased attention to the preservation of the environment, rational use of energy resources, and the desire for moderation in spending. If you do not adhere to this course, then such negative phenomena as soil erosion, shortage and pollution of fresh water, depletion of energy resources, will lead the country to a state of crisis. These factors, the speaker believes, are taken into account by both the leadership and the scientific community of the country (in particular, the Academy of Sciences of the People's Republic of China).

Significant attention of the conference participants was drawn to problems related to China's foreign policy. According to J. M. Berger (IDV) and V. A. Kozyrev (ISAA), the modern Chinese leadership adheres to the policy of peaceful entry into the world community and increasing the importance of its country and its role in the world economy rather than confrontation with other countries.

The concept of "peaceful recovery or growth" was developed, V. A. Kozyrev emphasized, while Deng Xiaoping was still in the top administrative post, continued by Jiang Zemin and inherited by modern Chinese leaders. The concept of" peaceful growth", according to the data available to the speaker, was formulated in 2003. It combines the policy of strengthening and enhancing the country's role in the international community and the desire to approach the assessment of world processes from a class, Marxist point of view. We have set a course for peaceful coexistence, partnership and multilateral cooperation with all foreign countries. The country's leadership approaches the concept of international security in a new and more realistic way. At the same time, the foreign policy course is linked to the strategy of domestic political development, which is aimed at turning China into a "medium-developed" power by the middle of the XXI century. At the same time, V. A. Kozyrev noted, China's foreign policy concept does not exclude the possibility of using force in the event of an external threat. In particular, this refers to the continuing tension around issues related to Taiwan, and the declared desire to return the "lost territories". China's growing prestige and economic potential give it the opportunity to claim regional leadership and, in the future, one of the first places among world powers.

J. M. Berger also drew the attention of the conference participants to the role of China in the modern world. Its impact on the global economy and politics is quite tangible and significant, which to some extent changes the entire current situation on a global scale. According to the speaker, China poses a peaceful challenge to the entire current world order. However, this does not mean that China is striving for hegemony (as S. Huntington once said in his works). This is hardly achievable, which is fully understood by the Chinese. It can be assumed that the leading role of the United States in the modern world even suits China, since this situation gives it the opportunity to develop calmly, without causing fear and competition. According to the speaker, there are now strategic relations between China and the United States, but not strategic cooperation. The latter is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. Sino-Japanese relations are still burdened by negative nationalistic feelings of the Chinese. Moreover, this "nationalism" is not imposed by the authorities, but spontaneously grows "from below", i.e. it has been preserved in the consciousness of the population since the last war. As for Russian-Chinese relations, J. M. Berger considers it correct to characterize them as a long-term partnership that meets the interests of both states. The main problems for China are concentrated in the south and west of it, and therefore it needs a "strong rear" in relations with our country. The speaker considers the concept of a possible partnership within the Russia-India-China triangle unrealistic and disorienting. It should be adjusted to allow Russia to build good relations with all Asian countries in general.

In the course of the discussion, a number of noteworthy opinions were also expressed on the above issues. E. O. Podolko (Dip. Acad. The Russian Foreign Ministry) noted that the foreign policy concept of modern China is not something static. It can change and adjust depending on the current situation, which shows the inherent flexibility and pragmatism of Chinese politics. Oleg Nepomnin (Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences) urged the audience not to overestimate the possibility of China in "competition" with the leading countries of the world. It is unlikely that in the foreseeable future we can expect that it will equal, for example, the United States or even Japan. The burden of the past is too great, and first of all, the backwardness of the agricultural sector. In addition, the internal political and economic structure of Chinese society is by no means perfect.-

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it is dark and therefore internal peace in the country is not guaranteed in the future. So it will be very difficult for China to catch up with the advanced countries. L. S. Perelomov (IDV RAS) noted that ideology and culture have always played an important role in the development of China and continue to play today. At present, China is building "Confucian socialism", the slogan of "universal cooperation" in building a new reality has been put forward, and steps are being taken to implement it. The importance attached to Confucianism is shown by the fact that more than a hundred scientific conferences devoted to this teaching have recently been held in China. K. I. Shilin (ISAA) noted that China should pay more attention to environmental safety issues. It would be dangerous for him to take the Western path of development as a model, which is fraught with damage to the ecological environment. The Chinese have their own cultural traditions in this regard, and it would be best for them to follow them.

