T. GAVRISTOVA, Candidate of Historical Sciences;

S. SHUBINA, Candidate of Historical Sciences

Z. F. Leontievskii-scientist, diplomat, collector

...Many sinologists have emerged from the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in China, including Zakhar Fyodorovich Leontievskii. Unlike his contemporary and" eternal " opponent N. Ya. Bichurin, he remained on the sidelines. However, in the 19th century, his name was well known among specialists. Z. F. Leontievsky was revered as a scientist and traveler, collector and translator. He was considered one of the most famous Russian sinologists. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Chinese language and literature, history, geography, and economics.

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"It was a generation that discovered a whole hitherto unknown world. In order to understand this world in any way and enter it, such a variety and breadth of knowledge was required that it is now difficult for us to imagine how an individual was able to master such material. But if we were to judge scientists of this generation by our modern standards, we would easily fall into a mistake and would not understand the enormous merits of these people before science, " - so wrote about Z. Leontief University and similar Russian research scientists, Academician S. F. Oldenburg.

Z. F. Leontievsky was born in the city of Yaroslavl in the family of a notary on January 25, 1799. In 1816, after graduating from the gymnasium with honors, he was sent to study at the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute. However, a year later, a mathematics student volunteered to join the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in China, where he was required to study the country's history, geography, politics, and customs.

In December 1819, he left St. Petersburg. The journey took a whole year. In Beijing, Z. F. Leontievsky began studying Chinese and within a year and a half received the rank of collegiate secretary and the position of translator. Working as a translator for the mission and the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Lifanyuan), he compiled reports and reports for the Director of the Kyakhta Customs, the Irkutsk governor, and the Asian Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His services were greatly appreciated everywhere. In a report to the management, the director of the Kyakhta Customs noted:: "This Leontiefsky is a most useful member of the mission, because of his tireless efforts to study the Chinese, Manchu, and Mongolian languages and collect everything that makes us more familiar with the present situation of China, with the spirit of its government, its relations with us and its new regulations, with the character of its people and its rules... I am indebted to Zakhar Fyodorovich for the delivery of various pieces of information, which I, in turn, transmit further and higher, and from there I receive very flattering reviews relating to the honor of Zakhar Fyodorovich... I'm not the only one using them... Zakhar Fyodorovich, the government is lending me and me a lot of money with its notifications, and they are getting through... even before the throne. " ¹

The publication of N. M. Karamzin's "History of the Russian State" in Chinese, for which he was awarded the title of historiographer and the title of state mentor (guo shi), was a testament to his high qualification.Z. F. Leontievsky also compiled a fifteen - volume "Chinese-Manchurian-Latin-Russian Dictionary". The "key system" method chosen by him later became widely used and was used as the most appropriate method for creating Chinese-European dictionaries. The dictionary was a fundamental work of 3,500 sheets on silk Japanese paper. Although it was never published, its exceptional value was recognized by all generations of Chinese scholars.

COMMUNICATING WITH THE "RIGHT PEOPLE"

Z. F. Leontievsky's activities in Beijing were aimed at familiarizing the Russian government with the political and economic course of the Qing authorities. He was interested in the achievements of Chinese trade and industry, the technology of manufacturing fabrics and paints, methods of processing tea, etc. To find out all this, it was necessary to study hundreds of volumes of Chinese publications and actively communicate with the local population. Z. Leontievsky was a member of the houses of the Chinese nobility, he was received at court, which, of course, helped him to get information from primary sources.

Economic studies of the country were supplemented by political ones. Z. F. Leontievsky translated the most interesting articles from newspapers, which he pamphled in the form of collections and sent to St. Petersburg in order to enable government officials to study and understand in detail the domestic and foreign policy course of Beijing. In the 20s of the XIX century, he compiled the "Characteristics of Chinese ministers". He included in it the biographies of those who were part of the current government. And although, according to the Chinese tradition, according to which the author presented the collected information, his descriptions resembled the "lives of saints" (real and magical qualities were attributed to the ministers).

This work proved to be very valuable for the study of Manchu domination in China.

