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Vasily VasilievScientist, Sinologist
Date of Birth: 04.03.1818
Country:  Russia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- University and Studies
- Beijing Sojourn
- Return and Professorship
- Scholarly Contributions
- - Information on the Manchus during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties
- - Buddism, its Dogmas, History and Literature
Early Life and Education
Vasily Pavlovich Vasiliev was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1818 to a minor official. At the age of six, he entered a district school, which he completed for the first time at nine. He was then appointed as a copyist in the Nizhny Novgorod district court. However, due to a 1827 decree prohibiting the enlistment of young people under the age of 14 in government service, Vasiliev's father enrolled him back in the third grade of the district school. In 1828, he was transferred to the gymnasium.
University and Studies
In 1834, Vasiliev enrolled at Kazan University, where he studied Oriental languages in the Department of History and Philology, graduating in 1837. He was then invited to join a Russian religious mission to Beijing to study Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Chinese.
Beijing Sojourn
Accepting the offer, Vasiliev spent two years in special preparation and studying Buddhism from Mongolian sources. The result was his unpublished scholarly work, "The Spirit of Altan-Gerel," which provided a detailed analysis of the foundations of Buddhist philosophy. This dissertation earned him a Master's degree in Oriental Philology.
In 1840, Vasiliev arrived in Beijing, where he lived for over nine years, devoting himself to the study of Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Mongolian, and Manchu languages. His research covered a wide range of Oriental knowledge, characterized by its originality and reliance on Eastern sources.
Return and Professorship
In 1850, Vasiliev returned from China and was appointed Professor of Chinese and Manchu Literature at Kazan University in 1851. He also began his scholarly and literary career, producing numerous works that served as textbooks for his students.
Scholarly Contributions
Linguistic Studies- Manchu-Russian Dictionary
- Analysis of Chinese Hieroglyphs
- Chinese Chrestomathy
- Graphic System of Chinese Hieroglyphs
- Elements of Chinese Writing
Historical and Cultural Studies
- Outline of the History of Chinese Literature
- Materials on the History of Chinese Literature
Geographical Studies
- Note on Ninguta
- On the Rivers Flowing into the Amur
- On the Existence of a Fire-Breathing Mountain in Manchuria
Other Contributions
- History and Antiquities of the Eastern Part of Central Asia from the 10th to the 13th Century
- Information on the Manchus during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties
- Russo-Chinese Treaties- On the Movement of Mohammedanism in China
- Die auf den Buddismus bezuglichen Werke der Universitats-Bibliothek zu Kazan
- Buddism, its Dogmas, History and Literature
- Religions of the East: Confucianism, Buddhism and TaoismLegacy
Through his numerous publications and articles, Vasiliev made invaluable contributions to Oriental studies. He became a member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences and left a lasting impact on the field.