E. Y. Staburova (Riga University of Latin Studies) drew the audience's attention to the state of political science in modern China. Its peculiarity at this stage can be considered the desire to combine Marxism with the development of market relations, as well as to use certain concepts and provisions from the ideological heritage of ancient China, starting with the treatises "Shu Ching" and "Shi Ching", the teachings of Confucius, Mengzi, Lao Tzu and other classics of ancient Chinese philosophical thought. This is accompanied by the ongoing rehabilitation of many political and cultural figures of the past who were previously criticized. According to the speaker, Chinese political science deserves close attention and study.

Among the processes that are currently being observed in Chinese society, according to E. A. Sinetskaya (Institute of Political Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences), there is an increasing desire for real gender equality. Materials on feminism in China can be found in Taiwanese publications, as Taiwan established the Tender Research Bureau in 1982, which collects and popularizes materials on this issue on the island and on the mainland. In China, there are also publications covering the state of the feminist movement. As far as we can judge, based on a comparison of the mentioned materials, feminism in the PRC is progressing, borrowing the experience of this movement in Taiwan.

Certain difficulties that the Chinese authorities have to face in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were noted in the report of O. B. Zotov (IB RAS). Due to the fact that the main leadership position there is occupied by a native of Fujian Province, which is very far from Xinjiang, one can notice some misunderstanding of the local specifics by the leadership of this area. An example is the problem that has arisen with the intention of the authorities to cultivate pig farming here, which causes a protest from the local Muslim majority of the population. They also complicate the situation in the area of operation of the anti-government "Islamic Liberation Front of Xinjiang". His methods of struggle can be called partisan. According to the speaker, he is assisted by Al-Qaeda, and indirectly by the United States. The military forces of the central government that are being built up here are not yet able to suppress the anti-government movement. Existing contradictions are driven deeper, and over time this can lead to new outbreaks of conflict.

The problems of China's modern development were supplemented by reports on the recent past that were presented at the conference. Yu. M. Galenovich (IDV) dedicated his speech to the 90th anniversary of the birth and the 17th anniversary of the death of Hu Yaobang , one of the leading political figures of the country at a critical stage of development. It was noted that it was with the coming to power of Hu Yaobang that China began to rethink the legacy left by Mao Zedong. Hu Yaobang not only did not continue the previous practice of repression, but, on the contrary, contributed to the return to normal life of those previously repressed (only under the pretext of being classified as "right-wing elements", about 500 thousand people were persecuted in the country). He opposed the lifelong retention of the official nomenclature of their posts and many other excesses of the leftist sense that had previously taken place. He enjoyed authority and support in the army. But he soon found himself at odds with Deng Xiaoping on a number of significant domestic and foreign policy issues. So, he denied the military danger from the Soviet Union, and Deng Xiaoping spoke of a " threat from the North." As a result of this confrontation, Hu Yaobang was practically removed from the actual conduct of business, although formally he retained his high position. Currently, Hu Yaobang enjoys respect and a grateful memory in his country.

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The fate of the famous writer and public figure Liu Bingyan, which received coverage in the report of L. P. Delyusin (IMEPI RAS), can serve as a clear illustration of the problem raised above. Liu Bingyan was persecuted under Mao Zedong in the 1950s, when he was classified as a "right-wing element". He was exiled to the countryside, but continued to write. In his work, there is a clear condemnation of the strengthening of bureaucratic principles observed in the country at that time. He then received support from the newly installed Hu Yaobang. But after being nominated for the first role, Deng Xiaoping again began to be attacked and harassed. He was accused of speaking out against socialism. This was unfair, because in his writings and statements, Liu Bingyan advocated a socialist order in the country. As for the attitude of his readers and the people towards him, it was and remains positive. In the tragedy experienced by Liu Bingyan, the speaker sees the characteristic fate of the Chinese intelligentsia in the 1950s and 1970s.

