From Local Feeling to National Identity: The Xiangxi Complex (Western Hunan) in the Artistic World of Shen Congwen

The subject of the research is the dynamics of ethnic self-consciousness of Shen Congwen. The object of the study includes his "Xiangxi complex" and literary creativity. The author examines in detail the process of formation and stages of transformation of this identity. The aim of this research is to trace the evolution of the writer's ethnic self-consciousness through the analysis of the "Xiangxi complex" and to reveal the interaction of personal experience with historical context. To achieve this aim, the following tasks were identified: - to investigate the reasons for the formation of Shen Congwen's "Xiangxi complex"; - to determine the main stages of the transformation of his national identity; - to analyze the specific influence of external factors on the transition of his ethnic self-consciousness to a general Chinese national identity. Special attention is given to the influence of the cultural and historical context on the formation of Shen Congwen's identity. The methodological basis consists of a comprehensive approach that combines biographical and cultural-historical analysis within the framework of identity construction theory. A comparative method is also applied to compare the stylistics and content of his works from different periods. The scientific novelty of the research lies, firstly, in the sequential analysis of the "Xiangxi complex" not as a static phenomenon, but as a dynamic meaningful system. Secondly, the study offers a new perspective for analysis – the evolution of the writer's ethnic identity as an active process of construction, determined by personal and historical circumstances. The main conclusions of the conducted research are that Shen Congwen's ethnic self-consciousness has undergone a complex non-linear evolution. The outcome of this journey was the formation of a synthetic identity of an "ethnic marginal." Such an identity transcends the specific frameworks of local belonging. The practical significance of the work lies in providing a new analytical perspective for interpreting national narratives in Chinese literature. The findings are valuable for research on the processes of constructing national identity in modern China and in comparative cross-cultural studies.