In 1827, on the West coast of Russia. Leontievsky was also assigned the functions of the mission's steward. His duties included receiving the monthly salaries of its members from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, silver for missionaries ' clothing from the Manchurian government once every three years. He delivered gifts taken from the mission's treasury to the "right people" and took an active part in the purchase of Chinese publications for the government and the Russian Academy of Sciences, for which the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated 500 rubles in silver annually. He acquired the most valuable code of laws of the Qing Empire ("Da Qing Hui-dian"), compiled in 1818 and published in 1821 in China. In July 1832, this copy was delivered to St. Petersburg. Later it was translated into Russian by N. Bichurin and widely used by employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sinologists. Together with P. Kamensky 3. Leontievsky selected materials in China for the collection of a major scientist, a passionate collector of oriental curiosities P. L. Schilling. Thanks to their knowledge and the presence of significant funds in their hands, a unique library of books and manuscripts was created, which was deposited in the Asian Museum in two batches in 1835 and 1838.

Z. F. Leontievsky was attracted by the excitement of collecting. He began collecting various items in order to introduce Russian society to the traditions and everyday life of Chinese residents upon his return to his homeland. Moreover, in Russia at that time, the fashion for everything Chinese was actively spreading. Fans, umbrellas, porcelain, furniture (screens, tables, etc.) decorated the living rooms of the nobility. Russian fashionistas courageously

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they included shawls and dressing gowns decorated with images of exotic animals and plants in their wardrobe, and treated guests to fragrant tea with jasmine. However, the fashion for "Chinese living rooms" came to Russia from the West (from Holland and France). And few of those who followed it had any idea of the true value of Chinese culture. At the request of the Academy of Fine Arts, which allocated a fairly large sum-1000 rubles in silver - for the purchase of ink, cinnabar and paints, as well as various costumes, weapons, various tools and tools, 3. Leontievsky brought many curiosities to Russia. Among them was a valuable collection of Chinese coins. His "Cabinet of Chinese Curiosities", opened in St. Petersburg for everyone to visit in the 30s of the XIX century, was the first private museum of Chinese culture and everyday life. The correspondent of Severnaya Pchela, V. P. Burnashev, who visited his apartment on Vasilyevsky Island in 1832, admired the owner's office and the many interesting things stored there. Among them were portraits of the imperial family, ministers and courtiers, a large number of paintings (landscapes and genre scenes), maps, drawings, a lot of handwritten and printed books, "various things that belonged to the table, office, toilet... a decent person in China... a lot of dresses, hats, shoes, jewelry... men's and women's costumes", exclusive for the "collection of oriental rarities Korean costume" ² .

THE COLLECTOR'S COURAGE

The 3. Leontievsky collection was of great value. The exceptional thoroughness of the selection made it possible to combine unique costumes of representatives of different groups of the population in one meeting. Of particular interest were his watercolors. Some were created to order by Chinese artists, others were made by him personally. Z. Leontievsky successfully mastered the "brush dance" - the mysteries of styles and genres of traditional Chinese painting. Images of weddings, funerals, folk festivals, interiors of temples belonging to various religious denominations, household utensils of the Chinese and Manchus are invaluable both as museum exhibits and as a unique material that gives an idea of the life and customs of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom in the first half of the XIX century. To collect such a collection, Z. Leontievsky had to show a lot of ingenuity. Bravery was sometimes required in order to get individual exhibits. So, for example, in China it was forbidden to keep portraits of the emperor (Son of Heaven) in the house, this was considered sacrilege and blasphemy. Leontievsky, despite the fact that he was a missionary and a foreigner, could have been severely punished for possessing an image of a reigning person, for five years persuaded a Chinese artist who needed money to make five watercolors for a small fee. According to contemporaries, the resemblance to members of the imperial house turned out to be great: "The image of the Emperor seems to lack a trifle, namely, that some magic cane should revive it and set it in motion - it is so well decorated" ³. In 1837, five picturesque portraits of members of the imperial Chinese family were presented to the Russian Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich through the Minister of Foreign Affairs K. V. Nesselrode, for which Z. Leontievsky received a gift of 2000 rubles in bank notes. The 3. Leontievsky Museum existed until 1868. In connection with the move to Yaroslavl, he sold his collection,

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"monuments, portraits and various types of art", for 75 rubles to the Imperial Public Library, its subject part went to the Museum of Ethnography.

conflict

In China, Z. Leontievsky was engaged in scientific research. He could not be denied the talent of a researcher and hard work. He had a good command of the word. However, he did not have many publications. The circle of people who needed publications on the history and culture of China has always been narrow. The specialists knew each other well and could easily meet their needs with a handwritten book.

