The Studies of Pearl S. Buck in China since the 1960s
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Zhengtong Gu
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Wencheng Su
Abstract
The study of Pearl S. Buck in China has been ongoing for more than six decades since the 1960s. It has traversed 5 phases of development: the initial stage in the 1960s, the rising stage of development, the period of stagnation, the period of significant rebound, and the 21st-century period of significant resurgence. An analysis of the textual media, core research themes, and cultural dissemination demonstrates a wealth of academic achievements in the studies of Pearl S. Buck in China. The studies have a characteristic of a diverse array of textual media and an integration of research themes, resulting in a multifaceted, multi-dimensional and multi-perspective research paradigm for Pearl S. Buck researchers across various disciplinary domains. By doing this, it not only disseminates the cultural legacy of Pearl S. Buck but also brings brand-new research topics to the Chinese Pearl S. Buck research community.
In 1931, the American writer Pearl S. Buck’s work The Good Earth was published, and it won the Pulitzer Prize the following year. In 1938, Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature thanks to The Good Earth and other representative novels. In 2019, Professor Chen Sihe of Fudan University remarked in an academic meeting with Professor Duan Huaiqing, “The award won by the American writer Pearl S. Buck can prove that the West is sincere in its desire to understand China. As Lin Bide commented, ‘She gave us Westerners a kind of Chinese heart’” (Chen 2019, 1–6). The Eastern and Western cultures collide and interact, and friction and cooperation coexist. However, the implementation of an open and inclusive mindset that encourages mutual learning and mutual understanding will always be the prerequisite for ensuring the common prosperity of mankind (Wang 2003, 63–68). Therefore, the concept of cultural equality and cultural integration contained in Pearl S. Buck’s works is increasingly being recognized by domestic and foreign academic circles. Faced with the current complex international environment, the promotion of Pearl S. Buck’s cultural spirit has important theoretical and practical values in eliminating contradictions and jointly meeting challenges from all sides. The academic research on Pearl S. Buck conducted in China constitutes a pivotal aspect of analyzing her thought and embodying her cultural ethos.
1 Deep Roots and Lush Leaves: Pearl S. Buck Research Rooted in the “Land” of China
An examination of the history of Pearl S. Buck studies in China over the past 60 years since the 1960s demonstrates that Pearl S. Buck research in China has gone through five phases: the initial stage, the development and growth stage, the low ebb and doldrums stage, and the substantial recovery stage. Currently, a new era of vigorous development is underway, characterized by a surge in research enthusiasm, a broadening of research horizons, and the adoption of multifaceted and interdisciplinary research methods. Some scholars have conducted a panoramic scan of the process of subject evolution and characteristics of Pearl S. Buck research in China from the perspective of multivariate data quantitative analysis, and have comprehensively sorted out the system and process of Pearl S. Buck research in China (Lu et al. 2020, 49–50). From the perspective of publicly published Pearl S. Buck scholarship, the relevant results of Pearl S. Buck research in China began to appear in journals and academic conferences in the early 1960s, with monographs appearing in the 1980s and early 1990s, and master’s degree theses appearing in the late 1990s.
