Synopsis: The Audible Annals of Abudan (Based on the Chinese novel by Liu Liangcheng) Within your lifetime, many things will disappear before your eyes. Only those you yearn for won’t arrive. … Continue reading Synopsis: “The Audible Annals of Abudan” (梗概：《凿空)
Category: My Literary Translations （本人的译著）
“Civilizations of the Silk Road” (translated excerpt): Princess Xijun’s Exile to the Western Regions
Mysteries of the Western Regions Pioneering Zhang Qian & Han Dynasty Explorers (Excerpted from H.K. Chang’s Civilizations of the Silk Road) Translated from 丝路文明 15 讲 byBruce Humes in collaboration with the author In 119 BCE, Zhang Qian (张骞) was entrusted with a second mission to the Western Regions (西域), mainly to the Kingdom of Wusun (烏孫) in the … Continue reading “Civilizations of the Silk Road” (translated excerpt): Princess Xijun’s Exile to the Western Regions
The Metaphor Detox Center: Excerpt from Sheng Keyi’s 锦灰
Tupelo Quarterly has just published an excerpt from Sheng Keyi's dystopian novel, The Metaphor Detox Center (锦灰, 盛可以 著), entitled The Love Experiment: She became acquainted with a few fellow patients at the centre. Like them, she’d heard of shelters, treatment centres for drug addiction, mental health clinics and so on, but only once she … Continue reading The Metaphor Detox Center: Excerpt from Sheng Keyi’s 锦灰
Archaeologist Fan Jinshi’s Memoir: Ancient Buddhist Cave-temples in the Desert, Red Guards & the Spirit of Peking U
Cultural Revolution: The Mogao Grottoes Miraculously Emerge Unscathed (Excerpted from 我心归处是敦煌 (Daughter of Dunhuang) by Fan Jinshi as told to Gu Chunfang) Translated by Bruce Humes Many people have asked me if the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang were damaged during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). At the time, the Destroy the Four Olds, Cultivate the Four News campaign … Continue reading Archaeologist Fan Jinshi’s Memoir: Ancient Buddhist Cave-temples in the Desert, Red Guards & the Spirit of Peking U
Last Quarter of the Moon: Re-launching as One of 8 Novels in “Eco-fiction” Genre
As of July 7, 2022, Penguin is launching a collection of novels "to change the way we think about — and act upon — the most urgent story of our times: the climate crisis": " VINTAGE EARTH is a collection of novels to transform our relationship with the natural world. Each one is a work of creative activism, a … Continue reading Last Quarter of the Moon: Re-launching as One of 8 Novels in “Eco-fiction” Genre
Morocco: Setting Foot in Tangier, the First Shiite Kingdom and Echoes of Du Fu
Morocco: Where the Sun Truly Sets (Excerpted from H.K. Chang's The Greater Middle East: Travelogue & Reflections) Translated by Bruce Humes in Collaboration with the Author (Map source: Nations Online Project) In the early 8th century, the commander of an Arab expeditionary force spurred his horse toward Tangier on the southern bank of the Strait of … Continue reading Morocco: Setting Foot in Tangier, the First Shiite Kingdom and Echoes of Du Fu
Confessions of a Jade Lord (excerpt): ‘Marry your mother to the villain who killed your father’
(Posted: Feb 2, 2022) This short excerpt from Alat Asem's Confessions of a Jade Lord (时间悄悄的嘴脸, 阿拉提·阿斯木 著) intriguingly captures several key aspects of Uyghur culture, modern and ancient. To get his greedy hands on nine hefty chunks of priceless creamy-white, "mutton-fat" jade, Eysa and his gang administer a deadly beating to Xali, a fellow trader. Fearing arrest, Eysa flees … Continue reading Confessions of a Jade Lord (excerpt): ‘Marry your mother to the villain who killed your father’
“Sidik Golden MobOff”: Li Bai was Uyghur
An Excerpt from Sidik Golden MobOff by Alat Asem 斯迪克金子关机 阿拉提·阿斯木 著 First published in Peregrine, Issue 14, June 2013 Translated by Bruce Humes In our community, the only person who excelled at translating Uyghur into Chinese was Big Brother Sidik, and this was the inexhaustible source of his arrogance and aloofness. His colleagues and fellow students … Continue reading “Sidik Golden MobOff”: Li Bai was Uyghur
Synopsis: Moŋgoliya by Guo Xuebo
《蒙古里亚》郭雪波著 Original novel in Chinese by Guo Xuebo Synopsis by Bruce Humes A tale of ruthless ecological exploitation, a 20th-century European explorer’s fascination with Altaic culture & epiphany in today’s Inner Mongolia This semi-autobiographical novel comprises three parallel narratives that eventually intersect in 21st-century Inner Mongolia: A spiritual journey, in which the author — ostensibly … Continue reading Synopsis: Moŋgoliya by Guo Xuebo
Sangpuy (桑布伊): Profile of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Musician
My latest translation for Taiwan Panorama (台灣光華), a bilingual monthly: A member of Taitung’s Pinuyumayan (台東卑南族) community, Sangpuy Katatepan (桑布伊) has been deeply attracted to the ancient melodies of his tribe since childhood. He composes the lyrics for each song on his albums in the Aboriginal language of his people. This love for the land … Continue reading Sangpuy (桑布伊): Profile of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Musician
Ethnic ChinaLit 