The Image Of China In Maugham’s Writing

The image of China depicts in the novels of British writer Somerset Maugham,has a great influence in western society. China’s image shows two forms in Maugham’s novels, one is not in contact with China’s imaginary fictional, which is based on the traditional formulation of western culture on China’s image and Maugham’s own imagination; the other is more objective image created by his knowledge and experience in China. By analyzing the image of China in earlier and later period of Maugham’s novel, we can reveal the methods and content of Maugham’s cognitive of China. China’s image in Maugham’s novels has been multi-faceted built, which portrayed the natural, social, cultural customs, more on the characters. Maugham understood the China’s reality of that era with dual strokes. Chinese characters showed three faces, greedy officials, heavy scholars, difficult people. Maugham satirized chinese officials spicily, respected old chinese scholars and surpressed new, sympathized with the toiling people. Maugham’s representation of the image of China, both branded with western collective imagination, and his personal observe and cognitive of China. By analysis of Maugham’s image of China, on the one hand, we can reveal the changes and development characters of western image of China, the other hand, reflect the current situation of the China-Western cultural exchanges in the1920s. As a western writer with a opened cultural horizons, Maugham presented a relatively objective China for readers by his China’s image. The meaning of the image of China is the state of the writers on exotic image is a two-way mirror, which shows the exotic image in the eyes of writer, but also reflects the writer’s cognitive perspective. It has great significance for understanding an exchanging between different cultures. This article analysis the image of China described by Maugham, interpreting the text composition of China’s image, hoping to reveal the features and value of China’s image in western culture clash at the beginning of globalization exchanges.