Li Yunzhu. Chinese classical philosophy as interpreted by L.N. Tolstoy and its understanding by Wu Zeling

This article deals with the way Leo Tolstoy’s philosophical views are perceived within the Chinese academic tradition, as well as Tolstoy’s own interpretation of classical Chinese philosophy. The methodological framework of the study incorporates interdisciplinary, historical-genetic, and historical-sociological approaches, alongside comparative analysis. The focus is made on Professor Wu Zeling's monograph "Tolstoy and Classical Chinese Culture and Philosophy" (2000/2017). It is concluded that the Chinese scholar rejects a linear model of "influence" in favour of a concept based on selective perception and functional interpretation, meaning that Tolstoy treated Chinese philosophy not as a source, but as a tool for expressing his own ideas. The comparison of the research strategies employed by Wu Zeling and the Russian scholar Kim Rekho reveals two fundamentally different approaches to understanding Tolstoy’s dialogue with the East, i.e. the socio-historical approach and the typological approach.