N. Ya.Bichurin (Iakinf's father) had a negative impact on the fate of the scientist. Their conflict began in China. 3. F. Leontievsky became a member of the 10th Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church. Within six months, while the process of transferring cases from the previous mission was going on, quarrels broke out among the missionaries who lived together. The head of the new mission, Archimandrite P. Kamensky, declared N. Y. Bichurin the culprit of all the riots that reigned in the mission, a "sinner", and also questioned his knowledge as a translator and expert on Chinese reality. After arriving in St. Petersburg in January 1822, N. Ya. Bichurin was brought to the ecclesiastical court, stripped of his rank as an archimandrite, and exiled as a simple monk to the Valaam Monastery forever.

Three years later, he was allowed to settle in St. Petersburg in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and was assigned to the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was engaged in scientific research, and by the time his accusers returned from China, he already had an irrefutable authority in Russian Sinology. Being a vindictive man, he launched a campaign against P. Kamensky and Z. Leontiefsky and in ten years managed to prepare the "ground" for denouncing "opponents", mercilessly opposing them in everything. The famous sinologist V. P. Vasiliev, who knew all three missionaries, wrote: "It seems that Iakinf contributed a lot to his (Z. To Leontiefsky. - Author's note) did not make a move " ⁴ . Z's career Leontiefsky's situation was noticeably complicated, and this ultimately determined his image. He earned a reputation as "an educated Sinologist, but obscured from his contemporaries and descendants by the figure of N. Ya. Bichurin."

N. Ya. Bichurin and Z. F. Leontievsky were constantly engaged in scientific disputes. They had disagreements in the field of linguistics. Father Iakinf was extremely offended by the criticism. As a member of the Russian Geographical Society Z. Leontievsky wrote a review of N. Bichurin's manuscript "On the Correct Pronunciation of Chinese Sounds", opposing the author's attempt to introduce a new transcription of geographical names on maps of China (against writing khai, khyn, gi, kin, huan instead of, respectively, kai, ken, ji, qing, Xuan, etc.), pointing out that thus, the southern pronunciation was taken as the basis, which means "for those who know Chinese... completely useless and even harmful."

N. Bichurin was distinguished by a scandalous character and often behaved aggressively. Defending himself from his attacks, Z. Leontievsky wrote: "For sixteen years I did not answer Father Iakinthus to a single challenge, not to a single reproach, which for the most part had no foundation, no reason on my part. All my fault was that in my articles I was guided by my own experience and did not follow its confusing and intricate inventions and rules. " ⁵ In addition, according to contemporaries, unlike N. Bichurin, 3. Leontievsky was a man of exceptional modesty. A correspondent of Severnaya Pchela noted after meeting him: "... the man is fully learned: modest, condescending, kind, speaks about his subject simply, without enthusiasm and stupid pedantry; his story is lively, pleasant and at the same time flowery. " ⁶ And although Father Iakinf appreciated his rival in his own way, he was in constant correspondence with him (in N. Bichurin's" Income and Expenditure Journal " there was an address of Z. Bichurin). Leontievsky) and in the depths of his soul respected his opinion, the above-mentioned qualities 3. Leontievsky, who was not so determined and did not seek to gain the upper hand over the enemy, had a tendency to

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In the last years of his life, his desire for solitude did not allow him to win a victory in disputes with N. Bichurin. Later it turned out that Z. was right in many ways. Leontievsky. His transcription of geographical names has become generally accepted.

IN THE FIELD OF TEACHING

After returning from China, Z. Leontievsky was given a position as an interpreter in the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He combined his work there with teaching and scientific research. His field of interest was quite extensive. One of the first cases. Leontievsky began translating works of Chinese fiction into Russian. In 1834, in the almanac "Rumor" was published "Manchurian Song" translated by Z. Leontiefsky and in the literary treatment of the poet D. I. Khvostov. A year later, in St. Petersburg, the book "Traveler" was published in Russian, excerpts from which appeared in the capital's publications. Her translation was enthusiastically received by readers. The magazine Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya wrote in this connection:"Can't we have Chinese novels and novels that are really better than French ones?" In 1839, Z. Leontiefsky translated from Chinese "Homily to Maidens" - a very interesting opus about the situation of women and children in the Qing Empire. 3. Leontievsky's translations were distinguished not only by their conciseness, but also by a highly artistic style, against the background of mediocre attempts by many authors to convey to the Russian reader the spirit of works of Chinese literature.

