recoon https://paragraph.com/@recoon undefined Sat, 06 Jun 2026 05:24:59 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html https://github.com/jpmonette/feed en All rights reserved <![CDATA[Treatment of hunchback]]> https://paragraph.com/@recoon/treatment-of-hunchback GjlXiqtbYaact2tOMLaK Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:42:50 GMT Once upon a time, there was a doctor who boasted he could cure hunchbacks. He said, "No matter how hunched over you are, whether you're like a bow, a shrimp, or a curved ring, as long as you invite me to treat you, I guarantee that if you're cured in the morning, you'll be as straight as a sword shaft by evening." A man believed him and asked him to treat his hunchback. The doctor took two planks, placed one on the ground, and had the hunchback lie face down on it. He then placed the other plank on top of the hunchback and jumped on top of him, stomping hard. This quickly straightened the man's back, but he also died from the doctor's pressure. The hunchback's son wanted to go to the authorities to complain, but the doctor said, "My profession is only to straighten hunchbacks; whether a person lives or dies is not my concern!"

Moral of the story:

This fable tells us that if we only consider our subjective motives and ignore objective factors, we will only make things worse. 1

Lessons from Growth

When doing things, one must follow objective laws and adopt effective methods. One must not act foolishly, lest one cause irreparable serious consequences.

]]> recoon@newsletter.paragraph.com (recoon) <![CDATA[Suspect stealing shoes]]> https://paragraph.com/@recoon/suspect-stealing-shoes iQTE5kYq5DBlK0AJpOqj Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:40:43 GMT Once upon a time, a man from the state of Chu was staying at a friend's house. His servant stole his friend's shoes without his knowledge. Just then, the man sent his servant to the market to buy shoes, and the servant pocketed the money and gave him the stolen shoes. The man remained oblivious. A few days later, his friend visited and found his own shoes on the man's feet. He was shocked and exclaimed, "I suspected it was you! It turns out you stole my shoes!" He immediately severed ties with his friend, and their friendship was broken. A year later, the truth about the servant came to light. His friend came to the man's house and apologized, saying, "I didn't understand you well enough. It was my fault. Let's make up."

