The Image Of Chinese In Modern Japanese Writers' Experience Of Chin

Since modern times,Japan has been rapidly westernized."Chinese interest" has prevailed in Japan as a counter-trend.With the development of transportation and tourism,Japanese literati flocked to China.They used their own experiences as important materials for writing novels and travel notes,which greatly influenced Japanese people’s view of China and also had a direct impact on Sino-Japanese relations.We can know their unique and complex understandings of China by analyzing the images of Chinese people in their works.The research texts of this dissertation are selected from famous Japanese writers in modern times including Natsume Souseki,Tanizaki Junichiro and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa.The research objects are Chinese coolies,prostitutes as well as intellectuals from the chosen texts.The research is conducted from the perspectives of the writers’ historical background,purposes of the travel,writing styles and the writers’ social status.Text analysis and contrast methods are used to study the Chinese images.By comparing those images horizontally,the similarities and differences are summarized in this dissertation.The conclusions are as follows:The Chinese images created by modern Japanese writers are influenced by the background of the times,the writers’ travel purposes,writing styles,social status and other factors.The three writers have the same impression of coolies,prostitutes and intellectuals but with subtle differences.None of the three writers had ever communicated with coolies who were at the bottom of Chinese society.Nor had they investigated and understood these underclasses’ real life.Instead,They saw the superficial side of the coolies since all of the writers detailedly described coolies’ appearances and movements.Through analyzing the coolies’ images from the three writers’ selective texts,it can be seen that their coherent understandings of coolies rose from the outside to the inside to the virtues.The bad image of coolies was gradually shaped by them.Through detailed analysis,these writers made some positive comments on coolies as well,from which we can know their ambivalence towards Chinese people.Both Tanizaki Junichiro and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa noted the prostitutes,a special profession,which made women a commodity to be consumed.But Tanizaki Junichiro noticed more about the beauty of prostitutes without further comprehending their sufferings,While Ryuunosuke Akutagawa portrayed two types of prostitutes.He criticized the sins of some prostitutes.He,however,also showed sympathies to the beauties in the southern part of China,hoping that they can live a normal life like other ordinary women.Unlike describing coolies and prostitutes,both Tanizaki Junichiro and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa showed their respect for Chinese intellectuals in texts.This was because the writers communicated with and formed deep friendships with this group.The communications significantly influenced both writers,but these also led the writers to make completely different choices later.As a "pure" writer who ran counter to politics,Tanizaki Junichiro felt disappointed after knowing the current situation in China.So he gave up his previous "Chinese interest" and returned to Japanese classics.He also cut off contact with Chinese friends for a long time.However,after knowing the reality of China,Ryuunosuke Akutagawa felt disappointed too.Instead of changing his “Chinese Interest”,he turned to think about Japan’s invasion and the future of China.