Z.'s interests Leontiefsky as a translator was very broad. In particular, he even managed to help the Russian merchants. In Beijing, he translated for them the book "Shi wo Zhou han "(description of roads followed by private individuals and merchants with goods), published in China in 1783. The book described trade routes, prices on Chinese markets in various provinces, and customs and duties in China. In 1833, the magazine "Merchant" published his article "Izvestia, which is more correct to mean the genera and types of Chinese tea in the trade price lists". Z. Leontievsky also provided practical assistance to merchants with advice. His activities in this area undoubtedly contributed a lot to the activation of Russian-Chinese trade.

Z. achieved great success. Leontiefsky and in the pedagogical field. In 1838, he was a teacher of history and geography at the St. Petersburg Rozhdestvensky School, and in the 1950s he taught Chinese to fellows of a Russian-American company at the St. Petersburg Commercial School. However, unlike N. Bichurin, who managed to rally around himself a group of like-minded people from among his students and followers and, thanks to their efforts, opened the first Russian department of Chinese language and literature in his homeland - in Kazan on the basis of the university, Z. Leontievsky had a penchant for seclusion (hermit) and did not create his own scientific school. He studied history, geography, economics, demography, numismatics, and archeology. He knew everything about China: it was referred to as a reference book, as a dictionary. He could answer any question. His articles were included in the "Military Encyclopedia Lexicon "and" Encyclopedia Lexicon " by A. Plyushar. They provided a detailed description of China's natural and climatic conditions, landscape, administrative divisions, political culture, state structure, social structure, national relations, economy, and defense power. Z. F. Leontievsky's articles, written for a wide range of readers, were clear and accessible due to their simplicity and vividness of description. In the capital's publications there were his fascinating articles in the sections "Ethnography", "Travel", "Correspondence". He told his readers about Chinese wedding ceremonies, about the review of the Manchurian troops, which he witnessed, about the image of the Russian state in the eyes of the Chinese of different classes, about life in Beijing.

In 1866, Z. Leontievsky retired with the rank of collegiate councilor and moved to Yaroslavl. He restricted his contacts and, like the Chinese hermits, led a solitary life. His expenses were small. Apartment "in one clean room... with wood, water, furniture and ... servants" cost him six rubles a month. His monthly expenses did not exceed 20 rubles, and he gave five rubles to the poor with his own hands. His pension was set quite high - 1000 rubles in silver. Zakhar Fyodorovich sent most of it to his daughters in St. Petersburg. Having withdrawn from the bustle of the capital and found himself completely alone, Z. Leontievsky began to write a book of religious content, which was supposed to sum up his whole life. Previously, he called it: "Reverent turning of thoughts to God the Father, to God the Son, to God the Holy Spirit, to the Most Holy Theotokos, to the Life-giving Cross, to the Holy Angels, to John the Baptist, to the Apostles Peter and Paul, and to the Holy Prophets, for edification, admonition, and consolation." He never finished the book.

On July 21, 1874, Z. F. Leontievsky died at the age of 75. The funeral service for the body of the deceased was held in the Church of St. John the Baptist, and the burial was held in the Leontev cemetery. The funeral was modest: "... neither... table, nor... crews..." After the deceased, there are only 10 rubles left...

Thus passed away a man whose name can be put on a par with the names of the most prominent scientists of the XIX century.

¹ Archive of the SPbF IB RAS. F. 42. Op. 2. Add. (9). l. 71, 72, 75, 79.

² Northern bee. 1832. N 191, 192, 193.

³ Severnaya pchela. 1832. N 191.

⁴ Materials for the history of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing /Edited by N. I. Veselovsky. Issue 1. St. Petersburg, 1905, p. 48.

⁵ Skachkov P. E. Ocherki istorii russkogo sinaevedeniya [Essays on the history of Russian Chinese Studies]. Moscow, 1977, p. 137.

⁶ Severnaya pchela. 1832. N 193.

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