]]> recoon@newsletter.paragraph.com (recoon) <![CDATA[The Cultural Going Global and Overseas Dissemination Practices of Chinese Online Literature]]> https://paragraph.com/@recoon/the-cultural-going-global-and-overseas-dissemination-practices-of-chinese-online-literature fahlJHMaKB3xAuUx4m1o Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:38:05 GMT Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized in his speeches the need to continuously enhance the country's cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture, which is crucial to achieving the "Two Centenary Goals" and the "Chinese Dream" of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The "Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization," adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, further includes "enhancing the country's cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture" as an important component of building a socialist cultural power. On this new historical journey, we must deeply understand and effectively grasp this cultural task, adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, and tell China's story and showcase China's image through the production and dissemination of diverse literary and artistic works, continuously enhancing the international influence of Chinese culture. Against this backdrop, after more than 20 years of vigorous development, online literature has become one of the typical representatives of China's cultural soft power. In 2023, the overseas market size of online literature exceeded 4 billion yuan, with nearly 200 million active users, covering most countries and regions worldwide. Chinese online literature is beginning to demonstrate increasingly strong international influence and market vitality in many aspects, including "industry scale, content, revenue, operating model, technical support, and market layout." In the era of globalization, the exchange and dissemination of different cultures has gone through several stages. From the cultural dissemination pattern dominated by Europe and America during the Industrial Revolution, to the wave of "intercultural communication" that gradually emerged and developed in the mid-to-late 20th century, and now to the new model of cultural communication based on digital platforms, which places greater emphasis on exchange, interaction, dialogue, and consultation, the globalization model has undergone a significant transformation. With my country's proposal of concepts such as the "Belt and Road Initiative" and "Community of Shared Future," my country's intercultural communication practices have also entered a new stage. The "Belt and Road Initiative" and other practical activities have prompted us to reflect on the theoretical system centered on Western culture. The original concepts used to understand the cultural communication relationship between ourselves and others are gradually losing their explanatory power, necessitating the construction of academic concepts that conform to the new development pattern. In recent years, scholars at home and abroad have conducted academic discussions on issues such as cultural dissemination and exchange. Some scholars argue that intercultural communication emphasizes "cultural heterogeneity" and is "centered on the Western-centric discourse of 'modernization'"; while transcultural communication presents a de-Westernized blending and exchange of cultures. This trend aims to "use the concept of a 'community with a shared future for mankind' as its core, and to promote the common development of all countries through 'empowerment,' fostering equal exchange and mutual learning among civilizations." In its international dissemination, Chinese online literature has replaced "assimilation" with "mutual transformation," showcasing a state of cultural exchange and emotional resonance in a global context through mutual tolerance, equality, respect, and dynamic flexibility. This demonstrates the potential for a transformation from "intercultural communication" to "transcultural communication." Chinese online literature's overseas expansion carries the important responsibility of disseminating Chinese culture and telling Chinese stories. Its unique narrative style and creative cultural expression resonate with readers worldwide. In this process, how does online literature effectively disseminate Chinese culture? How does it influence the development of overseas literary works? Will it face inherent prejudices due to cultural differences? These are all questions worth considering. Solving these problems will help us better develop and disseminate Chinese online literature. I. The Overseas Expansion of Chinese Online Literature and the Overseas Spread of Chinese Civilization The overseas expansion of Chinese online literature has undergone an evolutionary path, from works to copyrights, from fans to enterprises, from translation to original works, and from products to models. Chinese online literature has developed in this process, and its cultural influence has gradually increased. (I) From Single Genre to Multiple Channels: Initial Path Exploration The overseas dissemination of Chinese online literature can be traced back to the early 21st century. In November 2001, "a group of young authors gathered by the 'China Fantasy Literature Association' (CMFU), the predecessor of 'Qidian.com,' planned to expand the physical publishing business of online novels from Hong Kong and Taiwan to Southeast Asia." In 2004, Qidian.com sold the copyrights of fantasy and romance online novels to countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. In 2006, fantasy novels such as Zhu Xian became popular among Southeast Asian readers, sparking a reading craze. In 2011, Jinjiang Literature City signed its first copyright contract with Vietnam, officially launching its online literature export journey. Fantasy, Xianxia, ​​and romance novels such as The Journey of Flower and Scarlet Heart became the preferred titles for overseas distribution. Overseas book publishing became one of the main forms of early Chinese online literature going global, primarily targeting Asian countries. Early overseas dissemination of Chinese online literature mainly focused on fantasy and Xianxia novels. These works, with their unique Eastern fantasy world-building or absorption of Western fantasy culture, attracted a large readership and were promoted through individual websites, publishing houses, and fan sharing. RWX (Lai Jingping) is a passionate enthusiast of Chinese martial arts culture. After reading Stellar Transformation translated by a Vietnamese-Chinese author named he-man on the SPCNET forum, he began translating another work by "I Eat Tomatoes," Panlong, and subsequently established a website, Wuxiaworld. The website's early works mainly consisted of fantasy and Xianxia novels. The accompanying "translation-donation-sharing system" paved the way for the overseas dissemination of Chinese online literature. Platforms like "BookSoundBar" and "Hui3r," active in Southeast Asia, were early fan-driven translation platforms. From this point on, Chinese online literature gradually moved from simple book publishing to platform building. The overseas expansion of these works reflects the bottom-up cultural dissemination of online literature. Online works gain popularity domestically, receiving enthusiastic support from readers and audiences, attracting attention through interaction among fans and netizens, and gradually developing through fan-driven translations, website creation, and the attention of publishing institutions. Readers in North America and Southeast Asia show great enthusiasm for fantasy and xianxia (martial arts fantasy) genres. Their success, to some extent, relies on the integration of Western fantasy culture or the use of Eastern cultural elements, attracting readers by grasping the similarities and differences. This dissemination is driven more by the subject matter and the works themselves than by systematic commercial operations. In this process, readers from different countries come together because of shared interests, actively and proactively learning about the Chinese culture and values ​​contained within the works. (II) From Volunteer Translation to Corporate Output: The Formation of a Business Model With the rapid development of Chinese online literature, its overseas fan base has gradually grown, especially in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, where the demand for online literature translation is constantly increasing. Within two years of its establishment, Wuxiaworld had completed the translation of two novels, Panlong and Stellar Transformation, and was also working on more than ten other works, attracting readers from many countries and regions around the world. Influenced by this website, around 2016, hundreds of Chinese online literature translation websites emerged. Some lacked popularity and traffic, quickly ceasing operations, while others developed into relatively influential websites, such as Gravity Tales. Its founder, Goodguyperson (Kong Xuesong), established the website and translated Zhanlong. The website featured a diverse range of works, including fantasy, Xianxia, ​​urban fiction, and online gaming genres. Translators, based on their interest in Chinese online literature and its cultural content, used their spare time to translate and interact with other readers. However, influenced by