Uyghur Authors in China

2023 4Q note Apologies for the links below, several of which are now "dead." Not sure how many died a natural death versus those that were pro-actively "disappeared" by the authorities in the wake of the large-scale incarceration of Uyghurs, including writers such as Perhat Tursun, implemented since 2017. In 2013, it’s not easy to … Continue reading Uyghur Authors in China →

《额尔古纳河右岸》的英文译者: “因为书里的故事感动了我”

伦敦出版商 Harvill Secker 一月 17 日推出了东北作家迟子建的第一本译成英文的小说，《Last Quarter of the Moon》。为了《中华读书报》，慷慨先生找到我，进行了有关我翻译这本小说的采访：《读书报》：为什么使用现在这个英译书名，而不是原书名《额尔古纳河右岸》的直译？徐穆实 [Bruce Humes]：首先要明白一个事实：书名一般由出版方来定，译者甚至原作家的想法只是建议罢了。要知道，外文版权是外国出版社拥有的，当然是他们说了算。我的建议本来是直译：The Right Bank of the Argun。这书名不仅忠实原作，也方便引起西方读者的好奇心。因为用“右岸”表达河流的方位有点莫名其妙，西方读者习惯用东南西北来表达。就算西方读者不知道这条河是几百年以来中俄边境的界线，单凭这种奇特的表达方式，也会引起他们的好奇心。但英格兰的出版人被早些出版的《额尔古纳河右岸》意大利译文的书名 Ultimo quarto di luna 所吸引，就把它译成英文的 The Last Quarter of the Moon。全文可以在此下载 PDF 版。

Echoes of Samarkand: Salar Literary Conference Held in Qinghai

A conference highlighting writing by Salar authors (撒拉族文学) was held in January 2013 in Xunhua County (循化), Qinghai Province, home to most of the 100,000 Salar (撒拉族) who consider themselves descendants of Muslims who migrated in the 13th century from Samarkand (present-day Uzbekhistan, and once home to Omar Khayyam) in search of religious freedom. Subsequent contacts … Continue reading Echoes of Samarkand: Salar Literary Conference Held in Qinghai →

Eight Peoples of Northeast China Featured in Ethnography Series

The first 8 of 55 volumes—one for each officially recognized ethnic minority in the PRC—have been jointly launched by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Liaoning Publishing Group (辽宁出版集团). The series is titled <走进中国少数民族丛书> (Inside China’s Ethnic Minorities). Each book focuses on the culture and history of one ethnic group located in the northeast: … Continue reading Eight Peoples of Northeast China Featured in Ethnography Series →

“Pamir Kyrgyz Traditional Song Conference” Held in Xinjiang’s Akto County

Just a few weeks after 40 Uyghur masters of the rhymed epic tales known as dastan gathered in Hami to stage and talk about their threatened art form (Dastan Training Session), some 60-plus performers of traditional Kyrgyz songs have gathered for a similar get-together in Xinjiang’s Akto County (阿克陶县) bordering on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. According … Continue reading “Pamir Kyrgyz Traditional Song Conference” Held in Xinjiang’s Akto County →

Manchurian: 10 Million Manchus, A Handful of Native Speakers

The language of the last imperial dynasty to rule China, a Tungusic tongue called Manchurian (满洲话), will soon be accessible only in dictionaries. Verna Yu reports for the South China Morning Post from Sanjiazi village, Heilongjiang, in A Language Lost: When Ji Jinlu , 66, was a boy, he was unable to speak Putonghua until he … Continue reading Manchurian: 10 Million Manchus, A Handful of Native Speakers →

Throat Singing: UNESCO Deems Mongolian Art Form to be Made-in-China

In A Showdown over Traditional Throat Singing, the Washington Post reports: ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — For nearly two decades, Odsuren Baatar [pictured], a master of Mongolian throat singing, has been visiting China to teach his craft — making the human voice soar, quiver and drone, its pitches in eerie unison like a bagpipe.When he first started … Continue reading Throat Singing: UNESCO Deems Mongolian Art Form to be Made-in-China →

Ran Ping’s “Legend of Mongolia”

Legend of Mongolia (蒙古往事) is a fictionalized biography of Genghis Khan, the leader who united the fiercely independent tribes known today as the Mongols, thanks to his iron resolve, military savvy, shrewd alliances, and willingness to shed blood. Written mainly in Chinese prose, the book is peppered with original poems by the author, Mongolian words, … Continue reading Ran Ping’s “Legend of Mongolia” →

