Abstract
This chapter outlines a history of English translations Chinese children’s literature from the late Qing dynasty to the present. Part I examines the types of text selected for translation, analyzes the fluid relationship between the source and target text, and reveals how the text served shifting religious, political, educational, cultural, and commercial interest. It also discusses ideological incongruity as a major barrier for importing children’s literature from China to the West. It then reviews the breakthroughs of Chinese children’s literature in English translation during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, highlighting major authors, illustrators, titles, and international recognition. Part II offers a survey of commercial and noncommercial agents that have facilitated an international network of authors, illustrators, translators, and publishers. It highlights international children’s literature organizations, libraries, festivals, book fairs, academic institutions, translators’ professional communities and initiatives, and the most active figures that have played important roles in raising the visibility of Chinese-language children’s literature, promoting high-quality translated works, and professionalizing the field of translation.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: A List of Chinese Folk Literature Adapted or Illustrated by Ed Young
Title (and Parallel Title) | Common Chinese title | Text | Publisher | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Emperor and the Kite | (An original tale inspired by a Chinese legend) | Jane Yolen | World Publishing | 1967 |
Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes = 孺子歌圖 | Selected and edited by Robert Wyndam | World Publishing | 1968 | |
Eight Thousand Stones: A Chinese Folktale | 曹冲称象 | Diane Wolkstein | Doubleday | 1972 |
Cricket Boy: A Chinese Tale | 促织 | Feenie Ziner | Doubleday | 1977 |
The Terrible Nung Gwama: A Chinese Folktale | Ed Young | Collins | 1978 | |
White Wave: A Chinese Tale | 田螺姑娘 | Diane Wolkstein | Crowell | 1979 |
High on a Hill: A Book of Chinese Riddles | Ed Young | Collins | 1980 | |
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China = 葉限 | Al-Ling Louie | Putnam | 1982 | |
Eyes of the Dragon | 画龙点睛 | Margaret Leaf | Lothrop | 1987 |
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China | 狼外婆 | Ed Young | Philomel | 1989 |
The Voice of the Great Bell | 铸钟娘娘 | Lafcadio Hearn; retold by Margaret Hodges | Little Brown | 1989 |
Seven Blind Mice | 盲人摸象 | Ed Young | Philomel | 1992 |
Red Thread | 月下老人 | Ed Young | Philomel | 1993 |
Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac | 猫鼠结仇 | Ed Young | Holt | 1995 |
Donkey Trouble | 抬驴 | Ed Young | Atheneum Books for Young Readers | 1995 |
Night Visitors | 黄粱一梦 | Ed Young | Philomel | 1995 |
Mouse Match: A Chinese Folktale | 老鼠嫁女 | Ed Young | Silver Whistle | 1997 |
The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale | 塞翁失马 | Ed Young | Silver Whistle | 1998 |
The Hunter: A Chinese Folktale | 猎人海力布 | Mary Casanova | Simon & Schuster | 2000 |
Monkey King | 美猴王 | Ed Young | HarperCollins | 2001 |
The Sons of the Dragon King: A Chinese Legend | 龙生九子 | Ed Young | Atheneum | 2004 |
Appendix 2: Notable Children’s and Young Adult Books by Contemporary Chinese Authors in English Translation (1995–2020)
Author | Title | Title in Chinese | Illustrator | Translator | Publisher | Year | Format/Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jicai Feng 冯骥才 | Let One Hundred Flowers Bloom | Christopher Smith | Viking | 1995 | Juvenile fiction | ||
Chen Chih-Yuan (Taiwanese) 陳致元 | Guji Guji | Same as English | Same as author | Kane/Miller | 2004 | Picture book | |
Chunshu 春树 | Bei**g Doll | 北京娃娃 | Howard Goldblatt | Riverhead Books | 2004 | Young adult fiction | |
Kim **ong熊亮 | The Little Stone Lion | 小石狮 | Same as author | Heryin Books | 2005 | Picture book | |
