Ricerc@Sapienza

The intercultural exchanges between Europe and Asia have a long and rich history; travelogues and diaries played an especially significant role in the process, at a later phase, for a variety of reasons. The focus of this research is a recognition of these representations in texts composed during Republican China (1912-1949), focusing in particular on Oumei manyou riji [Diary of a journey in Europe and the United States], composed by Chen Yifu (1869-1948) and his son Chen Dayou (dates unknown), a text that was never studied before. Oumei manyou riji has a unique value from at least three perspectives: it was written neither by a "scholar" in the most traditional sense of the term, nor by an official envoy; it was published in a period in which diaries were no longer considered a primary source of information on the West; it is a mine of cultural, historical, and linguistic information in the period considered. The purpose of the project is first to explore the existing editions of the text, stored in different libraries in Asia, pointing out the transformed role of Chen Yifu and Chen Dayou in their historical context. Secondly, while highlighting the fresh elements and representations of Italy that this involved, as well as commonalities with previous travelogues and diaries, the project points to the creation of a textualised Chinese version of the diary; finally, thanks to the creation of a translated and critical edition of the text, the project will clarify the odeporic textual production considered and will give Oumei manyou riji back its historical value.