Russian diplomat G. A. Planson in Chinese fiction and Academic literature

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of Chinese academic and fictional literature that contains references to the Russian diplomat G. A. Planson and his activities. George Antonovich Planson served as a diplomat in China from 1902 to 1904. During this period, an agreement between the Russian and the Qing empires was signed stating conditions of the withdrawal of Russian troops from Manchuria and subsequent suspension of the withdrawal of Russian troops from North China. It was found that Chinese historiography still severely lacks factual studies about Planson. Available information is limited; therefore, it is easy to conjure the fictional image that could be found in Chinese fiction. This fact confirms the need for a more thorough study of the available archival documents on his life and activities. Many materials in Chinese are introduced for the first time. Refs 12.