OVERVIEW

The course aims to provide students with a general understanding of the history of Chinese culture and literature from the Tang dynasty (618-907) to the 20th century. It will highlight the developments in literary production in classical language up to the end of the imperial era and introduce the main cultural and literary phenomena of the 20th century. The course will also cover the major events following the fall of the empire, leading to the establishment of the Republic and, on October 1, 1949, the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), focusing on the production and reception of cultural products and their influence on contemporary China.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course intends to deepen themes and phases of Chinese culture in its diachronic evolution, focusing on textual production and genre varieties, highlighting links and specific traits in relation to the historical development. Through the guided reading of selected extracts in Chinese starting from the Tang era (618-907) onwards, the main cultural phenomena characterising the imperial era from the 7th century to the crucial events of the twentieth century (the fall of the last dynasty and the beginning of the republican era) will be presented. The course will also address a selection of texts produced after the establishment of the People's Republic of China and during the Cultural Revolution, paying particular attention to the language, the ideology, the historical-political context, and the relevance in the contemporary epoch.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to provide an overview of the diachronic development of Sinophone culture in the twentieth century, with particular emphasis on significant literary, historical, and socio-cultural aspects. Through guided readings of selected works, presented in Italian translation, students will gain the tools to critically understand the complexity and diversity of cultural expressions across the Sinophone world.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. navigate the cultural and geo-linguistic landscape of the contemporary Sinophone world, highlighting key features through the analysis of both primary and secondary sources, and identifying core elements of Chinese civilization from a global perspective; particular attention will be given to literary production and the historical context of the twentieth century;

2. read and translate texts and works in the original language as presented in class, explain their content with appropriate contextualization, and relate them to the major historical and cultural developments of the twentieth century in different Sinophone contexts;

3. demonstrate their acquisition of the knowledge and methodological tools necessary to analyze the context in which the most recent phases of Chinese civilization have taken place; they will also be able to assess the complex relationship between tradition and modernity, and to identify key themes—literary, historical, and ideological—that remain essential for understanding contemporary China;

4. use academic and disciplinary terminology with increasing familiarity to articulate their reflections in a persuasive and effective manner, including through critical engagement with literary texts and historical-cultural materials;

5. develop a functional and adaptive learning model for evaluating the complex cultural, media-related, historical, and literary phenomena of the Sinophone world, with particular focus on the role of twentieth-century intellectual production in the construction of modern identities.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal teaching in person. Students will also be asked to carry out guided independent activities, like reading scientific articles and watching audiovisual materials, to be later discussed (in Italian) during class workshop.  

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course consists of in-person lectures conducted in Italian, during which key themes and topics from the assigned texts and bibliography will be explored in depth and contextualized. Particular focus will be placed on the literary and cultural production that emerged after 1949, with the aim of analyzing the historical, linguistic, and symbolic transformations that have shaped modern Sinophone expression.

Special attention will be given to the comparative analysis of the various geopolitical and cultural contexts that have influenced the development of literature and cultural discourse in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Sinophone regions. Lectures will adopt a contrastive approach to examine differences and similarities in literary production, identity formation, and the interrelations between power, memory, and narrative, in order to provide a critical and multifaceted understanding of cultural plurality within the Sinophone world.

Throughout the course, students will engage with literary texts in the original language (accompanied by translations where necessary), audiovisual materials, and digital resources, fostering an interdisciplinary and comprehensive perspective on contemporary China and the broader Sinophone context.

The syllabus and course requirements are the same for both attending and non-attending students. All students are expected to prepare the assigned materials and to demonstrate knowledge of the topics covered in class.

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RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mandatory texts:

• Pesaro N., Pirazzoli M., La narrativa cinese del Novecento, Roma, Carocci, 2019 (Second part).
• Lecture notes and selected readings provided.

Two texts from List A and one test from List B (mandatory for all students):

List 1

• List A

  Bai Xianyong, Gente di Taipei, Roma, Atmosphere Libri, 2023.

  Bi Feiyu, I maestri di Tuina, Palermo, Sellerio, 2012.