Among the issues of modern and contemporary history discussed at the conference, some attention was paid to the life and activities of the outstanding Chinese leader, Sun Yat - sen. V. S. Kuznetsov (IDV) focused on some controversial issues in the assessment of his activities, the extensive historiography devoted to him. In particular, the speaker noted that little attention is paid to the fact that Sun Yat-sen is negotiating with French and Japanese political circles to help Chinese anti-government forces overthrow the rule of the Qing imperial dynasty in the country. There is also a certain exaggeration in the assessment of Sun Yat-sen's friendly position towards the Soviet Union. Thus, the fact that he demanded the denunciation of the first agreement concluded between the USSR and China was hushed up. As negative aspects in his activities, we should also consider the imposition of extremely heavy taxes on the population of southern China on his initiative, which was motivated by the needs of the army. They supported the traditional discrimination and belittling of women's rights. In general, the speaker suggested to abandon the excessive idealization of the image of Sun Yat-sen.

A. N. Khokhlov (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his speech read out the little-known observations of domestic eyewitnesses of the life and work of Sun Yat-sen.

The report of Z. D. Katkova (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) was devoted to one of the pages of the activities of a prominent Chinese politician and diplomat Gu Weijun (Wellington Hu) - the negotiations of the Chinese side with England in October 1942 regarding the return to China of Hong Kong and Kowloon, which were previously torn away from it. A detailed study of these negotiations shows, according to the speaker, that Chiang Kai-shek and Sun Ziwen insisted on the immediate return of these territories to China, but Gu Weijun considered it necessary to postpone the resolution of these "difficult issues" until the end of the war.

G. V. Melikhov (IRI RAS) spoke about such an aspect in the life of the Russian emigration in the 1920s-1940s as the existence of schools for immigrants from Russia in Harbin, based on the principle of self-sufficiency, whose own programs were coordinated with the Education Bureau. Students here received a decent education and were brought up in the spirit of Russian patriotism.

The report of V. N. Usov (IDV) revealed a little-known aspect of the Comintern's activities in the 1920s - direct currency assistance from Soviet Russia to the Chinese revolutionary movement. This was done in strict secrecy. Although the Comintern's ability to do so was limited by its budget, there was a practice of requesting additional funds, and requests were usually granted. The speaker gave a list of annual transfers of considerable funds to the Chinese side and specifically to the Chinese Communist Party. At the same time, Comintern leaders often embezzled part of these funds, which caused concern to the Soviet government and Lenin himself.

A number of presentations at the conference were devoted to the history of China during the Qing period (1644-1911). Ye Baichuan (Renda University, Beijing) introduced the audience to the project currently underway in China to compile a major history of this period. It is headed by prominent scientists-Dai Yi, Ma Dazheng and others. Scientists from various scientific organizations in China are involved in the work, but the main group of authors is employees of the Institute of Qing Period History at Renda University. The work is carried out using archival material available in the country.

B. G. Doronin (St. Petersburg State University) noted that the history of China during the Qing period has always attracted and continues to attract the attention of Chinese historians. Interest in her showed up immediately after the fall-

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Qing Dynasty as a result of the Xinhai Revolution (1911). Currently, the study of the history of this period is also very important. This is evidenced by the already mentioned project of creating a detailed history of China at the end of the XVII-beginning of the XX century. The project is designed for 10 years and involves writing and publishing 92 volumes. The publication is being prepared against the background of increased attention of the public and leading circles of the country to history and the humanities in general. Works on various aspects of the country's historical past are published. For example, an illustrated edition of biographies of prominent Chinese figures who lived in the last 3 thousand years is being prepared.

One of the sad pages in the history of the Qing period for China - the cession of the island of Taiwan to Japan after the defeat of the Chinese side in the war with the Japanese in 1895 - was reflected in the report of V. Ts. Golovachev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences). It was noted that the greatest pressure on the imperial court on the issue of ceding Taiwan to Japan was exerted by the all-powerful Chancellor Li Hongzhang and the island's governor Zhang Zhidong. In the course of long and difficult negotiations, China gradually, part by part, gave Taiwan to the Japanese side. After receiving the island, Japan abandoned its previous claims to the Liaodong Peninsula. Neither did the European Powers object to the transfer of Taiwan. As for the Chinese who lived in Taiwan, they declared their own independent republic on the island, not wanting to fall under the rule of an alien foreign power. But the attempt to gain independence was suppressed, and the majority of the island's Chinese population was forcibly separated from their homeland.