An analysis of the research results on Pearl S. Buck published in academic journals and conference papers reveals that these academic studies mainly involve seven core themes: “works research,” “writer research,” “translation research,” “comparative evaluation research,” “research on the cultural exchange spirit of Pearl S. Buck,” “research on the cultural spiritual core” and “research on the geographical connections of Pearl S. Buck to China and elsewhere.” “Works research” focuses on the research of the content, writing style, and cultural influence of Pearl S. Buck’s classic masterpieces such as The Good Earth and Dragon Seed. “Writer research” mainly explores Pearl S. Buck’s legendary and unique life experience. “Translation research” focuses on the translation theory reflected in the English translation of The Water Margin, Pearl S. Buck’s linguistic style, translation techniques and Western aesthetic orientation, as well as comparative analyses between her translation and others. “Comparative evaluation research” has long focused on comparative studies of Pearl S. Buck and writers from different eras, including a comparison of cultural images, work styles, and artistic values of related literary works. “Research on the Spirit of Cultural Exchange” focuses on the cultural phenomenon in which Pearl S. Buck’s literary works have effectively promoted the spread of Eastern cultures, represented by Chinese culture, to Western countries, and explains and analyses its influence in different eras. “Research on the Cultural Spirit Core” mainly focuses on the analysis of the cultural spirit core and sociological imagery in Pearl S. Buck’s works, such as the anti-war ideas, Chinese resistance against Japanese invasion, national self-awareness, patriotic ideas, liberalism and feminist ideas contained in Pearl S. Buck’s works, which have all become stand-alone research directions. “An analysis of the geographical connections between Pearl S. Buck and various places in China and abroad” traces the historical footsteps of Pearl S. Buck to provide a new perspective on the spiritual and cultural transmission paths of Pearl S. Buck, as well as a refined interpretation of the local social environment and structure of modern China.
An analysis of the research results of Pearl S. Buck in doctoral and master’s degree theses reveals that the core themes are predominantly concentrated in the following fields: “writer research,” “works research,” “comparative evaluation research,” “translation research” and “documentary analysis.” These themes are largely aligned with the focus of journals and conference papers. To be more specific, the topics of degree theses in the first five years of the 21st century generally focused on the study of Pearl S. Buck as a writer and her works. Buck’s novels, including a number of masterpieces such as The Good Earth, East Wind: West Wind and Pavilion of Women, have been reinterpreted by scholars from multiple perspectives. The cross-cultural humanistic spirit contained in these works, as well as Pearl S. Buck’s special life experience and cultural identity reflected in them, has attracted great attention from researchers. On this basis, after 2005, a number of exploration results on the feminist propositions, the conflict and integration of Eastern and Western cultures in Pearl S. Buck’s works were produced. The research in this direction reached its peak around 2009 and has gradually declined since then. Research on Pearl S. Buck from a comparative literature perspective spanned almost the first 20 years of the 21st century. It gradually developed from 2000 to 2007 and attracted the most attention in the eight years from 2008 to 2015. Contemporary writers such as Eileen Chang and Lin Yutang were common subjects of comparison. The study of Pearl S. Buck’s translations began in 2005, and there was a significant increase in research from 2009 to 2018, with more than 60 dissertations on Pearl S. Buck’s translations being completed during this period. However, no dissertations on the same topic have been published since 2018. Dissertations focusing on literature analysis have been published in the past five years and are emerging as key areas of research.
A thorough review of the research results of Pearl S. Buck in the monograph category shows that the core themes of the monograph research are mainly concentrated in the following areas: “author research,” “works research,” “comparative research” and “translation research.” The “author research” can be further divided into three sub-types: “biographical research,” “thought research” and “reception research.” For example, Cultural Bridge – Pearl S. Buck by Geng et al. (2009) and Pearl S. Buck, Booker and Suzhou: A Century of Sino-American Cultural Exchange in Northern Anhui by Yan (2017) focus on introducing her life story. Zhu Hua’s Chinese Discourse on American Orientalism: A Study of Pearl S. Buck’s Transnational Writing on China reviews the cultural and ideological roots of Pearl S. Buck (2012a). Chen Jing’s Pearl S. Buck and China: Conflict and Integration between Chinese and Western Cultures explains her acceptance, cognition and dissemination of Chinese culture from a historical and cultural perspective (2006). In addition, Guo Yingjian’s A Collection of Pearl S. Buck Studies in China re-examines the process of acceptance, recognition and praise of Pearl S. Buck’s spirit and works in the Chinese literary world from the perspective of the times (1999). The “works research” category focuses on the writing style, literary value, spiritual sustenance and cultural appeal of Pearl S. Buck’s works. Representative works include Zhu Lei’s A Study of Pearl S. Buck and Her Works (2012b). “Comparative studies” focus on the study of Pearl S. Buck works from a literary comparative perspective, exploring the influence of different cultural backgrounds, writing styles and ideologies of Pearl S. Buck and her contemporaries on their works, such as Yao Junwei’s Cultural Relativism: Pearl Buck’s View of Chinese and Western Culture (2001). In addition, Pearl S. Buck’s translation of The Water Margins has also been a focal point in scholars’ research for many years. A large number of excellent works on the interpretation of Pearl S. Buck’s translation style and techniques have been published, such as Dong Xiu’s The Translator’s Subjectivity and Translation Style: As Reflected in the English Translations of Shuihu Zhuan and Sanguo Yanyi by Buck and Roberts Respectively as Examples (2018).
