{"id":3098,"date":"2015-10-27T12:47:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T09:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bricsmagazine.com\/en\/?p=3098"},"modified":"2025-08-28T12:56:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T09:56:47","slug":"the-russian-hamlet-behind-the-chinese-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bricsmagazine.com\/en\/main-issue\/portrait\/the-russian-hamlet-behind-the-chinese-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Russian Hamlet Behind the Chinese Screen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s the end of April. For the Department of Civilizational Development of the East at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), it is the calm before the storm at the end of the school year. In the waiting room across from Alexey Maslov\u2019s office, two people are talking at a large, round table. The quiet hum of their conversation (it seems their talk is about Li Yuan and the Tang Dynasty) is only interrupted once \u2013 by the sudden commotion of a group of students hurrying down the hall arguing loudly in Chinese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walls of the modern, simply furnished room are covered in breathtaking photographs of China that could serve as tourism advertisements. There is Chinese \u2018Art Nouveau,\u2019 like the proud Shanghai skyline dominated by the unmistakable and nearly half-kilometer tall Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, hanging alongside traditional Chinese prints, such as picturesque pagodas with curved roofs and scenic rice fields awash with the dim light of the late afternoon sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our meeting is delayed. Maslov calls and apologizes politely (the research board meeting is taking longer than anticipated), and asks for another 15 minutes. When he finally appears in the doorway of his office, he immediately shifts his attention to a graduate student who materializes in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it\u2019s my turn. \u201cI am at your full disposal,\u201d he says, inviting me into his office with a welcoming gesture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone who is interested in China, and at least superficially familiar with Alexey Maslov\u2019s life, getting such an invitation is quite lucky. He is one of the most famous Chinese scholars in Russia, a specialist in the field of Chinese spiritual and cultural traditions, the author of numerous papers and essays, a translator of ancient Taoist and Zen Buddhist texts, a professor and a visiting lecturer at numerous first-class universities around the world, and a member of advisory councils, committees, and working groups \u2013 just ask Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maslov is an internationally recognized martial arts historian. He is himself a master of Shaolin wushu, having trained at the Shaolin monastery, where he received a full initiation into apprenticeship. He is the only foreigner whose name has been enshrined in the \u2018Chronicles of the Shaolin Monastery Warrior Monks.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 50-year-old Maslov looks much more like a professor than the ascetic Buddhist monks you see in movies and popular Shaolin shows. His smart, dark blue suit betrays a strong but not particularly wiry physique; his eyes, framed by rounded rectangular rimless glasses, are intensely expressive; his straight hair, scattered with a touch of gray, is neatly parted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maslov himself is not bothered by this contradiction. \u201cEverything should be appropriate. A European in traditional Shaolin monk attire would look as ridiculous in the center of a Western city as someone strolling through the Chinese wilderness in an English suit,\u201d he says, getting comfortable in his chair and continuing the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to tradition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We begin with Shaolin, which played a special role in Maslov\u2019s life and destiny. His journey actually began in the late 1970s in Mongolia, where his parents, who came from a long line of Moscow medical doctors, used to work. It was there that Maslov became interested in China (the country was building socialism, but remained an island of Buddhist culture) and began to study karate and Chinese martial arts, colorfully called \u2018kung fu.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were Chinese people living there, and their main occupation was selling things at the market. In reality, many of them had fled the Cultural Revolution. Although in 1976 it was already over, those people were in no hurry to return to China \u2013 they did not trust the regime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why the decision to \u2018go East\u2019 was natural for Maslov. In 1981 he entered Moscow State University\u2019s Institute of Asian and African Studies. \u201cThe two best students in the program were Igor Morgulov, who now oversees relations with China as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Alexey Maslov. It was clear how passionate Alexey was about it all and how hard he tried to educate himself. So for me, it is not surprising that he grew into a superb Asian scholar and one of the best China experts in Russia and the world,\u201d says Vladimir Remyga, research director at the Russian-Chinese Economic and Financial Center of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, who taught Maslov at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maslov did not forget about martial arts while at MSU, continuing to practice karate (which was banned suddenly in 1983) and compete on the university team. It was then, he reveals, that he started seeking a deeper understanding of the East. \u201cKarate, Wushu, and Eastern mysticism, as well as Asian scholarship in general, were part of the protest culture at the time. Those weren\u2019t simply martial arts, but a different view of reality, an opportunity to delve into another philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maslov\u2019s first opportunity to see China came in 1989, thanks to a growing interest in the East during the perestroika years. He traveled at his own expense, using money he earned from writing a brochure on the history of martial arts. \u201cSince we didn\u2019t have other publications on the subject at that time, my little book was a huge but entirely unwarranted success,\u201d he says modestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, he only had $14 left after buying the ticket. But he got lucky in China; he met people from the school of the Wushu master who had taught him in Mongolia. \u201cThe school took care of me. It was not very large or very well known, but it was very traditional. That is to say that people there helped each other, they personally handed me from one person to another,\u201d explains Maslov. \u201cSo I returned home with the same $14. I never spent a dime. Throughout that trip I was welcomed, \u2018wined and dined,\u2019 and they even started teaching me.\u201d It was a very important first encounter with the \u2018real\u2019 China. \u201cI came to realize that the country had an official \u2018display window,\u2019 which filters out probably 99% of all foreigners. And then there are the inner channels, which are very difficult, almost impossible, to penetrate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When in Rome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That experience, admits Maslov, was a great help to him in the early 1990s, when he first attempted to get into Shaolin. Why did he even try? \u201cYou see, for a man who is interested in China and its martial arts, the Shaolin Temple is the same as the role of Hamlet for an actor,\u201d he says, sighing slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the ancient monastery walls did not reveal their secrets to him on his first attempt. \u201cWhen I arrived at Shaolin, I was under this bizarre delusion that I would be welcomed with open arms. Naturally, nobody was interested in me over there. The monks made polite conversation with me, but there was obviously no talk about any kind of training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he got lucky again. During his travels through the south of China, in a small hotel restaurant, he met a man in Buddhist robes who would turn out to be the great monk Shi Deqian. He invited Maslov to Shaolin and later brought him into the circle of the senior monk, the last of the great abbots, Shi Suxi. With his blessing, and after two years of training at the monastery, Maslov was given the full rite of initiation in 1996. In commemoration of the event, a stone slab was erected in the Shaolin courtyard, which still stands today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why did the Shaolin monks let him into their monastery? Maslov himself names three likely reasons, which also say a lot about the character of the Chinese people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, his arrival coincided with a general rise in interest in all things foreign and in foreigners themselves. At the same time, he spoke fluent Chinese and was able to hold a conversation on a wide range of subjects. \u201cI could talk about everything from the way to properly cook noodles to Chinese philosophy \u2013 in other words, everything that is talked about in this circle,\u201d explains Maslov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, he was ready to spend time there. \u201cIn China, it\u2019s important to devote time to getting used to things. Neither the first nor the second meeting \u2013 personally or in business \u2013 ever produces any result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, he never questioned the monks and never asked for anything. \u201cAccording to Chinese rules, one can never ask to be taught something. The correct way is to say \u2018You are the master, and if you think I should wash the floors, I\u2019ll wash the floors.\u2019 In other words, one should seek a teacher rather than a body of knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

However, the mere mention of his teacher\u2019s name would open any door to Maslov on his later visits to other Chinese monasteries, as well as in Tibet. \u201cFor me it was a very good lesson in understanding Chinese realities, and real life in China, which is always different for foreigners,\u201d he muses. \u201cThe Chinese erected a kind of screen against the rest of the world, and China is behind it to this day, although strictly speaking, it is very easy to visit the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaolin itself is a good illustration of that fact. In a matter of years, it transformed from a quiet secluded monastery into one of modern day China\u2019s most popular cultural symbols and a place of mass tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In essence, the monastery\u2019s new era started in the early 1980s. Deng Xiaoping\u2019s reforms meant that the monks who had been sent away en masse during the Cultural Revolution could start coming back. About two dozen monks from the old Shaolin school were the first to return to its dilapidated walls. They were mature men who attempted to restore the buildings and revive the traditional disciplines: martial arts, meditation, mind control, healing, and cultural knowledge. \u201cThey wanted to live a normal, humble, quiet monastic life. But even then, the state began to exert pressure on them, demanding the promotion of Shaolin as a cultural brand. It also actively introduced a new generation of monks who were primarily interested in commerce,\u201d lamented Maslov. \u201cThere were more and more Shaolin shows. The old monks simply could not understand why this was necessary and how it related to the practice of self-improvement. Today, this policy has to a certain extent been brought to its logical conclusion. Today\u2019s Shaolin is a kind of Chinese Disneyland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic Instinct<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This example shines a light on the dramatic changes in post-reform China. The country has enjoyed unprecedented economic success, which impacted the mindset and self-awareness of the Chinese people. How is that manifested?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, begins Maslov, today\u2019s China clearly understands that it really is the center of a new world that is giving rise to a new wave of culture and business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the Chinese have developed a strong feeling of success. The country has become rich very quickly, all within the lifetime of just one generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, China has ceased to be a soft and submissive country. \u201cIn essence, it has never been an acquiescing country. It\u2019s just that for a long while, it did not have the strength to insist on its rigid positions. But today, China can really dictate its terms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last fact is manifested at the level of not only the state, but also individuals. \u201cFor example, many of my friends who enjoy shopping at Chinese markets are beginning to notice the unpleasant fact that the Chinese are no longer willing to reduce the initial price fivefold. Why would that be? Because in the past, when things were handmade, the cost of goods was unclear and poorly defined. Now, with the rise of industrialism, the price of labor is clearly understood,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the same reason, China has ceased to be a cheap production site \u2013 and never will be again. \u201cMany people continue to perceive this country as it was 10 to 20 years ago. But today, China is working on becoming a manufacturer of high-tech products. In other words, Chinese products will inevitably become more expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, China has returned to its own old model of political culture, which Maslov defines as \u2018expulsive.\u2019 The West uses a \u2018cooperative\u2019 model (meeting and agreeing to jointly develop a business, making sure not to interfere with each other\u2019s interests), but China works differently. Namely, it is inclined to get rid of a partner immediately after taking everything that it needs \u2013 technology, knowledge, contacts, and process development. \u201cMany people take offense at that. But if you realize that this is the essence of the nation\u2019s self-preservation, you have to admit that this formula works well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huge ambitions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The very same instinct of self-preservation explains another development directly related to China\u2019s huge success in recent years \u2013 the growing insistence of the country on foreign economic expansion, manifesting itself in initiatives such as the 2013 Silk Road Economic Belt strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main reason behind China\u2019s interest in such projects, says Maslov, has to do with its pursuit of internal stability. The increase in labor costs (and, consequently, in the final product) is one of the Chinese economy\u2019s worst growing pains, and can effectively be solved only by reducing logistics costs for delivering goods to foreign markets. \u201cLoosely speaking, China has been producing goods, but their delivery has been carried out by foreign companies that set the price. China undoubtedly wants to bring the world\u2019s infrastructure under its control.\u201d In addition, China has fulfilled (or nearly fulfilled) its domestic agenda \u2013 its economic growth rate is slowing down, and will not exceed 7-7.5% in the foreseeable future. \u201cBut the worst part is the unmet expectations of those who are used to getting rich. So what the country needs is for part of its revenue to be generated outside of China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the objectives and influence of Beijing\u2019s upcoming infrastructure projects, such as the new Silk Road, go far beyond pure economic expediency. Maslov draws attention to the peculiarities of this initiative. Two years after its announcement, there is still no clear concept \u2013 no official document that describes it. \u201cThis is China\u2019s usual way of operating \u2013 it throws an idea out there and waits for a reaction to it. This way Beijing doesn\u2019t irritate the world too often.