《额尔古纳河右岸》的外文版 Current Translations of the Novel Arabic (الربع الأخير من القمر); Dutch (Het laatste kwartier van de maan, translated direct from my English version); English (Last Quarter of the Moon); Finnish (Poulikku); French (Le dernier quartier de lune); German (Das letzte Viertel des Mondes); Italian (Ultimo quarto di Luna); Japanese (アルグン川の右岸) ; Korean (《어얼구나 강의 … Continue reading Foreign Language Editions of Chi Zijian’s “Last Quarter of the Moon”
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“Daughter of Dunhuang”: Fan Jinshi’s Biography Launched at Moscow Book Fair
The Russian version of the Dunhuang-based archaeologist Fan Jinshi’s biography, биография фань цзиньши сердце мое в дуньхуане , has just been officially launched at the 2025 Moscow Book Fair. This makes it the second foreign language edition to date; my translation of her《我心归处是敦煌》(Daughter of Dunhuang: Memoir of a Mogao Grottoes Researcher) was published in 2024. … Continue reading “Daughter of Dunhuang”: Fan Jinshi’s Biography Launched at Moscow Book Fair
What We’re Reading Now: Men and Gods of Mongolia
The difference between Camelus Dromedarius, the single-humped camel, and Camelus Bactrianus, the two-humped camel, is so fundamental that, as regards their habit of life and performance, they are no more to be confused than a team of Arctic dogs and a pack of Australian dingos. (Men and Gods of Mongolia, published in 1935 by Danish … Continue reading What We’re Reading Now: Men and Gods of Mongolia
The Audible Annals of Abudan: Chapter by chapter breakdown
The Audible Annals of Abudan Chapter-by-Chapter Outline (42 in total) Prologue Donkey’s Hee-haw Donkeys bray crimson, and their crimson bray has propped up the sky for Abudan in southern Xinjiang for centuries. When Zhang Jin comes home stone deaf from a mine, he finds the village smothered in police sirens. 1 Digging Two decades of … Continue reading The Audible Annals of Abudan: Chapter by chapter breakdown
Donkeys Bray Crimson
驴叫是红色的。全村的驴齐鸣时村子覆盖在声音的红色拱顶里。 驴叫把鸡鸣压在草垛下，把狗吠压在树荫下， 把人声和牛哞压在屋檐下。 Donkeys bray crimson. When donkeys cry in concert, a crimson vault of sound envelopes the village. It keeps the rooster’s crow under the haystacks, the dog’s bark under the trees, and the human voice under the eaves. 狗吠是黑色的，狗在夜里对月长吠， 声音飘忽悠远，仿佛月亮在叫。 羊咩是绿色的，在羊绵长的叫声里， 草木忍不住生发出翠绿嫩芽。 鸡鸣是白色的，鸡把天叫亮后， 便静悄悄了。 Dogs bark black. When a dog howls … Continue reading Donkeys Bray Crimson
Abudan’s Roza: The Stamp of Approval
Roza was the most honest, down-to-earth villager in Abudan, and he served as the village representative for most of his life. Whenever someone from the county or township came down to the village to conduct a survey, the village head would arrange for them to visit Roza’s home. Poorly spoken, he had just one response … Continue reading Abudan’s Roza: The Stamp of Approval
And this is a donkey we’re talking about
That was when the village distributed farm fields to each family by drawing lots. One day, Yüsup’s donkey was walking past Qurban when it farted right in his face. Qurban swung his ketmen and gouged the donkey’s back, leaving a deep gash. Yüsup was indignant. “A donkey’s just an animal,” said Yüsup. “It doesn’t know … Continue reading And this is a donkey we’re talking about
Naming Abudan’s Villagers with a Turkic Touch
The Audible Annals of Abudan (凿空) is set in an imaginary village in southern Xinjiang, which has historically been largely peopled by Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim people. Although the word “Uyghur” never appears, it’s clear from several aspects of the tale, such as occasional transliterated vocabulary, that they speak a Turkic tongue. It’s important to note … Continue reading Naming Abudan’s Villagers with a Turkic Touch
Pic of the Week: Replacing religion with “faith in the state”?
This picture of a China propaganda poster uses the phrase for "have faith" -- 有信仰 -- in a way that I have always associated with religion, i.e., be a believer (in this or that religion). Perhaps I am wrong, but this feels like a new usage of the phrase. Odd for a Party that enforces … Continue reading Pic of the Week: Replacing religion with “faith in the state”?
Newly Translated Travelogue: “Roaming the Steppe Silk Road”
Roaming the Steppe Silk Road *** By H. K. Chang (漫游草原丝路, 张信刚 著) In the 1960s as a doctoral student in the United States, H. K. Chang happened upon a copy of Owen Lattimore's 1940 edition of Inner Asian Frontiers of China at a used bookstore. Perusing it kick-started his new appreciation of China's northern and western frontiers, … Continue reading Newly Translated Travelogue: “Roaming the Steppe Silk Road”
Ethnic ChinaLit 