factors such as the growing number of overseas fans and readers, increased reading demands, a shortage of translators, and frequent copyright issues, commercialized websites for the overseas dissemination of online literature have begun to emerge. Major domestic enterprises have actively promoted the establishment of related overseas websites, facilitating the industrialization, corporatization, and standardization of the overseas dissemination of online literature. China Literature Group, operating WebNovel, has revolutionized the ecosystem of overseas dissemination of Chinese online literature in various aspects, including translation models, payment mechanisms, and original content systems. It has brought the operating models of domestic websites like Qidian.com overseas, established professional translation teams and mature copyright export mechanisms, and promoted the export of Chinese online literature not only of its works but also of its models, thus contributing to the commercialization and marketization of overseas website platforms. Even websites like Wuxiaworld, which rely on spontaneous translations and fan donations, have gradually embarked on the path of commercialization through models such as "paid early access." Emerging platforms such as Dreame and GoodNovel have also been established, promoting the overseas dissemination of online literature. During this period, the export of online literature was no longer limited to single-type fantasy and xianxia works, nor was it the inefficient dissemination of translating only one or two works every two years. Romance, urban, science fiction, campus, and other genres were widely exported. China Literature Group, Chinese Online, and other companies gradually opened up multiple channels and models for copyright development and export, including book publishing, online translation, and IP (Intellectual Property) development, continuously expanding the influence of Chinese online literature in overseas markets. (III) From Translation-Focused to Emphasizing Originality: Two-Way Interaction Between Localization and Globalization In the early stages of the overseas dissemination of Chinese online literature, it mainly relied on translating local original works. However, as the operation of websites gradually stabilized, considering the issues of future sustainable and diversified development, major websites began to expand their English original sections. Websites such as WebNovel, GoodNovel, and Dreame learned from the operation mechanisms of domestic websites in terms of originality, cultivating original writers through various models such as guaranteed minimums, subscriptions, and commissions. Dreame focuses on female-oriented romance novels, attracting relatively mature overseas writers to create works that suit local tastes. It incentivizes writers through mechanisms such as guaranteed minimum pay and rewards. It also adopts domestic website operation models such as paid reading, genre tagging, and author training, gradually establishing a mature English original content model. WebNovel, based on translation and promotion, has established creator support programs and writing competitions, attracting authors through incentives such as signing bonuses, attendance awards, and rankings. Its works are categorized into translations, original works, and machine-translated works. Under the influence of Chinese online literature, some English original works exhibit distinct cultural content and narrative styles. From primarily translation to emphasizing originality, Chinese online literature has demonstrated its influence in the global literary market. "As of the end of 2023, overseas platforms had cultivated nearly one million overseas local authors, with signed authors mainly from Generation Z, creating over 1.5 million original works overseas." Many of these English original online novels have absorbed Chinese cultural content, integrating it with local culture, such as incorporating mythological legends and chivalrous spirit into fantasy content like magic, knights, and swordsmen. These works, rich in Chinese cultural symbols, have become cross-cultural products with local characteristics. Some overseas original works also imitate Chinese online novels in terms of narrative strategies, creative genres, and character settings. For example, the Korean web novel I Level Up Alone adopts the classic leveling-up trope popular in China years ago, and Western micro-dramas also widely borrow from the classic narrative logic of Chinese online literature. In this way, Chinese online literature has subtly entered the global cultural market, reducing barriers in communication and dissemination, and thereby enhancing its cultural affinity with overseas audiences. From the perspective of media technology and its dissemination facilities, the adjustment of platforms and the creation of new functions have provided better pathways for the dissemination of Chinese online literature and Chinese culture. Chinese online literature has achieved effective dissemination on youthful and intelligent digital platforms, upgrading cultural dissemination from "cross-border" to "transformative" through cultural exchange. While introducing and promoting Chinese culture, it has also influenced overseas literary creation, thereby promoting global cultural exchange and mutual learning, and the overseas dissemination of Chinese civilization. (IV) From Fan Culture to Industrial Ecosystem: The Integration of Emotional Resonance and Fan Economy The early overseas expansion of Chinese online literature was largely driven by the spontaneous actions of fan volunteers. However, this fan-led cultural dissemination model gradually revealed numerous problems in its later stages. Industry leaders such as China Literature Group and ChineseAll have continuously expanded and upgraded their development scale and industrial structure through establishing overseas website platforms, cooperating with international publishing institutions, developing IP copyrights, and mergers and acquisitions. This has transformed the overseas dissemination of online literature from its original fan-driven and author-driven approach to a standardized and systematic commercial operation led by enterprises and platforms. In the process of the industrialization of Chinese online literature, the emotional resonance and sense of identity among global fans have not been weakened; on the contrary, they have been strengthened in the new industrial ecosystem. Fan groups have promoted the dissemination of Chinese online literature through self-media dissemination, forum interaction, and website rewards. Many readers post discussion threads about Chinese online novels on Goodreads and Reddit, and publish their own videos, paintings, or game crafts on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. This is conducive to the formation of a highly active cross-cultural community. In addition to reader-initiated community building and discussion activities, the website platform also provides official reader groups or chapter review formats to promote interaction and in-depth communication among readers. The UGC (User-Generated Content) operating model helps works expand their influence. The widespread dissemination of information by readers on social media breaks the one-dimensional model of cultural transmission and information reception, making them the main force in information and content dissemination. In this dissemination ecosystem, the intermingling of discourse, where "you are in me, and I am in you," becomes a new form of reader interaction and communication, enabling Chinese online literature to achieve wider dissemination. Many online literary works are developed across media such as film, games, and animation, and are creating globally influential cultural IPs through copyright export. Netflix acquired the overseas rights to TV series such as Empresses in the Palace and Nirvana in Fire; China Literature Group released animated works like Martial Universe and Stellar Transformation on YouTube; and games like Battle Through the Heavens: Wrath of Clouds were launched in Southeast Asia. The original novels and TV series The Lost Tomb, Ghost Blows Out the Light, and Si Teng imbued Changbai Mountain, Xiangxi, and Yunnan with new cultural significance, deepening overseas readers' understanding of these places. Ye Xiu, the protagonist of The King's Avatar, served as a "Swiss tourism explorer," and Klein, the protagonist of Lord of Mysteries, was incorporated into landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in a cartoon form. Online literature is spreading Chinese culture through new cultural tourism formats, opening up new ways for global audiences to receive culture. Chinese online literature is thus gradually realizing industrialized operation, shifting from simple work dissemination to more diverse and multi-dimensional output models, creating a brand-new global industrial chain of "content + platform + IP." China Literature Group has established a global industrial ecosystem covering the upstream and downstream of IP. Tomato Novels has also launched the "Harmony Plan" to further develop the IP industry. iReader Literature is laying out the IP industry chain based on its content advantages. Douban Reading, Qimao Chinese Network and other platforms have also launched related themed essay competitions to prepare for IP incubation.