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, it carries the clear goal of political integration around the Chinese core. \u201cBeijing is trying to export the idea of China as the new world leader \u2013 not only economically, but also politically. That is, it wants to position itself as a new global political force and start a collective discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this end, Beijing is building new international financial institutions. At the end of last year, we witnessed the creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is now finalizing its list of members. China already pledged its full support to the new BRICS Development Bank, giving a new impetus to the banking and financial structures of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. \u201cIndividually, they may not play a big role. But China is creating financial hubs, including in the BRICS countries, which will work with the yuan,\u201d explains Maslov. \u201cIn other words, it is the first time that a newly created financial system is not based on a freely convertible currency. This is a unique global event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this means that the new Silk Road project is both political and economical. Moreover, it is only one component of Beijing\u2019s broader master plan. \u201cI believe that this is one of the possible components of a new global reality being built right before our eyes. We must understand that China\u2019s ambitions are huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Demystifying the Chinese Matrix<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No. 1. Succumbing to the charm of the first meeting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a warm welcome and productive discussions during the first meeting in China, it is easy to think that the whole thing is in the bag. Indeed, you have just been to China and agreed on everything. You have had negotiations and conversations at a restaurant, so it seems like the only things left to do is to iron out the details and sign the contracts. But then you are suddenly faced with unexpected foot-dragging \u2013 it seems like everything is nearly ready, but for some reason a few small things aren\u2019t coming together. So what is happening? The fact is that the Chinese never see the first phase of negotiations as a time for reaching agreements. For them, it is merely a time for learning about the essence of your business, finding out what you have to offer, and deciding whether to proceed with you at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. 2. Getting stuck behind the round table<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entering the Chinese market often begins with dozens of meaningless meetings and outings. For example, associations and foundations arrange endless business forums, round tables, meetings with names like \u2018An Evening of Friendship,\u2019 and so on and so forth. In and of itself, this is not bad \u2013 they create \u2018positive noise.\u2019 But participation in them rarely leads to real results like agreements or memorandums of understanding. However, Chinese businessmen like these events because they emphasize the importance of China and give great PR to business councils and associations. In the end, many foreigners can get sucked into an endless string of events, which run into one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. 3. Not having a plan B, C, and D<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical situation is for the Chinese to listen attentively to your suggestions, agree with them, and then offer up their own, entirely unrelated version. This often causes great resentment among foreigners who have been talking about one thing, but then think that they have been understood very differently. Do not be offended. These are simply the idiosyncrasies of the Chinese business mindset and negotiation tactics. There is only one way to deal with it: when working with Chinese companies and entrepreneurs, always have three or four alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are determined to work with China, you will have to build a dedicated team of professionals. China works according to a certain matrix, which makes life much easier. Many companies that are starting to work with China think that they are the one and only \u2013 that they are the \u2018first bride.\u2019 There have already been many \u2018weddings,\u2019 though the Chinese really do know how to make each potential partner feel special. Hence, building and training the team that will work with China is of the utmost importance. It is not cheap, but it is certainly cheaper than losing money as a result of incompetence or \u2018childish\u2019 mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. 4. Expecting investment into your projects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people go to China in hopes of attracting investors. But China is not known for investing in other people\u2019s projects. Similarly, some have the impression that if they own a technology or a factory, all they need to do to receive Chinese money is go to China, convey the quality of their assets, and wait for the Chinese to fall all over themselves trying to buy these products. But this is not going to happen. China is not buying individual factories today, but entire industries like the rare earth metal industry. Chinese companies are also focused on global brands. Among them are brands such as Volvo, IBM, or Waldorf Astoria \u2013 one of the leading global hotel chains and a symbol of the American prosperity of the 1930s. Russia and the other BRICS countries do not have as many global companies and brands that are of interest to the Chinese \u2013 and besides, they are rarely up for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. 5. Relying on intermediaries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today the China-related market is teeming with thousands, if not millions, of intermediaries. These can be individuals or companies. They all try to exploit one myth, that China\u2019s business culture is mysterious and incomprehensible, and they try to find a niche for themselves in this \u2018scary Chinese world.\u2019 Sometimes it really does work \u2013 there are examples where they play a very positive role. However, in the vast majority of cases they slow down the process, which many foreigners who go to China do not understand. A simple piece of advice: learn how to work with China yourself because no matter how good the intermediary, you will have to personally negotiate, write letters, smile, and give out business cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. 6. Not knowing the basics of the chinese business culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