Ma Yan 马燕 | Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl | 马燕日记 | Lisa Appignanesi | HarperCollins | 2005 | Diary | |
Jimmy Liao (Taiwanese)幾米 | The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination | 地下鐵 | Same as author | Sarah L. Thomson | Little, Brown | 2006 | Picture book |
Ji Zhaohua & Xu Cui 姬炤华, 徐萃 | No! That’s Wrong! | 天啊!错啦! | Same as author | Kane/Miller | 2008 | Picture book | |
Yang Hongying杨红樱 | Mo′s Mischief series | 淘气包马小跳 | HarperCollins | 2008 | Juvenile fiction | ||
Yu Liqiong余丽琼 | A New Year’s Reunion | 团圆 | Zhu Chengliang朱成梁 | Candlewick | 2011 | Picture book | |
Shen Shixi 沈石溪 | Jackal and Wolf | 红豺 | Helen Wang | Egmont | 2012 | Juvenile fiction | |
Gerelchimeg Blackcrane黑鹤 | Black Flame | 黑焰 | Anna Holmwood | Groundwood Books | 2013 | Juvenile fiction | |
Cao Wenxuan 曹文轩 | Bronze and Sunflower | 青铜葵花 | Meilo So | Helen Wang | Walker Books Candlewick | 2015 2017 | Juvenile fiction |
Fang Suzhen (Taiwanese) 方素珍 | Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village | 外婆住在香水村 | Sonja Danowski | Huang **umin 黄秀敏 | NorthSouth Books | 2015 | Picture book |
Guo**g 郭婧 | The Only Child | 独生小孩 | Same as author | N.A. | Schwartz & Wade | 2015 | Wordless picture book |
Bao Dongni 保冬妮 | Who Wants Candied Hawberries? | 冰糖葫芦,谁买? | Wu Di 吴翟 | Adam Lanphier | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Chen **aoting 陈晓婷 | Father and Son Go Fishing | 和爸爸一起去海边 | Huang Ying 黄缨 | Duncan Poupard | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Dong Yanan 董亚楠 | Express Delivery from Dinosaur World | 恐龙快递 | Same as author | Helen Wang | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Fu Wenzheng 符文征 | Buddy Is So Annoying | 我讨厌宝弟 | Same as author | Adam Lanphier | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Gan Dayong 甘大勇 | Little Rabbit’s Questions | 小兔的问题 | Same as author | Helen Wang | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Lin Songying林颂英 | Borrowing a Tail | 借尾巴 | Zhang Le张乐 | Duncan Poupard | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Wang **aoming 王晓明 | The Peanut Fart | 花生米样的屁 | Same as author | Adam Lanphier | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Wang Yimei 王一梅 | Rory the Rabbit | 兔子萝里 | **春苗, 何萱Li Chunmiao & He Xuan | Adam Lanphier | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Wang Zaozao 王早早 | An’s Seed | 安的种子 | Huang Li 黄丽 | Helen Wang | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
**a Lei 夏蕾 | Who Ate My Chestnut? | 谁吃了我的毛栗子 | Wang Chao 王超 | Duncan Poupard | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
**ao Mao 萧袤 | CeeCee | 西西 | **春苗, 张彦红 Li Chunmiao & Zhang Yanhong | Helen Wang | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
**ao Mao 萧袤 | The Frog and the Boy | 青蛙与男孩 | 陈伟, 黄小敏 Chen Wei & Huang **aomin | Helen Wang | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Zhou Xu 周旭 | Picking Turnips | 拔萝卜 | Same as author | Adam Lanphier | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Zhu Chengliang 朱成梁 | Flame | 火焰 | Same as author | Helen Wang | Candied Plums | 2016 | Picture book |
Cao Wenxuan | Feather | 羽毛 | Roger Mello | Chloe Garcia Roberts | Elsewhere Editions | 2017 | Picture book |
Lin Man-Chiu (Taiwanese) 林滿秋 | The Ventriloquist’s Daughter | 腹语师的女儿 | Helen Wang | Balestier Press | 2017 | Fantasy fiction | |
Meng Yanan 孟亚楠 | Happy Mid-Autumn Festival | 中秋节快乐 | Same as author | Jasmine Alexander | Balestier Press | 2018 | Picture book |
Nie Jun 聂峻 | My Bei**g: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder | 老街的童话 | Same as author | Edward Gauvin | Graphic Universe | 2018 | Comics (graphic works) |
Chen Jiatong 陈佳同 | White Fox | 白狐迪拉 | Viola Wang | Jennifer Feeley | Chicken House Books | 2019 | Fantasy fiction |
Gerelchimeg Blackcrane 黑鹤 | The Moose of Ewenki | 鄂温克的驼鹿 | Jiu Er | Helen Mixter | Greystone Books | 2019 | Picture book |
Yan Ge 颜歌 | White Horse | 白马 | James Nunn | Nicky Harman | Hoperoad | 2019 | Young adult fiction |
