«Служить государственным интересам России на Азиатском Востоке»: русский ориенталист П. В. Шкуркин
“To Serve the State Interests of Russia in the Asian East”: Russian Orientalist P. V. Shkurkin

Summary/Abstract: Using printed periodicals from the first quarter of the 20th century and publications of Russian scholars, this article systematizes information on the military and civil service and scholarly and pedagogical activity of Pavel Vasilyevich Shkurkin (1868–1943). For the first time, facts of the biography of this Russian officer-orientalist are presented as a unity, with an analysis of his scientific works. Historical sources are articles published in the journals News of the Eastern Institute, Notes of the Amur Branch of the Society of Oriental Studies, and Asian Herald. The focus is on the scientific research that Shkurkin had done for several decades in the Russian Far East and northern China. The article notes his heroic participation in important events of the first quarter of the 20th century: suppression of the Boxer Rebellion, in China, the Russian-Japanese War, the struggle in Manchuria and the Russian Far East against organized Chinese gangs (Hunghuz), and the development of educational centers in Russian settlements of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) line. In addition, the article discusses Shkurkin’s role in multifaceted activities of scientific and educational organizations: the Amur branch of the Society of Oriental Studies (Khabarovsk), the Society of Russian Orientalists (Harbin), and the development of oriental education in Russia, while maintaining a high level of teaching in educational institutions for the Russian-speaking population in China. Shkurkin’s military, civil service, scientific, and educational activities contributed to spreading reliable knowledge about China and its inhabitants among the educated Russian public, creating a positive and respectful attitude towards the ancient foundations of Eastern culture, and expanding positive Russian-Chinese interaction in the border area.

• Details
• Contents