Chinese Comparative Literature in the 30 Years Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China

The thirty years from the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 to the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1978 were often considered as a dark period for the study of Chinese comparative literature.Yue Daiyun, Wang Xiangyuan, Xu Zhixiao, Xu Yangshang, and other scholars defined it as the “dormant period,” “stagnant period,” or even “silent period” of Chinese comparative literature. “When an infant is isolated and lonely, he/she can create a world and make many spiritual friends.” During this special period, some scholars still bore the burden of loneliness with the innocent hearts of newborn infants, making contributions to the development of Chinese comparative literature and continuing to create unique worlds. Therefore, studies conducted during the so-called “dormant period” should not be ignored, even if they bear distinct historical imprints. For example, the overall lack of systematic research on Chinese comparative literature during the “dormant period” has been remedied to some extent by scholars and pertinent works, as represented by Ji Xianlin, Wu Xiaoling, and Chang Renxia in the research field of literary and cultural relations between China, India, and other Eastern countries. Although located in different geographical locations and influenced by different political systems, scholars in Hong Kong and Taiwan (China) have made immense efforts to revive and develop the discipline of comparative literature, actively incorporating Chinese comparative literature into dialogue and interaction with international comparative literature.The exchange of literature and culture between China and Russia during this period is also worth paying attention to, especially the thematic research on Lu Xun and Russian-Soviet literature, which has produced significant works. At the same time, the innovation in translation research methodology by Fu Lei and Qian Zhongshu in the field of translation became a stunning highlight of comparative literature during this period. These unique worlds are worth exploring and learning further to promote the construction of the methodological system of international comparative literature.