]]> recoon@newsletter.paragraph.com (recoon) <![CDATA[The Evolution of Research on the Overseas Dissemination of Contemporary Chinese Literature ]]> https://paragraph.com/@recoon/the-evolution-of-research-on-the-overseas-dissemination-of-contemporary-chinese-literature RhAbQahoMZqUYJlRX0yb Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:36:03 GMT The overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature has spanned over 70 years, becoming a crucial channel for telling China's story, sharing its experiences, conveying its values, and showcasing its image to the world. This 70-plus years of overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature can be divided into three periods, based on different stages of my country's social, political, economic, and cultural development, and the international community's focus on different stages of the People's Republic of China's development: the initial period after the founding of the PRC (1949-1977), the development period under the reform and opening-up policy (1978-2000), and the explosive period under globalization (2001-present). These periods span the historical process of China standing up, becoming prosperous, and becoming strong.

During the initial period, the overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature was primarily driven by proactive promotion from my country, supplemented by translations and introductions from foreign countries. A significant portion of this work involved the translation and publication of classic revolutionary texts, including novels such as Tracks in the Snowy Forest, Song of Youth, Red Flag, Red Sun, Defend Yan'an, The Storm, Great Changes in a Mountain Village, and The History of Entrepreneurship, as well as plays like The Red Lantern, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, Raid on the White Tiger Regiment, Shajiabang, The Red Detachment of Women, and The White-Haired Girl (Jiang Zhiqin, 2024: 23-24). These literary and artistic works, focusing on reflecting the rise of the new China, provided valuable experiences of the Chinese revolution and construction to the world through translation and dissemination.

