October 27, 2020
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 Policy.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(迷叶 / Mí Yè / reverie leaves)
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October 20, 2020
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.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(警告 / Jǐnggào / warning)
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October 10, 2020
executioner: ᴇᴜᴍᴇɴɪᴅᴇs
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.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(時差 / shíchā / time difference)
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September 12, 2020
'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 historian of Old Shanghai, Paul French. Expect to hear a lot about the virtues of liberal cosmopolitanism and the evils of Art Deco and gin liqueur.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(黄包车 / huáng bāo chē / rickshaw)
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August 30, 2020
'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, Yilin Wang.
The Woman in the Carriage is a short tale, but the more you look at it, the more you see. Moral lessons, subtle humour, inexplicable strangeness, the roots of modern wuxia...it's all there!
A condensed transcript of the interview in this episode is available on Yilin's website.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(盗贼 / dào zéi / thief)
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July 30, 2020
'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 is it a JRPG Final Fantasy-style affair. It's made in China, set in China, and played (mostly) by Chinese gamers. You may not be shocked to learn that it's a Wuxia RPG, with a little Xianxia magic thrown in for good measure.
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(剑 / Jiàn / a straight, double-edged Chinese sword)
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July 18, 2020
...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 Immortal blends two particularly Chinese genres: xianxia, and tomb raiding. It's not quite the tomb raiding one associates with Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, as Etvo explains in our interview.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(墓 / Mù / Tomb)
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June 7, 2020
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 classic Gu Long, and an early entry in Deathblade's career as a translator. We use it as a jump-off point to talk about Chinese web fiction, similarities between Wuxia and other genres, and the hyperpowered characters of xianxia web fiction.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(酒 / Jiǔ / Alcohol)
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![Ep 33 - Jin Yong and Legend of the Condor Heroes with Gigi Chang]()
May 30, 2020
'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 Yīngxióng Chuán), the magnum opus of Wuxia grandmaster Jin Yong. Our guest is one of the translators working to bring it into English, Gigi Chang.
Condor Heroes is a huge entry in Chinese literature (both highbrow and lowbrow), and pop culture in general. In this first episode of the podcast's Wuxia season, I begin to get to grips with this absolute behemoth of genre fiction.
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// WORD OF THE DAY //
(忠肝义胆 / Zhōng Gān Yì Dǎn / Loyal liver, righteous guts)
// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE //
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Buy Me a Coffee
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