Ethnocultural Stereotypical Representations of Russians about China: Based on Data from an Associative Experiment

The relevance of the present study is driven by the dynamic development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian spheres, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the declaration of 2024-2025 as the “CrossCultural Years.” Considering the growing rapprochement between two linguocultures distinct in culture, history, and mentality, the identification and analysis of ethnocultural stereotypes influencing effective intercultural interaction between Chinese and Russians become especially pertinent. This article aims to describe the ethnocultural stereotypical representations of China as held by young Russians, based on data obtained from an associative experiment conducted with 263 respondents. The research methodology employs psycholinguistic and lexico-semantic analysis of 859 associative reactions, which facilitated the identification and description of stable and recurrent ethnocultural stereotypes of China within the Russian linguistic consciousness. The findings reveal that China, in the perception of Russians, is primarily associated with a rich cultural-historical heritage, an innovative and large-scale economy, a distinctive national cuisine, and a socialist political system. Notably, the interplay between traditional and contemporary cultural images-including popular computer games and literature-forms a significant basis for these stereotypes. In conclusion, the application of the associative experiment methodology provides extensive firsthand data that substantially contribute not only to the theoretical framework of modern humanitarian studies but also hold considerable practical value for enhancing the effectiveness of intercultural communication and fostering the development of bilateral relations between Russia and China.