During the development period under the backdrop of reform and opening up, to help the world better understand the pulse of China's times, my country continued to export contemporary literary works overseas. Simultaneously, Western countries, driven by the need to understand China's social development and changes through literature, increased the scope and intensity of their "borrowing," with a new group of sinologists joining the ranks of translating and disseminating contemporary Chinese literature. This two-way drive of self-dissemination and external translation has created a positive interaction between overseas research and translation of contemporary Chinese literature.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature has experienced a boom, marked by significant changes in the subjects, audiences, scale, methods, and geographical scope of dissemination. The top-level design by the Chinese government, the expansion and deepening of translation and introduction by foreign parties, and the timely integration of private sector efforts have created a powerful synergy, leading to the rapid rise of genre fiction in overseas dissemination. This has resulted in a welcome shift from unimodal to multimodal dissemination, with translators, copyright agents, overseas publishers, critics, and marketing personnel all working together.

Chinese scholars' research on the overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature has progressed in tandem with their translation practice. Over the past 70 years, this research has evolved from qualitative research to a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis; from a focus on static comparisons between translated and original texts to exploring the dynamic translation process; and from discussing the knowledge dissemination of translated texts to emphasizing the aesthetic pursuit of translation criticism. This evolution has become even more pronounced since the 21st century.

01 From Qualitative Research to Quantitative Analysis and the Integration of Qualitative and Qualitative Research

In the initial and developmental stages of the overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature, researchers focused more on how to comprehensively "go global," thus employing largely qualitative research methods. These methods analyzed subjective and objective factors influencing translation and dissemination, such as translators, translated works, audiences, and domestication/foreignization, from the perspectives of the translation subject, content, and translation strategies. Since the 21st century, with the continuous expansion and deepening of the "going global" of contemporary Chinese literature, the issue of "going in" has gradually attracted researchers' attention. The evaluation of translation effectiveness has begun to be placed on the research agenda. The development and utilization of numerous relevant databases abroad, and the widespread application of network technology and digital humanities, have provided conditions and possibilities for quantitative research on the effects and global influence of contemporary literature's overseas dissemination. In this regard, the "Evaluation Research Project on the Influence of Chinese Books in Overseas Library Collections," led by He Mingxing, Executive Director of the Center for Evaluation of the Effects of Chinese Culture Going Global at Beijing Foreign Studies University, has taken the lead.