(A searchable database of translated children’s literature is maintained by the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative at https://www.librarycat.org/lib/GLLI)
Appendix 3: Chinese Children’s Books Selected as White Ravens, 2014–2019
Year | Title (cited with synopses in White Ravens catalogue, not translations) |
|---|---|
2014 | Sister Rabbit’s Gigantic Pumpkin Jiu, Er 九儿. 2012. Meimei de nangua 妹妹的南瓜. Bei**g: Lianhuanhua chubanshe. |
2014 | A Boy’s Honour Li, Donghua **东华. 2014. Shaonian de rongyao 少年的荣耀. Taiyuan: **wang chubanshe. |
2014 | I Saw a Bird Liu, Bole 刘伯乐, 2014. Wo kanjian yi zhi niao 我看见一只鸟. **an: Mingtian chubanshe. |
2014 | Gezi’s Book of Time Lu, Mei 陆梅. 2013. Gezi de shiguang shu 格子的时光书. Nanning: Jieli chubanshe. |
2014 | The Most Terrible Day Tang, Muniu 汤姆牛. 2013. Zui kepa de yi tian 最可怕的一天. Bei**g: Bei**g lianhe chuban gongsi. |
2014 | Tour of Bei**g Sun, **nyu (Joyce Sun) 孙心瑜. Bei**g you 北京游. Taibei: **aolu wenhua (Tien-Wei Publishing Company). |
2015 | The Sun Was Once a Little Boy Li, Shanshan **姗姗. 2015. Taiyang xiao shihou shi ge nanhai 太阳小时候是个男孩. Chengdu: Sichuan haonian ertong chubanshe. |
2015 | Pop-up Taiwan Lau, Kit (Sze Kit Lau) 劉斯傑. 2014. Taiwan danqi 台湾弹起. Hong Kong: Zhuonian chuangzuo youxian gongsi (SK Ronex Ltd). Parallel edition: Taipei: Shibao wenhua (China Times Publ.) |
2015 | The Boys and the Sea Zhang, Wei 张炜. 2014. Shaonian yu hai 少年与海. Hefei: Anhui shaonian ertong chubanshe. |
2015 | Granny Mian Couldn’t Sleep Liao, **aoqin 廖小琴 (text) and Zhu, Chengliang 朱成梁 (illus.). 2014. Mian popo shuibuzhao 棉婆婆睡不着. **an: Mingtian chubanshe. |
2015 | The Brand Cao, Wenxuan 曹文轩. 2015. Huoyin 火印. Bei**g: Tiantian chubanshe. |
2015 | The Excuse for Being Late Yao, Jia 姚佳. 2014. Chidao de liyou 迟到的理由. **an: Mingtian chubanshe. |
2016 | Saving “The Fisher Boy” Zhao, Lihong 赵丽宏 (text) and Feng, Xueqing (illus.). 2015. Yu tong 渔童. Fuzhou: Fujian shaonian ertong chubanshe. |
2016 | Summer Cao, Wenxuan (text) and Yu Rong 郁蓉(illus.). 2015. **atian 夏天. Nanchang: Ershiyi shiji chubanshe. |
2016 | The Generals’ Hutong Shi, Lei 史雷 (text), Lin, **an and Wang, Yue (illus.). 2015. Jiangjun hutong 将军胡同. Bei**g: Tiantian chubanshe. |
2016 | Children Blowing the Whale Whistle Zhou, Rui 周锐. 2016. Chui **g shao de haizi 吹鲸肖的孩子. Dalian: Dalian chubanshe. |
2016 | Children of the Bajau Peng, Yi 彭懿. 2016. Baoyao ren de haizi 巴夭人的孩子. **an: Mingtian chubanshe, 2016. |
2017 | Through the Eyes of a Child Huang, Beijia 黄蓓佳. 2017. Tong mou 童眸. Nan**g: Jiangsu fenghuang shaonian ertong chubanshe. |
2017 | The Fantastic Book Yang, Sifan 杨思帆. 2016. Qimiao de shu 奇妙的书. Guilin: Guangxi shifan daxue chubanshe. |
2017 | Each Grain in Your Dish Yu, Hongcheng 于虹呈. 2016. Pan zhong can 盘中餐. Bei**g: Zhongguo shaonian ertong chubanshe. |
2017 | The Propitious Time Zhang, Zhilu 张之路 (text) and Du, Lingyun (illus.). 2016. Jixiang shiguang 吉祥时光. Bei**g: Zuojia chubanshe. |
2017 | Above Ground, Under Ground. An Illustrated Account of the Insect Microcosm Through the Four Seasons Qiu, Chengzong 邱承宗. 2016. Di mian di xia 地面地下. Taipei: **aolu wenhua shiye gufen youxian gongsi. |
2017 | The Postman from Buluo Town Guo, Jiangyan 郭姜燕 (text) and Chen, Shu (illus.). 2016. Buluo zhen de youdiyuan 布罗镇的邮递员. Shanghai: Shaonian ertong chubanshe. |
2018 | Welcome to the H(e)aven Town Ander (Ye, Ande 葉安德) (text/illus.). 2017. Huanying guanglin tiantang xiaozhen 欢迎光临天堂小镇. ** chubanshe. |
For fuller details, see “White Ravens: Chinese titles, 1984–2020,” Chinese Books for Young Readers (no.111), 8 October 2020. https://chinesebooksforyoungreaders.wordpress.com/2020/10/08/111-white-ravens-chinese-titles-1984-2020/
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Chen, M., Wang, H. (2022). Chinese Children’s Literature in English Translation. In: Ye, Z. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Chinese Language Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0924-4_45
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