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

The course aims to provide an overview of the diachronic development of Chinese culture, literary genres, and the most significant works from the 5th-6th century AD to the first half of the 20th century, both in verse and prose. This will be done through guided readings of selected works presented in Italian translation. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Navigate the cultural and geo-linguistic landscape of imperial China from the Tang to the Qing dynasties, the early Republican period, and the People's Republic, highlighting the main peculiarities emerging from the analysis of iconographic, documentary, and material culture sources, and emphasizing the constituent elements of Chinese civilization;

2. Read the texts in their original language presented in class and explain their contents with proper contextualization;

3. Demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge and methodological tools necessary for analyzing the historical context in which the most mature phases of Chinese civilization developed, and be able to highlight the complex relationship between modernity and traditional civilization, emphasizing crucial themes that are still essential for understanding contemporary Chinese society;

4. Use scientific vocabulary more familiarly to argue their reflections persuasively and effectively;

5. Develop a functional and adaptive learning model for evaluating the complex historical and cultural phenomena of modern and contemporary China.

PREREQUISITES

Having successfully completed and assimilated the content of the first-year course.

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:

• Bertuccioli G., La letteratura cinese, Roma, L’Asino d’oro, 2013 (capp. IV-VIII).
• Pesaro N., Pirazzoli M., La narrativa cinese del Novecento, Roma, Carocci, 2019 (Parte prima).
• Lecture notes and selected readings provided.

1. Additional text for non-attending students:

2. Masi E., Cento capolavori della letteratura cinese, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2014.

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

Lista 1

• Du Fu, Senza ali per tornare, traduzione dal cinese a cura di Luca Stirpe, Roma, Orientalia, 2025.
• Cento liriche della dinastia Song, a cura di Massimiliano Canale, Venezia, Marsilio, 2025.
• Guan Hanqing, Turbare il Cielo e commuovere la Terra: l'ingiustizia subita da Dou E, a cura di A. Tosco, Canterano, Aracne, 2020
• Il laccio scarlatto, a cura di Barbara Bisetto, Venezia, Marsilio, 2010.
• Le avventure di un ragazzo brutto, traduzione dal cinese a cura di Giovanni Vitiello, Roma, Orientalia, 2020. 
• Lu Yu, Il canone del tè, a cura di Marco Ceresa, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2013.
• Matteo Ricci, Descrizione della Cina, Macerata Quodlibet, 2011.
• Shen Fu, Racconti di una fugace esistenza, Milano, Luni, 2019. 
• Storie delle sei perfezioni, a cura di Stefano Zacchetti, Venezia, Marsilio, 2013.
• Vita di una donna ossessionata, traduzione dal cinese a cura di Giorgio Casacchia, Roma, Orientalia, 2017.
• Zhang Dai, Diario di un letterato di epoca Ming, a cura di Armando Alessandro Turturici, Milano, Luni, 2021 

Lista 2 

• Aa. Vv., Shanghai suite, Roma, Atmosphere Libri, 2014.
• Ba Jin, Famiglia, Roma, Atmosphere Libri, 2018.
• Lao She, Città di gatti, Milano, Mondadori, 2024.
• Lao She, Il ragazzo del risciò, Milano Mondadori, 2019.
• Lu Xun, Esitazione, a cura di Nicoletta Pesaro, Palermo, Sellerio, 2022. 
• Lu Xun, Grida, a cura di Nicoletta Pesaro, Palermo, Sellerio, 2021. 
• Qian Zhongshu, Fortezza assediata, Milano Mondadori, 2025.
• Shen Congwen, Il vecchio e il nuovo, Roma, Nutrimenti, 2004.
• Yu Dafu, Naufragio, Roma, Aracne, 2013.

Non-attending students are required to select one additional text from List B.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

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.