Since 2012, He Mingxing and his team have published an annual research report on "The Influence of Chinese Books in Overseas Library Collections." This report uses the WorldCat database from Europe and America and the CiNii database from Japan as its search base, statistically analyzing the Chinese books (mainly those published by mainland Chinese publishing houses) held in overseas libraries, tracking the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture, and analyzing the global influence of contemporary Chinese literature. He Mingxing's team includes Chinese books on literature, history, culture, and other related themes/fields held by more than 30 libraries worldwide in their statistics. The results show that since 2013, literary books have begun to occupy the vast majority of the market share, replacing historical classics as the dominant category in overseas library collections; and since 2014, contemporary Chinese literature "has become the most advantageous segment, completely changing the history where Chinese history and classics held a dominant position," which "means that the global discourse power of contemporary Chinese literature is gradually increasing" (He Mingxing, 2014), and "is increasingly becoming a window for ordinary people around the world to understand and recognize China" (He Mingxing, 2015). In terms of genre, overseas libraries hold a diverse collection of contemporary Chinese literature, including both pure literature such as novels by Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, Mo Yan, Wang Anyi, Liang Xiaosheng, Chi Zijian, and Liu Zhenyun, and genre fiction such as science fiction by Liu Cixin and Chen Qiufan, suspense novels by Tang Yin, romance novels by Qingkong Lanxi, mystery novels by Zijin Chen, and online novels by Fei Wo Si Cun. In terms of library type, overseas libraries holding Chinese books include university libraries, professional institution libraries, public libraries, and community libraries. Furthermore, overseas public libraries are increasingly becoming the largest buyers of Chinese books, a shift from the previous dominance of academic university libraries. This indicates that the dissemination of Chinese novels abroad is gradually expanding from academic institutions to the general public, with overseas Chinese communities playing a positive role in this process and helping to change the image of Chinese literature in the world. After more than a decade of continuous research, He Mingxing's team has established objective standards and basic theoretical paradigms for the study of the global influence of contemporary Chinese literature: (1) "The number of libraries holding a book determines its dissemination scope" (He Mingxing, 2021: 34); (2) Chinese contemporary literature is evaluated from the perspective of knowledge innovation, because "books that can enter the world library collection rankings" are largely "irreplaceable in terms of academic innovation, ideological value, and historical contribution" (He Mingxing, 2012a), and "the number of a book held by a country's or region's library system represents the level of the book's influence in that country or region's collections" (He Mingxing, 2015); (3) Incorporating reader evaluation data and media book review data is a future research goal for this project.

While statistically analyzing the global library collections of Chinese books, He Mingxing also applies this to the analysis of the global library collections of translated Chinese contemporary literature. For example, as early as 2012, when Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in Literature, He Mingxing (2012b: 12) analyzed the global library holdings of Mo Yan's works translated into foreign languages ​​and their distribution across countries and regions based on statistics from the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), outlining a map of the global influence of Mo Yan's novels. In recent years, more scholars have used global library holdings to analyze the influence of contemporary Chinese literature overseas. For example, Jiang Zhiqin (2021) examined the overseas influence of contemporary Chinese literature by comparing the number of Chinese texts and English translations held in world libraries, using a combined internal and external perspective; Chen Bing, Li Xueming, and Wu Xiaoxia (2021) analyzed the overseas translation and reception of novels by Guangxi writers based on data from world libraries, Amazon, and Goodreads; Shao Lu (2023) analyzed the dissemination of Mao Dun Literature Prize-winning works in the English-speaking world using quantitative data such as overseas library holdings, number of book reviews, and reader ratings; Shi Chunrang and Zhao Huifang (2023) compared and analyzed the translation strategies and models of the English translations of Jia Pingwa's Gao Xing and Lu Yao's Ren Sheng based on world library holdings, foreign media reports, and reader comments; Bao Xiaoying (2023) studied the English translation effects of Alai's novels from the perspectives of world library holdings, newspaper and magazine publications, and reader reviews.