China has a very rigid and highly developed business culture. It consists of a thousand little things that one needs to understand, which is why any Russian politician or businessman who goes there should, at least, learn how to behave at the negotiating table, at the restaurant table, and anywhere in between. Here is an indicative, real life example: a major Russian politician went to China, and, as always, he was offered a visit to the Great Wall of China. He declined because he was in a hurry and he had seen it before, but it came across as an insult to the Chinese \u2013 visiting the Great Wall is a symbolic gesture that shows respect for the country\u2019s culture. People often ask why they have to adapt to the Chinese business culture when they have their own Western business culture. After all, they are not Chinese. Though there is no obligation to adapt, there will be no dialogue if you do not. This conclusion sounds trivial, but it is true. One must prepare in advance in order to develop a relationship with China. Moreover, one must do it well; trial by fire is the worst idea imaginable. Instead, it will take training and preparation to learn China\u2019s business traditions, culture, and negotiations processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Improve yourself to help others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maslov is convinced that China\u2019s partners and neighbors should build their relations with China based on this understanding. Russia in particular, which is currently pondering its own participation in the new Silk Road endeavor, should only join the projects that coincide with its own interests, refraining from head-on support of Chinese initiatives. \u201cAlthough China and Russia are strategic partners, Beijing has its own agenda. It will always take care of itself above all else. Therefore, one should have no illusions with respect to China,\u201d he cautions. \u201cWe have begun to come to this realization. I think that it is only now that a realistic model of understanding China is beginning to take shape among the biggest Russian companies and the country\u2019s leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new understanding of China, and the East as a whole, is one of the most prevailing trends in modern Chinese studies. \u201cMany of the issues that seemed settled long ago suddenly came back to light. It appears that they have not been solved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this end, Maslov wants to create a full-fledged international school for Chinese Studies, which would combine the best people \u2013 scientists, analysts, and practitioners \u2013 in this field. This is also the goal of the reform aiming to change the education process initiated by Maslov at the HSE School of Asian Studies, which he has been heading since 2010. \u201cChinese tradition is seamless. This means that the modern Chinese individual, be it a businessman or an important party leader, acts based on the same patterns of thinking and perceptions of reality, which were laid down by tradition. Therefore, in order to become a Chinese scholar or to carry out political analysis of modern China, it is necessary to be well versed in its culture and history from the most ancient times. And by that, I don\u2019t mean studying it as a formality, but understanding the logic of the historical process. That\u2019s the kind of thorough understanding of the East that we are now trying to introduce here. That has been part of the Russian approach to Chinese Studies from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maslov continues to teach at universities around the world, as well as at many Chinese Buddhist academies \u2013 including the Shaolin Wushu Academy, which he visits regularly. At the same time, he strictly follows the Shaolin Buddhist tradition, seeing no contradiction between it and modern life. \u201cThe Buddhist monkhood is not like what we are accustomed to in our Christian tradition \u2013 it\u2019s simply a different kind of practice. The master at the monastery gives you knowledge and then you rely on it to go out and help people,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis is actually how Shaolin Buddhism is defined \u2013 the main goal is self improvement to help others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His normal day begins at 6:30 a.m. with meditation and special exercises, which take about an hour, and ends around midnight with a similar ritual. He trains twice a week. Maslov\u2019s weekends are almost never free, and his life, filled with trips and travel, is planned months in advance. So if you are lucky enough to stumble upon a person doing morning exercises in one of the Moscow Arbat courtyards with a staff or halberd, don\u2019t hurry by. Perhaps Maslov may help you see behind the Chinese screen too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u2018real\u2019 China rarely shows itself to outsiders, hiding behind an invisible screen that precious few have managed to penetrate. 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