The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast

Every person's heart is an island, trapped by water, sequestered from the world In the forty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are going in search of Peach Blossom Paradise (人面桃花 - Rénmiàn Táohuā) by Ge Fei . Rowing me through the lingering mists and dark waters is craftmaster Canaan Morse , its translator. Ge Fei has been covered once before on this show. We did his...

'Underneath the hole is another hole. Do you dare go down?' In the forty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are grappling with the experimental literature of Can Xue , as embodied in I Live in the Slums . Helping me train for the performance of a lifetime is Chinese-to-Bulgarian translator & friend of the pod, Stefan Rusinov . - // NEWS ITEMS // Yan Ge's White Horse sho...

I am an Evenki woman. I am the wife of our people’s last Clan Chieftain. I was born in the winter. In the forty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are heading into the mountains of Manchuria to seek out The Last Quarter of the Moon (额尔古纳河右岸 / É'ěrgǔnà Hé Yòu'àn) by Chi Zijian . Tramping with me through the snows is its translator, Bruce Humes . - // NEWS ITEMS // Th...

It is not often that one has the opportunity to observe the extinction of an entire civilisation In the forty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are venturing into Cat Country (猫城记 / Māo Chéng Jì), a science fiction oddity of the Republic of China. Helping me save the nation and stay off the damned reverie leaves is Molly Silk , a doctoral researcher of Chinese Space Po...

The ultimate fate of all intelligent beings has always been to become as grand as their thoughts. Episode 40 is no ordinary episode! This time TrChFic is crossing over with Couch Command and its esteemed host Keith Hayward to jump right down the Chinese sci-fi wormhole of Liu Cixin's haymaker-punch ending to his Three Body Problem trilogy, Death's End (死神永生 / Sǐshén Yǒngshēng). Hell yes. - //...

executioner: ᴇᴜᴍᴇɴɪᴅᴇ s In the thirty ninth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Death Notice (死亡通知单 / Sǐwáng Tōngzhī Dān), a fast paced crime thriller with a mean streak. Joining me to inspect the corpses is its polymath translator, Zac Haluza . Expect to be surprised by just how much this work was adapted in translation. - // NEWS ITEMS // The Southern Tour P...

'O thou city that surpasseth our understanding! How impressive are they emptiness, and thy commonness, and thy bad taste!' In the thirty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Hymn to Shanghai (上海之歌 / Shànghǎi Zhīgē), a piece by 'the little critic' himself, Lin Yutang . Joining me to pick apart Lin's biblical condemnation is the roguish raconteur and histor...

'The scholar suddenly glimpsed a movement in the darkness. Something dived towards him like a swift bird. The shadowy outline of a person neared him, reaching out with a hand.' In the thirty seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at The Woman in the Carriage (车中女子 / Chē Zhōng Nǚzǐ), a chuanqi story dating back to the Tang Dynasty. Our guest is its translator,...

'I think there is no brother in this world as strange as you' In the thirty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at a video game(!) series called Gujian (古剑/ Gǔ Jiàn). Helping me level up and face my shadow self is Emily Jin , a highly active Chinese science fiction translator, and better yet: a hardcore Gujian fan! Gujian isn't a Western Tolkeinesque RPG, nor...

...the lid of the stone coffin slowly shifted open, filling the chamber with a rancid stench of decay. Two blackened arms reached out from the interior... In the thirty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Necropolis Immortal (仙墓 / Xiān Mù), written by Immortal Amidst Snow in July . Our guest is the novel's irrepressible translator, Etvolare . Necropolis Imm...

It was after dusk. Lanterns illuminated the restaurant. The lantern light shone on the faces of Fang Kuan and the others, which dripped with sweat. Cold sweat. In the thirty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at 7 Killers (七殺手 / Qī Shāshǒu), by Wuxia renegade Gu Long . Our guest is one of the top translators of Wuxia webnovels, Deathblade . 7 Killers is cla...

'We Han Chinese outnumber the Jurchen by more than a hundred to one. If the Imperial Court decided to employ honest and loyal men, our great Empire would prevail. With one hundred of our men against one of their worthless soldiers, how could the Jin army win?' In the thirty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Legend of the Condor Heroes (射雕英雄传 / Shèdiāo...