An evaluation of Pearl S. Buck research results published in newspapers and yearbooks demonstrates that since 1992, Chinese newspapers and yearbooks have mainly recorded Pearl S. Buck research or cultural promotion work related to “academic discussion,” “geo-related research,” “evaluation and commentary” and “historical and literary relevance.” “Academic discussion” news reports and yearbooks mainly introduce the research progress or conference information of Pearl S. Buck research institutions at home and abroad. “Geo-related research” mainly introduces the countries or regions that Pearl S. Buck traveled to throughout her life, analyzes the regional cultural relationship between these places of visitation and the place where she lived in China, and builds Pearl S. Buck cultural theme projects. For example, the planning and construction of the Pearl S. Buck Theme Cultural Park in Zhenjiang City has appeared many times in the Zhenjiang Yearbook. “Commentary and Evaluation” involves domestic and foreign literary circles and academic commentaries on the life, works, values and spiritual heritage of Pearl S. Buck, such as Pearl Buck: A Female Writer Neglected by Feminist Criticism published by Gu Jun in the 13 April 2012 issue of Social Sciences in China (2012). The “historical and literary connection” category encompasses a broad range of topics. In addition to brief introductions to anecdotes of celebrities from all walks of life who maintained exchanges, it also covers the historical background of the era in which she lived, the creation of contemporary cultural products, and even the popularization of external promotional works. For example, Yao Junwei and Mei Jianfei published Pearl S. Buck, Telling the “Chinese Story” to the World in the Xinhua Daily on January 15, 2014 (2019), and the Zhenjiang national touring stage play A Moonlit Night on The Spring River: Pearl S. Buck has appeared many times in local yearbooks and news reports (2016).
The core themes of Pearl S. Buck’s research, as evidenced in different research texts, are both independent and cross-cutting, covering multiple research directions such as literature, culture, linguistics, and sociology. Mature research topics such as “works research,” “writer research,” “translation research” and “comparative research” have formed a solid research position; research topics related to “historical culture,” “cultural exchange and communication” and “social and cultural construction” are in a rapid development stage and have become new hotspots that Pearl S. Buck researchers pay close attention to. The diversity of academic achievements in this field is remarkable, with research content expanding and research themes integrating. This has resulted in a multifaceted, multi-perspective and multi-dimensional research paradigm for Pearl S. Buck researchers across various disciplines.
2 The Fragrance Becomes More Tranquil as It Drifts Away: The Synergistic Effect of Cross-Cultural Communication
In today’s complex historical context and international situation, the influence of Pearl S. Buck’s culture in China continues to increase, as evidenced by enthusiastic attention from scholars studying Buck’s work. This can be verified through the iterative supplements and improvements of “Pearl S. Buck” and related entries in the first, second and third editions of the Encyclopedia of China. In the first edition of the Encyclopedia of China, there was only one entry for “Pearl S. Buck”, written by Mr. Chen Guanshang, under the “Foreign Literature” subcategory in the “Humanities and Society” category. Although the second edition still showed only one entry for “Pearl S. Buck,” it offered more details than the first edition, supplemented by the author’s life, details of works published and a photo of the author. The entry for “Pearl S. Buck” in the third edition, written by Professor Yao Junwei in 2021, has expanded the entry system to include detailed author biography, major achievements, representative works, entry illustrations, and further reading. Professors Yao Junwei and Guo Yingjian also added three entries related to Pearl S. Buck’s theme in the third edition: “The Good Earth Trilogy,” “Kinfolk” and “Dragon Seed.” In addition, the third edition also includes four further entries: “Kaiming Literature and Art Translation Series,” “Bi Shutang,” “Ye Zhaoyan” and “Sanger M.” These entries are closely related to Pearl S. Buck’s Chinese translations, life, biography, and public welfare experience. Entries pertinent to “Pearl S. Buck” in the third edition fully promoted and popularized Pearl S. Buck’s social contributions and cultural influence in terms of China’s image (Lu et al. 2020, 49–59).
