Global literary diffusion and its impact on Chinese language, literature, and culture
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New book in the Cambridge Elements Series
Yuanfei Wang and Victor H. Mair
Early Globalism and Chinese Literature
Cambridge University Press: 18 February 2026
The entire book, richly illustrated in color, is available open access online.
Summary
Exploring 'early globalism and Chinese literature' through the lens of 'literary diffusion,' this Element analyzes two primary forms. The first is Buddhist literary diffusion, whose revolutionary impact on Chinese language and literature is illustrated through scriptural translation, transformation texts, and 'journey to the West' stories. The second, facilitated diffusion, engages with the maritime world, traced through the seafaring journey of Cinderella stories and the totalizing worldview in literature on Zheng He's voyages. The authors contend that early global literary diffusion left a lasting imprint on Chinese language, literature, and culture.
Contents
- PART I Buddhism And Literature
- Introduction to Part I
- 1 Buddhist Translation and the Chinese Language
- 2 Bianwen (“Transformation Texts”) and Their Importance
- 3 Buddhism, the Literary World, and the “Journey to the West” Stories
- PART II SEA AND STORY
- Introduction to Part II
- 4 Maritime Circulation of the Cinderella Story
- 5 Voyages of Zheng He: The World in Ming Literature
- Epilogue
- Appendix
- Acknowledgements
- The Global Middle Ages
- The Global Middle Ages
- Footnotes
- References
Selected readings
- "Transformational manifestation: an Indo-Sinitic ontological puzzle in Chinese literature" (8/20/25)
- "Learning Tamil" (10/31/20)
- "Buddhism and languages" (2/28/17)