A number of presentations covered the problems of the ancient and medieval history of China. M. Y. Ulyanov and D. V. Deopik (ISAA) in their joint report showed the existence of different, but at the same time interconnected zones of intensive agriculture in East Asia. Millet and wheat were mainly cultivated in the northern part, and rice was cultivated in the southern part (in the Yangtze River area). The mountains stretching south of the Wei River made it difficult to communicate between the marked zones. Contacts took place around them - on swampy lands and went mainly from north to south, and not in the opposite direction. The emergence of state orders contributed to the intensification of rice farming. In addition to the marked centers of intensive agriculture, it is also observed in the area of modern Shandong Province. There were other smaller isolated pockets of agricultural culture. In the north, the boundaries of the farming zone reached the area of modern Beijing. Further north, a different culture from the ancient Chinese (Hua Xia) stretched. The general picture that becomes clear in this way indicates that the ancient Chinese civilization was formed by merging different cultural centers, and not by spreading one, more advanced culture from any single center.

S. I. Blumchen (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) traced the mythologized idea of the Chinese people of that time about the origin of man on the example of ancient Chinese painted ceramics. It wasn't uniform. According to one version, man originated from wind-fertilized parasites on the body of the mythical hero Pangu. According to another version, people were also born in the marriage of mythological characters-Nuiwa and Fusi. On the third - they were fashioned from clay and silt by one Nyuva. And in the latter case, only women were sculpted, and men for them were given by the deified Sky itself. When modeling, a cord was used, which correlates with the mythological legend about cords connecting the Earth with the Sky. Through them, the heavenly power was transmitted to the earth. The meeting of men and women turned into an orgy, and it was Nuwa who introduced the institution of marriage after that.

S. I. Kucher's report (IB RAS) considered the problem of the emergence of such an important social stratum as the bureaucracy in China in the entire subsequent history of the country. In the 3rd millennium BC, bureaucracy in the sense in which it is understood by researchers did not yet exist. But even then, the existence of "mentors of the people" is mentioned, which primarily included the sovereign himself. Their purpose was to "train and educate" the people in the prescribed traditional norms. A single term for their designation also did not exist, and their arrangement was coupled with a five-matrix division of the entire surrounding space into the center and four cardinal directions. The description in the sources of the harmonious system of the bureaucratic apparatus in China at the earliest times is a figment of the imagination of Chinese chroniclers of subsequent periods-the end of the Zhou and Han (V-I centuries BC). Something similar to officialdom in the generally accepted understanding was born in China in the Shang-Yin period, approximately by the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. The isolation of some separate towering figures and genera, as can be assumed, took place.

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A. A. Bokshchanin (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report drew attention to the fact that China is currently showing interest in the activities of emperors who left a significant mark on the country's history, and in particular the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (1368-1398). Thus, researchers find both positive and negative aspects of his policy, which is not a new word in science, positively assess the overthrow of the former ruling elite (without focusing on the Mongol, i.e. foreign, origin of the deposed imperial dynasty), the establishment of an effective and harmonious vertical of power and his reform activities in this direction, the desire to create a new state of ease the situation of the people. The unprecedented scale of his repressions against his own subjects and the creation of a comprehensive system of investigation and police supervision are negatively assessed, as well as his "betrayal" of the peasant movement, when, being himself a participant in the "anti-feudal" peasant uprising, he eventually became emperor and consolidated the "feudal", i.e. exploitative, order. However, this highly schematized "class approach" has recently fallen by the wayside. In general, modern Chinese historians tend to believe that the positive aspects of Zhu Yuanzhang's activities prevail over the negative ones.

As before, the conference participants showed great interest in the issues of Chinese ideology and culture. A. I. Kobzev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) emphasized the essential role that concepts designated by one or another term played in the life of traditional China. Depending on the context, they may not be unambiguous phenomena. This can be demonstrated by the example of such a concept as wen. It combines culture and literature, has a certain connection with the name of the ancient ruler Wen-wang, with the red (cinnabar) color and symbolically-when the sovereign receives the approving command of Heaven (the supreme deity) to acquire the throne. In the philosophical sense, Wen was opposed to everything disordered, i.e., having a negative nature, chaos. Among the Old Chinese alchemists, wen is a symbol of administrative (but not political) power over people. In general, the concept of Wen is equally associated with power and culture in the broad sense of the word.

