China - Part 1

Nov 21, 2024

Something that has always been in the back of my mind when reading translated Chinese literature is the tendency for the selected works to be either:

1) classics (DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER, JOURNEY TO THE WEST, both have multiple translations varying from bad to great)

2) about the Cultural Revolution (CHINA DREAM by Ma Jian tr. Flora Drew, GOLDEN AGE by Wang Xiaobo tr. Yan Yan)

3) something with an intentional political message about the Chinese government, often by an author that has left China or under scrutiny by the Chinese government. (THE FOUR BOOKS by Yan Lianke tr. Carlos Rojas, THE FAT YEARS by Chan Koonchung tr. Michael S. Duke)

On the non-fiction side, books are often written by "China Watchers" who are often white men whose livelihoods rely on them being observers of Chinese politics and translating it for a western white audience. My favorite book to hate on is the poorly written WILFUL BLINDNESS by Sam Cooper, which I think is also the one book I feel confident ripping apart, because it is not about China itself, but China's involvement in Canada, particularly around our housing. Without getting much into it, there was so little fact checking that I would catch incorrect Chinese names, like saying someone's first name is "Brother." Chinese people do not always call each other by their legal names like in English. For example, calling someone 大哥 out of respect to some one older or higher up literally means "Big Brother," but it is not that person's legal name. 

The tone of these non-fiction books often paints China as a political entity, which negates the people who live in China as sentient beings. I don't think I'm wrong to get this impression, because what you see in online comments, or in places like the /China subreddits is this sentiment that Chinese people are their government and vice versa. It becomes dangerous when a Chinese person's right to exist in their resident country start to come into question. Two examples I can think of are: the anti-Asian sentiment during the pandemic (which you have to admit originated from Sinophobia that turned into generalized anti-Asian sentiment, because westerners white people cannot tell Asians apart), and the accusation of innocent Chinese American professors for illegally collaborating with the Chinese government in stealing western intellectual property. 

In the grand scheme of things, nothing about these books is entirely wrong. The Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government, concerns the west has with China do exist, and sometimes are valid. But that's not everything that China is. And the people there are not all their government. Tangentially, this is the exact thought process that bothers me about Canadians who say they'll never step foot in the US, particularly in southern states like Texas, because they assume it is a violent state full of bigots. As someone who grew up in Texas, I cannot express how wrong that is. Yes, the government in Texas and the US have major issues (ie. gun control, ahem, the election), but to ignore all of the real people who live there doing work to make changes is dangerous, as it a slippery slope into the discrimination that racism and xenophobia all stem from–this idea that 'these' people are not real people. 

All that to say is that I went to China after 6 long years to visit my extended family. The last time I went before that was in 2018, and before that was in 2014, and before that was in 1993. I have spend the large part of my life separated from my extended family, which has driven so much of my life motivations and curiosities. Hence, the reading of Chinese translated lit, and then being massively disappointed after finding out that what the so called western audience wants is not what I want. The closest I've found to what I want is actually a fan translation of the extras in the Chinese danmei web novel, MARRIED THRICE TO SALTED FISH 三嫁咸鱼 by Bikabi 比卡比 (tr. Chrysanthemum Garden, acquired recently by Seven Seas), which follows the young characters to modern-day Guangzhou, where most of my family currently resides.

This trip made me think a lot about the media on China I consume and cemented some of the concerns I have had with how the west perceives Chinese people. I don't think I'm the best writer, nor the best person to discuss these issues, but I suppose writing these personal thoughts on a blog can't hurt. I hope I don't bore you too much. 

A recent Chinese translated book that is on my tbr: