The Image of the Soviet Union and Russia in Chinese history textbooks of the 2000s (in the perspective of development of Chinese historiography)

Abstract

The article represents analysis of the image Russia and the Soviet Union have acquired in Chinese history textbooks of 2000s. My analysis of the treatment Russia and the Soviet Union receive in contemporary Chinese history books serves to demonstrate that the content of those texts reflects complex and multidirectional trends in the academic and political environment. In recent decades Chinese political and economical policies aimed at China’s integration into the world’s economical and political institutions defined images of Western countries. In this context, Russia is a subtle subject, and observing its treatment has revealed some inconsistencies in the current Chinese policies. Ideology urges policymakers to acknowledge the ultimate victory of socialism, while their economic and political ambitions are aimed at integration into the system of global capitalism. Refs 33.