ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the linguistic encounter between the Chinese and Russian languages in the 1950s when a socialist alliance was forged between China and the Soviet Union. Delving into a series of critical changes in the Chinese language policy contingent upon Soviet influence, the discussion focuses on three intrinsically related subjects: the promotion of Russian language education, new words borrowed from Russian, and the alphabetization of the Chinese script. With attention to the relationship between language and politics, the chapter illuminates the dynamic and tension between Soviet intervention and Chinese assimilation in the formative years of the Chinese Communist regime.