At the same time, the cultivation of talent teams, the building of research teams, and the establishment of cooperation platforms have opened up a broader world for Pearl S. Buck research. The research team led by Professor Yao Junwei of Nanjing Normal University is a notable exemplar as it fulfils the functions of cultivating talent teams and building research teams, and has both academic inheritance and creativity. Academic journals such as Journal of Jiangsu University (Social Science Edition), Journal of Henan Normal University (Social Science Edition), Journal of Suzhou University, etc. have constantly featured columns on the research of Pearl S. Buck and have published a large number of Pearl S. Buck research results, establishing a repository of scholarly output. In 2015, an International Literature Resource Center was established by the Jiangsu University Library. After several years of meticulous development, it has now become a distinctive literature resource entity library with considerable international influence, the largest variety of Pearl S. Buck literature resources, and the most comprehensive content, providing a free, open, and interactive resource exchange and acquisition platform for international Pearl S. Buck academic research. Many universities, including Jiangsu University, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang College in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, and Suzhou University in Suzhou, Anhui, have established Pearl S. Buck Institutes, thereby forming a multidisciplinary research trend and playing an important role in scientific research, talent training, cultural communication, and etc. Since 2002, the city of Zhenjiang has hosted the “Pearl S. Buck International Academic Symposium” a total of nine times, thereby establishing a high-end platform with excellent conditions for the internationalization of academic research on Pearl S. Buck and the exchange and communication between Chinese and Western cultures in current multicultural era under the background of globalization.
In comparison with the vast number of excellent achievements, diverse academic media, and high-end communication platforms, the international dissemination of research results on Pearl S. Buck in China seems relatively underwhelming. The primary factors contributing to this phenomenon can be categorized as follows: first, the academic achievements of domestic Pearl S. Buck research are exclusively in Chinese, and the carriers of the achievements are exclusively within China; secondly, international colleagues engaged in Pearl S. Buck research demonstrated a lack of comprehension and accessibility to obtain academic research results on “the studies of Pearl S. Buck.” Against this background, the publication of the full English version of A Collection of Pearl S. Buck Studies in China (henceforth referred to as Collection) has filled this gap to a certain extent. The Collection adopts a chronological approach, utilizing the academic and social influence of scholars as the primary merits. It brings together the excellent academic achievements of the three generations of first-class domestic experts on Pearl S. Buck, including Chen Sihe, Wang Shouren, Wang Yingguo, Lu Xingliang, Yao Xipei, Liu Haiping, Yao Junwei, Guo Yingjian, Duan Huaiqing, Xu Qing, Gu Jun, Zhu Hua, and Dong Xiu. The Collection disseminates the spiritual core of Pearl S. Buck culture to the world through selected articles, chronicles the “Chinese story” concerning the studies of Pearl S. Buck, and conveys the “Chinese voice” of Pearl S. Buck culture. It possesses important theoretical and practical value in eliminating the cultural barriers and contradictions between the East and the West. The successful publication of the collection and the subsequent international copyright transfer marked a milestone in the systematic introduction of academic masterpieces on Pearl S. Buck in Chinese to the international Pearl S. Buck research community. This step is crucial as it marks a valuable beginning for the continued international dissemination of Chinese Pearl S. Buck research results and Pearl S. Buck culture, representing a beneficial attempt to convey the Chinese voice to the world through academic discourse.