A. A. Krushinsky (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) on the examples of a previously unpracticed approach to the interpretation of 64 hexagrams from the classical ancient Chinese treatise " I Ching "("Book of Changes") he developed the idea that hexagrams are closely related to the classical Old Chinese written language-Wenyan. Hexagrams are a kind of artificial space based on a linguistic, hieroglyphic basis. The language in them is extremely formalized. The origin of hexagrams is associated with trigrams, and those, in turn, with pictograms that have pictorial origins. If we talk about the interpretation of hexagrams, then this is a concentrated classical reflection of Confucianism.

K. I. Zhilin (ISAA) also turned to the interpretation of the "I Ching", but in a completely different context, transferred to modern times. Believing that due to the growing contradictions, today's world is getting closer to an ecological and general crisis, the speaker suggested looking for a way to prevent this by merging the potentials contained in both Western and Eastern cultures. He symbolically associates the Western principles with the "male" essence, the Eastern ones with the "female" one. In his opinion, their positive combination can be best achieved in Russia, where there is a manifestation of both of these entities.

E. V. Bakulin (Moscow) spoke about the practical application of "I Ching". He noted that the interest in this cultural monument is very high, but the interpretation of the provisions contained in it in different translations is given in different ways and sometimes very arbitrarily and without the necessary comments in this case. This confuses the reader. Therefore, the task is to restore the text of the monument in its archetypal, original sense. In this case, it can be used in practice. In particular, the speaker believes that on the basis of such a text, it is possible to build forecasts that reveal the meaning and quality of current events.

З. G. Lapina (ISAA) proposed a new, in-depth interpretation of such a concept as "the art of ruling", which is found in ancient Chinese ideological texts. It had to do with the philosophical understanding of man's place - his position between the spiritualized Heaven and Earth, his role as an intermediary between these two elements. In this regard, constant self-improvement was required from a person. This is symbolically associated in the classics (in particular, in Confucius) with "lifting into the cart" - that is, polishing the spirit, like polishing

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ceramic products on a potter's wheel. Great importance was attached to the ritual. Reining in horses meant restraining one's own feelings. In other words, when comparing the commentaries with the ancient texts, we can quite definitely say that the mentioned Chariot is a "Chariot of the spirit", allegorically implying the cultivation of universal principles in a person by understanding and following" wen " - "enlightenment and culture".

K. I. Golygina (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) drew the audience's attention to the fact that among domestic and foreign researchers there is an understanding of the Shanhai Ching (Books of Mountains and Seas) that does not correspond to reality. It should be considered not as a geographical description, but as an astrological treatise endowed with secret content. This innermost meaning of the text was lost over time, but in the ancient dictionary "Erya" it is available. All the mountains and waters described here are mythological and belong to the celestial sphere-stars and constellations. Therefore, it is completely wrong to try to identify them with earthly realities. It also reflects the scheme of the world order, which Sima Qian then took when writing his famous "Historical Notes". The Shanhai Jing text is clearly structured. Its origin goes back to the oldest hand-drawn calendars and to the "I Ching". The text of the monument is attributed to the mythologized ruler Yu. In reality, it was composed by people associated with the earlier custom of sacrificing to the stars. Another interesting fact is that in China there is a Society for the study of "Shanhai Jing".

I. P. Karezina (IFTI, Moscow) introduced the students to the available Chinese translation of the Orthodox Catechism. It was completed in 1781 by Archimandrite Bichurin and printed at the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing. Reprinted in Shanghai. More than 120 copies of this translation are kept in St. Petersburg. Some copies have the translator's autographs.

Traditionally, at the final session, the conference participants paid tribute to our predecessors in the field of Chinese studies. In connection with the 90th anniversary of the birth of V. N. Rogov, his colleagues who remember him-L. P. Delyusin, A. N. Khokhlov and others - shared their memories of meetings and joint work with this bright man, about his many - sided, including scientific, activities.

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