Chinese Tuvans in The Book of Tuva (2005) by Wang Zu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.2Keywords:
Chinese Tuvans, Wang Zu, The Book of Tuva, nomadic lifestyleAbstract
The article examines the ways in which the image of Chinese Tuvans is represented in the work of the Chinese writer Wang Zu, The Book of Tuva (2005). The text is analyzed as a form of cultural knowledge in which everyday episodes, oral formulas, and historical images merge into a unified narrative field. Attention is paid to how the author constructs local community identity and develops stable semantic structures that define a coherent image of cultural space.
The methodological foundation of the study combines genre-compositional and narrative analysis with cultural-anthropological interpretation. Based on the textual material, the study identifies key mechanisms of representation: cross-cut composition as a means of preserving multiple perspectives; the proverb layer as a carrier of collective memory; the material semantics of utensils and livestock as indices of cultural continuity; and the role of numerical practices and rituals in the organization of narrative situations. Special attention is also given to the invocation of the image of Genghis Khan as a device for scaling local history and as a factor of idealization of the depicted community.
It is demonstrated that The Book of Tuva occupies a distinctive position at the intersection of documentary narration and artistic reconstruction: the text retains its value as a source of observations on everyday life, while simultaneously transforming them into a literary construct that shapes the public image of Chinese Tuvans.
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For citation:
Cheng L. Chinese Tuvans in The Book of Tuva (2005) by Wang Zu. New Research of Tuva, 2026, no. 2, pp. 26-36. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.2
Author Biography
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Liang Cheng Hebei University
PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Department of Russian Language, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hebei University.
Postal address: 180, Wusi Dong St., Hebei, Baoding, China.
E-mail: chengliangvila@yandex.ru
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