"A true map cannot simply mark out the landmarks, and the most popular tourist sites, it must be able to guide readers through the city’s lesser-known corners, its dimly-lit nooks and rarely-frequented crannies" In the thirty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at The Book of Shanghai , a short story collection from Comma Press . Our guest is Karen Wang of the...

"Autumn Grace jumped up from the ground, kicked off her high heels and dashed away, one hand holding up the hem of her gown" In the thirty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Su Tong's Petulia's Rouge Tin (红粉 / Hóngfěn) Our guest is Anya Goncharova of the Peony Literary Agency - Su Tong on Paper Republic Penguin China on Twitter - // NEWS ITEMS // A Summer...

"Assuming my memory hasn't been obstructed, then something must be interfering with time" In the thirtieth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Ge Fei's Flock of Brown Birds (褐色鸟群 / Hésè Niǎoqún). Our guest is Eric Abrahamsen, one of the founding members of Paper Republic - Ge Fei on Paper Republic Translator Poppy Toland on Paper Republic - // NEWS ITEMS // Che...

"Memory comes from forgetting" In the twenty ninth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Song Aman's Gongsun's Dreams (公孙画梦 / Gōngsūn Huàmèng). Our guest is Michelle Deeter , returning for her second appearance on the show! This story is not yet published in English. The Chinese version features in Song Aman's collection Inland Romance , published in Chinese by J...

"Dalliances wi ither worlds..." In the twenty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Yang Lian's Narrative Poem (叙事诗 / Xùshìshī). Our guest is Brian Holton , the premier translator of Chinese-to-Scots! - Publishers: EN - Bloodaxe Books // CN - Huaxia Publishing House Yang Lian's homepage // Brian Holton on Paper Republic - // NEWS ITEMS // Chen Quifan on the...

"As the boy's thoughts wandered, the purple and green leaves turned into autumn well water, and then the jute became water, while sparrows skimming the tips of the jute plants were transformed into green kingfishers snapping up tiny shrimp from the water's surface." In the twenty seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Mo Yan's Radish (透明的红萝卜 / Tòumíngde...

"A person from one civilisation looks at their surroundings as distinct objects and events and considers them separately. But when a person from another civilisation looks in as an outsider, they prefer to view everything through the lens of political power and try to explain everything based on that perspective." In the twenty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are lookin...

"Don't ask from where I have come. My home is far, far away." In the twenty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Sanmao's Stories of the Sahara (撒哈拉的故事 / Sǎhālāde Gùshì) Sanmao AKA Echo Chan is a literary hero in China and Taiwan, but only recently has some of that fame begun to spill over into the rest of the world. She’s probably most famous for the ti...

"I have lived in Tianjin my whole life, and I know its people, with their toughness and competitive streak, their generosity, their determination to be respected, and their refusal to back down. When I illustrate them, it is these qualities I draw." In the twenty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Feng Jicai's Faces in the Crowd (俗世奇人 / Súshì Qírén) Thi...

"Later, I kept on hoping China would host the Olympics again, but it never happened. After I became a father, I told my son about that night, and he refused to believe China had once been so prosperous." this is episode 7 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction Season In the twenty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Baoshu's What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light...

'The summer isn’t over yet. There are so many fun things to do.' this is episode 6 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction Season In the twenty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Xia Jia's A Summer Beyond Your Reach (你无法抵达的夏天/nǐ wúfǎ dǐdá de xiàtiān) Xia Jia herself joins me via Skype from California to talk about her stories. French culture comes up th...

'Everything is going to descend into chaos and disorder. Entropy will accelerate rapidly...' [ episode 21 transcript here ] this is episode 5 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction Season In the twenty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Han Song's The Fundamental Nature of the Universe (宇宙的本性/yǔzhòu de běnxìng). A tale of artificial intelligence and ennui....

'We still have a very long time to get along and very many things to talk about, but let us not speak of morals. In the universe, such considerations are meaningless.' this is episode 4 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction Season In the twentieth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Liu Cixin 's Devourer (吞食者/tūnshí zhě) This is a grim tale for survival in a preda...