Fine-tuning the Spin: Xinjiang’s Awkward Not-so-Chinese Mummies

Uh-oh. Looks like those suspiciously Caucasian mummies from Xinjiang are making trouble again. Or so says an AP report in early January 2011: PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A museum just days away from opening a long-awaited exhibit including two mummies and other historical artifacts from China is gutting the display of all objects at the request … Continue reading Fine-tuning the Spin: Xinjiang’s Awkward Not-so-Chinese Mummies →

《蒙古往事》及其汉化的蒙古语

我正在读冉平写的《蒙古往事》，也发现了经常出现蒙古人的一些有意思的说法。至少，作者在故事里告诉读者这些说法是来自蒙古语。我在琢磨：作者会蒙古语吗？“拼法” 标准吗？科学吗？哪些是音译？如果蒙古语为母语的人看到了，认得出来吗？无论如何，这些说法增加了《蒙古往事》的色彩和可读性，也值得去欣赏和研究。在这里先做点笔记，然后慢慢地加上一些想法和链接。下面的页数以新星出版社的 2010 版为参考。长生天（5）蒙古人将腾格里称为 “Mongke Tengri”，意为 “长生天”，作为最高信仰。（维基百科）巴特（6）《蒙古往事》编辑注释：“巴特，也称把阿秃，即蒙古语中勇士、英雄之意”。其实，好像 “巴特尔” 更正确，因为网上许多地方指 bataar 为蒙古语 “英雄” 之意。“乌兰巴托” （Ulan Bator）的意思是 “红色的英雄”。苏鲁锭（7）苏鲁锭的蒙语意思是“长矛”，也就是战旗。安答（20）《蒙古往事》编辑注释：“安答，即结拜的盟兄弟，生死之交”。帖卜腾格里（24）《蒙古往事》编辑注释：“蒙古语：通天的人”。维基百科：腾格里（Tengri），是古代阿尔泰语系一些游牧民族对于天的称呼，是萨满教腾格里信仰的中心神灵。在中国古代典籍中，“腾格里” 一此最早出于匈奴，协作 “撑犁”，其君主单于的全称即 “撑犁孤涂单于”，意为 “天子般伟大”。其后，鲜卑、柔然、突厥以至蒙古等草原民族均继承了腾格里信仰。与突厥同族的敕勒发展出了 “苍天” （Koke Tengri）的概念，而蒙古人将腾格里成为 “Mongke Tengri”，以为长生天，作为最高信仰。在之后，由于受到佛教、印度教等影响，腾格里被加上了各种称呼，分裂成为众多神灵， 17 世纪后甚至出现了 “九十腾格里” 的说法。今日土耳其语中，“神” 一词为腾格里转化而来的 “Tann”，其穆斯林信众不但以此词称呼基督教的上帝，甚至还在非正式的场合代替来自阿拉伯语的安拉之名。在欧洲可萨人与保加尔人，阿瓦尔人也曾信仰腾格里。薛禅（48）《蒙古往事》内文：“薛禅的意思在古代蒙古语里代表贤哲，就是有见识、有学问的人”。虎不斯（59）《蒙古往事》编辑注释：“虎不斯，蒙古古代的琴”。纳可（59）《蒙古往事》编辑注释：“纳可，伙伴、随从的意思”。固姑冠（60）《老年世界》：“也叫固姑帽，起源于蒙古草原，随着蒙古人入主中原而流传到内地。它是蒙古妇女的著名头饰。。。13 世纪访问蒙古草原的柏朗嘉宾和鲁布鲁克等人所写游记，也都谈到固姑冠的美丽及其造型与风格特色。《鲁布鲁克东行记》说：波克头饰，用树皮制成，它大如两手合掐，高有一腕尺多，阔如柱头。并把它用贵重的丝绢包起来，里面是空的。在柱头顶，即在顶面，插上也有一腕尺多长的一簇羽茎或细枝”。《蒙古往事》编辑注释：“固姑冠，象征身份、地位的头饰”。海青（77）内文：“他们［铁木真等］把鹰叫做海青”。 … Continue reading 《蒙古往事》及其汉化的蒙古语 →