Aug 23, 2020 Update: Bainuu, the only Mongolian-language social media application available in China, which hosted about 400,000 Southern Mongolians users, reportedly shut down by Chinese authorities. A few years back I posted a piece entitled A Resounding "Yes" to Mother-tongue Literature -- but for Whom and about What? In this context, “mother-tongue” … Continue reading Contemporary Fiction from China: Must it Be Penned in Mandarin?
Category: Altaic Peoples & Tales (阿尔泰各民族及其故事)
Xinjiang-based Novel: Excerpt from Patigül’s “Bloodline”
An excerpt from Bloodline , a novel by Uyghur author Patigül set in Xinjiang (《百年血脉》帕蒂古丽 著) Translated from the Chinese by Natascha Bruce Edited by Bruce Humes Growing Up In Da’nanpo (大南坡上的日子) We lived southeast of Da’nanpo, deep in the desert and on top of a steep slope, which meant all routes away from … Continue reading Xinjiang-based Novel: Excerpt from Patigül’s “Bloodline”
Synopsis: “Confessions of a Jade Lord”
My co-translation of Uyghur author Alat Asem’s novel set in Xinjiang has now been published. Here is a brief synopsis of sorts, taken straight off the book’s back cover: Confessions of a Jade Lord 《时间悄悄的嘴脸》（阿拉提·阿斯木 著) “Tell Eysa that he cannot live by drifting in the wind. He should return and live in his own … Continue reading Synopsis: “Confessions of a Jade Lord”
The Epic of Manas (玛纳斯史诗): A Multilingual Guide to Related Links
《玛纳斯史诗》 The Epic of Manas A Multilingual Guide to Related Links Non-Han Oral Epics 《中国史诗》(Chinese) Comprehensive 591-page study of China’s oral epics by scholars Lang Ying (朗樱) and J. Rincindorji (仁钦道尔吉). Dedicates 40 pages to Manas, including synopsis, Kyrgyz oral storytelling tradition, and manasqi. The Manas Epic The Kyrgyz Epic Manas Selections translated, introduced and … Continue reading The Epic of Manas (玛纳斯史诗): A Multilingual Guide to Related Links
Backgrounder: Mongolian author Guo Xuebo
February 17, 2019 Author's Bio Although he writes in Chinese, Guo Xuebo (郭雪波) is fiercely proud of his Mongolian heritage and was raised in Inner Mongolia’s Khorchin Grasslands (Hure Banner). Now 71 and bilingual, he spoke Mongolian at home and school until he was 13. He graduated from Beijing’s prestigious Central Academy of Drama (Department … Continue reading Backgrounder: Mongolian author Guo Xuebo
The New Xinjiang: Traveling when Uyghur
In Navigating Xinjiang's Security Checkpoints, Darren Byler, anthropology PhD candidate at the University of Washington, relates his recent experiences in northwest China: Over the course of a week in cities across Xinjiang, I went through dozens and dozens of checkpoints. I saw young Uighur officers berate elderly Uighurs for not showing their IDs. I saw … Continue reading The New Xinjiang: Traveling when Uyghur
“Manas” Onstage: Ongoing Moves to Sinicize China’s Three Great Oral Epics
A large-scale, colourful rendition of the Kyrgyz epic Manas (玛纳斯史诗) was staged March 22-23 in Beijing’s ultra-modern Poly Theater. This performance came just two days after the newly anointed President Xi Jinping, speaking at the People’s Congress, cited two of the three great oral epics of non-Han peoples, Manas and the Tibetan-language King Gesar. While … Continue reading “Manas” Onstage: Ongoing Moves to Sinicize China’s Three Great Oral Epics
“The Devils’ Dance”: Review of Uzbek author Hamid Ismailov’s Novel
From childhood, it was drilled into our minds together with our mother tongue: if you start an idea, take it to the finish line ! This is because the Uzbek language’s structure is such that until you get to the end of a verbal phrase, in order not to miss the meaning of the verb, … Continue reading “The Devils’ Dance”: Review of Uzbek author Hamid Ismailov’s Novel
Extract: Alat Asem’s Novel “Confessions of a Jade Lord” (时间悄悄的嘴脸)
An excerpt from the newly published novel by Uyghur author Alat Asem, Confessions of a Jade Lord 《时间悄悄的嘴脸》 Chapter 19 Rechristening a High-rise In the midst of his hectic days as minor-character-cum-stagehand, Exet the Mouse’s magnificent new sobriquet — “Suet Exet” — fails to resonate. Those two sheep were indeed sacrificed in vain. Afterwards, he … Continue reading Extract: Alat Asem’s Novel “Confessions of a Jade Lord” (时间悄悄的嘴脸)
Xinjiang: Big Data, Wifi Sniffers & Big Brother
In China: Big Data Fuels Crackdown in Minority Region, Human Rights Watch reports on how hi-tech is being used to systematically monitor citizens' behavior in Xinjiang, one of the PRC's most multiethnic regions: Since August 2016, the Xinjiang Bureau of Public Security has posted procurement notices confirming the establishment of the “Integrated Joint Operations Platform” (IJOP, … Continue reading Xinjiang: Big Data, Wifi Sniffers & Big Brother
Altaic Storytelling 