Once in a blue moon I come across a well-argued scholarly essay which openly criticizes mainstream thinking about ethnic literature in New China. 不在场的在场：中国少数民族文学的处境 (Presence of Absence: Situation of China’s Ethnic Minority Language Literature) by Li Xiaofeng (李晓峰) is an outstanding example. He cites the words of author He Qifang (何其芳), and adds that precious little has … Continue reading “Hegemonic Mindset” Hampering Recognition of Manchu Contribution to China’s Literature
Category: Altaic Peoples & Tales (阿尔泰各民族及其故事)
Qing Dynasty Translations of Han Classics into Various Languages of China
The four classics of Chinese vernacular literature during the Ming and Qing Dynasties — Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber — were all more or less fully translated into Manchu under the Qing, writes Yiming Abula (伊明·阿布拉) in Minority Translators Journal (民族翻译). Translations into … Continue reading Qing Dynasty Translations of Han Classics into Various Languages of China
By the Numbers: Non-Han “Literary Families” during the Qing
In much the same way as modern gender studies have exploded the myth that great writers throughout human history were necessarily male, contemporary research into literary production by non-Han authors is slowly lifting the veil on their role in China’s pre-20th-century literary life. In a recent piece on the current state of research into so-called … Continue reading By the Numbers: Non-Han “Literary Families” during the Qing
11th-Century Turkic Classic “Kutadgu Bilig” Recited in Chinese at the Great Hall of the People
Wish I could have been there along with former Minister of Culture Wang Meng — a Han who spent part of the Cultural Revolution in Ili laboring among Uyghurs — and central government and Xinjiang dignitaries. I was briefly in Beijing but unaware of the event: On January 18, a new Chinese rendition of the … Continue reading 11th-Century Turkic Classic “Kutadgu Bilig” Recited in Chinese at the Great Hall of the People
Note to “The Diplomat” and Shannon Tiezzi: Uyghur is Not a Dialect of Chinese
In her Dec 24 analysis of a document designed to guide China’s future ethnic policies, China’s Prescription for ‘Improving Ethnic Work’, Shannon Tiezzi makes a reference to “local dialects”: The document attempts to address governance and policy issues as well, starting with the sensitive topic of language. Beijing reiterates that all officials, including those from … Continue reading Note to “The Diplomat” and Shannon Tiezzi: Uyghur is Not a Dialect of Chinese
Launched: Collection of Contemporary Kazakh Poetry & Fiction in Chinese Translation
Readers can now purchase the 374-page volume featuring 41 pieces of fiction, most translated from the original Kazakh into Chinese (中国当代少数民族文学翻译作品选萃 － 哈萨克族卷). This is part of the Chinese government’s official translation project (“民译汉”), initiated in 2013, which aims to make writing by ethnic minority writers available to Chinese readers nationwide. This represents a change … Continue reading Launched: Collection of Contemporary Kazakh Poetry & Fiction in Chinese Translation
“Life of a Mimic”: Xinjiang Writer Addresses Sensitive Question of Self-identity
The latest session of the Lu Xun Literary Institute’s training in creative writing for minority writers recently convened (第15 期少数民族创作培训), and I found myself sifting through the names of the trainees. That’s because participation is a milestone of sorts that presages future stardom: You join the state-run China Writers Association, get published in a prestigious … Continue reading “Life of a Mimic”: Xinjiang Writer Addresses Sensitive Question of Self-identity
China’s Ethnic-themed Fiction: Mongolian Author Raises the Bar with Call for Bilingual Skills
Xi Jinping’s recent media blitz reminds China’s propaganda workers that — as Chairman Mao told us back at the 1942 Yan’an Forum — art should serve politics. No ifs, ands or buts, Comrades. To ensure the message gets across to the 55 ethnic minorities that weren’t born Han, “learn from Chairman Xi” study sessions targeting … Continue reading China’s Ethnic-themed Fiction: Mongolian Author Raises the Bar with Call for Bilingual Skills
Historian Queries: What Is a ‘Uyghur’?
The LA Review of Books has published an extract of the newly published Sacred Routes of Uyghur History by Professor Rian Thum, entitled What Is a Uyghur? In the book, Thum "argues that the Uyghurs - and their place in China today - can only be understood in the light of longstanding traditions of local … Continue reading Historian Queries: What Is a ‘Uyghur’?
Cultivating Uyghur Writers and Translators
As I’ve reported before (Sessions), the editors at China’s very official Nationalities Literature Magazine (民族文学), which appears in 5 languages plus Mandarin, are heading up a nationwide series of “rewriting/editing training courses” (改稿班). The latest took place in Urumqi in late September, and brought together more than 30 Uyghur writers and their translators, along with editors … Continue reading Cultivating Uyghur Writers and Translators
Ethnic ChinaLit 