  Can Xue, La città del fumo, Milano, Utopia, 2025.

  Fang Fang, Come un seme sepolto dal tempo, Milano, Rizzoli, 2022.

  Gao Xingjian, La montagna dell’anima, Milano, Rizzoli, 2008.

  Ge Fei, Il mantello dell’invisibilità, Isola del Liri, Fazi, 2024.

  Jia Pingwa, Lanterna e il distretto dei ciliegi, Roma, Elliot, 2017.

  Li Yiyun, Più gentile della solitudine, Milano, NN editore, 2025.

  Liu Cixin, Il problema dei tre corpi, Milano, Mondadori, 2017.

  Liu Heng, La vita felice del ciarliero Zhang Daming, Roma, Atmosphere Libri, 2018.

  Liu Zhenyun, Un giorno, tre autunni, Roma Orientalia, 2024.

  Liu Zhenyun, Divorzio alla cinese, Milano, Bompiani, 2016.

  Ma Jian, Il sogno cinese, Milano Feltrinelli, 2021.

  Ma Jian, La via oscura, Milano Feltrinelli, 2015.

  Mo Yan, Le rane, Torino, Einaudi, 2014

  Mo Yan, Sorgo Rosso, Torino, Einaudi, 2014.

  Qiu Maojin, Ultime lettere da Montmartre, Milano, Jaca Book, 2016.

  Voci da Taiwan, a cura di R. Lombardi, Roma, Orientalia, 2022. 

  Wang Anyi, La canzone dell'eterno rimpianto, Torino, Einaudi, 2011.

  Wang Xiaobo, L’età dell’oro, Milano, Carbonio, 2024.

  Wang Zhenhe, Rosa rosa amore mio, Roma, Orientalia, 2014.

  Wu Ming-yi, Montagne e nuvole negli occhi, Roma, Edizioni e/o, 2021.

  Yan Lianke, Il giorno in cui morì il sole, Nottetempo, 2022.

  Yan Lianke, Servire il popolo, Torino, Einaudi, 2006

  Ye Zhaoyan, La storia del giuggiolo, Roma, Atmosphere Libri, 2021.

  Yu Hua, La città che non c'è, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2024.

  Yu Hua, Vivere!, Milano Feltrinelli, 2012.

  Zhu Tianxin, Nostalgia dei miei fratelli dei villaggi militari, Roma, Orientalia, 2023.

   

  Lista B

  Brown K., Perché Taiwan conta, Torino, Einaudi, 2025.

  Clemens J., Isola ribelle. L'incredibile storia di Taiwan, Torino, EDT, 2025.

  Dunlop F., Invito a un banchetto. Sapori e storie della cucina cinese, Torino, ADD, 2025.

  Lim L., La città indelebile. Hong Kong tradita e ribelle, Torino, ADD, 2023.

  Lupis M., Hong Kong. Racconto di una città sospesa, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021.

  Pelaggi, L'isola sospesa. Taiwan e gli equilibri del mondo, Milano, Luiss UP, 2022.

  Sala, I.M., L'eclissi di Hong Kong. Topografia di una città in tumulto, Torino, ADD, 2022.

           Sulla Via del Catai. Taiwan, l'isola che c'è. Un ritratto del paese asiatico tra storia, identità e democrazia, a cura di F. Passi, n. 30, 05/2024.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lessons will be held on both first and second semester. Schedule and location will be communicated at a later date.

Class schedule

CHINESE LITERATURE AND CULTURE II

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral interview in Italian. The students will show their ability to relate the various topics covered in the course. During the exam (with open questions, relating to the whole program including the compulsory books and the selected texts introduced during lessons), the quality of the presentation, the correct use of the lexicon (in particular while clarifying texts of philosophical content), the critical competence will all be carefully assessed.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The students will have to demonstrate the assimilation of the main topics, to have acquired the basic knowledge of the course contents, to be able to elaborate a short speech on one or more topics, related to the compulsory monographs and/or with the selected texts introduced during the course, placing them in the Chinese and Asian historical and cultural contexts. Attendance and active participation during the lessons will facilitate the examination process.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.