In addition to the achievements as reflected in academic research, the social influence of Pearl S. Buck culture is more obviously seen in the construction of urban public spaces with rich forms, the promotion of cultural tourism brands, and Pearl S. Buck-themed artistic creations. This dissemination and promotion of the cultural spirit of Buck in the real world is of particular interest. An analysis of the evolution of Pearl S. Buck’s research themes, as shown in newspapers and yearbooks, reveals a shift in focus from the early 1990s, when academic activities and commemorative events dominated. However, both the number and the frequency of publications were extremely low. After 2000, the publicity of exchange activities between Pearl S. Buck international research institutions or private institutions in the East and the West began to increase significantly, and reports on the protection of Pearl S. Buck’s tangible cultural heritage and the construction of cultural tourism brands in many places gradually got people’s attention. In terms of the commentary on Pearl S. Buck’s spirit (in terms of topics commenting on the spirit of Pearl S. Buck), articles expounding the spirit of freedom, equality, and respect that she strongly advocated emerged in an endless stream. Especially since 2014, there has been an increasing recognition and respect for her contributions from all sectors of society. This has resulted in a number of cultural publicity and exchange projects focusing on Pearl S. Buck themes and activities. These include the maintenance and opening of Pearl S. Buck’s former residence, the construction of Pearl S. Buck themes public spaces, the creation and performance of poetry, calligraphy and painting exhibitions, stage plays, and the promotion of cultural tourism projects. For example, Pearl S. Buck’s former residence museums are open to the public in Zhenjiang and Huai’an; the Pearl S. Buck Cultural Park has been constructed in Zhenjiang; the play A Moonlit Night on The Spring River: Pearl S. Buck has been staged; and the Pearl S. Buck Theme Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition Tour has been hosted by the Jiangsu University Library.
The international dissemination of Pearl S. Buck’s culture is evident in the performance of the stage play A Moonlit Night on The Spring River: Pearl S. Buck (co-produced by Zhenjiang Culture, Radio, Film and Television Industry Group and Huajiang Yidong Culture Media). This stage play integrates multiple cultures. The creator of the play extracted the five elements of “spring,” “river,” “flower,” “moon” and “night” from “A Moonlit Night on the Spring River” by the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ruoxu, and corresponded them with the five experiences in Pearl S. Buck’s life, using symbolic methods to interpret Pearl S. Buck’s 80-year life journey. The play had its world premiere at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York from August 27 to 30, 2015, attracting local Chinese, European and American audiences and more than 60 performance companies around the world, with European and American audiences accounting for two-thirds of the total number of audiences. After the premiere, the audience expressed their profound attraction to the play’s international perspective and artistic expression. From June 14 to 18, 2016, the play kicked off the North American leg of its world tour at the Imperial Theatre in Montreal, Canada, and was subsequently performed in Toronto, Canada and several cities in the United States. After watching the first performance, Mr. Jingtao Peng, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Montreal, said, “The dialogue of civilizations and the integration of cultures were Pearl S. Buck’s lifelong pursuits, and are also the cultural heritage she left us. The performance, a collaborative effort of the creative teams from China, the United States, and Canada, employs a multifaceted integration of performance elements to convey the poignant and remarkable narrative of Pearl S. Buck’s life. The performance also perpetuates her legacy of advocating for ‘harmony in diversity’ among different cultures” (2016).
The cultural and creative projects, which are diverse in form, rich in content and easy to understand, have achieved two objectives. One is disseminating the Pearl S. Buck culture as widely as possible. The other is introducing new research topics to academic research. At the same time, the academic achievements of research have also furnished new inspiration for the expansion of cultural and creative projects, and facilitated in-depth intellectual support, spiritual nourishment and aesthetic foundation for further optimization, promotion and dissemination of the projects. The synergistic integration of Pearl S. Buck’s academic research results and cultural and creative initiatives will generate a potent nexus for the global propagation of Pearl S. Buck culture, thereby facilitating enhanced comprehension of her remarkable academic and cultural contributions in China. This initiative will foster a deeper understanding of China, a nation that Pearl S. Buck held in high esteem throughout her life, and will serve to unveil the profound, compassionate and diverse nature of this nation.
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