Besides quantitative research methods such as analyzing the collections of libraries worldwide, the development and application of internet technology and digital humanities have also spurred more research using quantitative methods to quantitatively evaluate the overseas dissemination effects of contemporary Chinese literature. From the perspective of translation, the number of languages ​​translated, the countries and regions covered, the number of print editions, reprints, and sales, the number of audiobooks published, the number of picture book adaptations, and the number of film and television adaptations are all reliable quantitative indicators for assessing a work's overseas influence. From the perspective of promotion, recommendations from authoritative figures (such as recommendations on the cover and back cover), mainstream media reports (such as reports in the UK's The Times and The Daily Telegraph, and the US's The New York Times and The Washington Post), professional book reviews (such as reviews included in databases like JSTOR and ProQuest), and international awards (such as Mo Yan winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, Liu Cixin, Hao Jingfang, and Hai Ya winning the Hugo Award, Cao Wenxuan winning the Hans Christian Andersen Award, Yan Lianke winning the Kafka Prize and the Royal Society of Literature's International Lifetime Achievement Award, and Can Xue winning the American Literature Prize) are all powerful evaluation indicators. From the perspective of audience response, data can be collected on various fronts, including library borrowing volume, click-through rates and browsing time of translated works on websites, viewing times and duration of adaptations into films and television series, star ratings, number of comments and content of reviews from ordinary readers on mainstream English-speaking book review websites such as Amazon and Goodreads, as well as on French book sales platforms Fnac and French book review websites Babelio, and reader comments on Wuxiaworld, a website for translating Chinese online literature into English. Furthermore, Python can be used to perform sentiment analysis and opinion mining on reader comments, generating topic word clouds and semantic network diagrams to analyze the emotional attitudes of foreign readers towards translated Chinese contemporary literature, analyzing their acceptance tendencies from three dimensions: positive, neutral, and negative (Wu Yun & Pan Liuye, 2023: 57-58). In recent years, this type of quantitative analysis has gradually gained attention as a new method of digital humanities research. For example, Long Xiaoxiang and Hu Mu (2024) used Python to analyze readers' attitudes towards translated Chinese contemporary literature on overseas websites. Commentary on Chinese children's literature in the 21st century explains the reasons for the successful overseas dissemination of Bronze Sunflower and Ma Yan's Diary; Zhang Lu (2019) used Python to explore the high acceptance rate of overseas readers' positive emotional attitudes towards the English translation of The Three-Body Problem; Chen Xianghong and Xu Liujuan (2019) used relevant review data from Amazon and Goodreads to convincingly demonstrate that Cao Wenxuan's works have high acceptance and recognition in the English-speaking world; Zheng Huanzhao, Kong Lingqin, and Yan Chen (2023) used overseas readers' reviews of Panlong, a web novel by I Eat Tomatoes, on Amazon to explore the successful experience and reference significance of cross-cultural communication of web literature from an emotional perspective; Jiang Wentian (2024) collected and analyzed... This study analyzes reader reviews of Mai Jia's novel Decipher in its English translation on Goodreads, exploring the reasons for its widespread popularity overseas. Xu Zongrui (2022) used big data analysis to compile data on reader reviews of 40 contemporary Chinese writers, including Mo Yan, Yu Hua, and Liu Cixin, on Goodreads, suggesting the effective use of major international online platforms to enhance the dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature. Wan Jin (2017) examined the translation and dissemination of online martial arts novels using detailed data.

With the rapid development of internet technology and the widespread adoption of mobile reading, more and more overseas readers are willing to share their reading experiences and evaluations of books on online bookstores and professional book review websites. Foreign readers purchase books on Amazon... Comments and reviews on online book platforms, Goodreads, and Wuxiaworld are valuable resources for studying the overseas reception of contemporary Chinese literature. A considerable number of comments and reviews have been collected for English translations of pure literary works (such as Yu Hua's To Live and Mo Yan's Red Sorghum), spy novels (such as Mai Jia's Decipher and The Plot), and even more so for English translations of science fiction (such as Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem), martial arts novels (such as Jin Yong's The Legend of the Condor Heroes), and online fantasy novels (such as I Eat Tomatoes' Panlong). If we can effectively collect these comments from ordinary readers and conduct scientific analysis, it will undoubtedly help us understand the reading preferences of overseas readers. Research on the overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature involves quantitative analysis, qualitative research, and theoretical interpretation. Organic integration. Quantitative analysis serves to facilitate more precise qualitative research. Quantitative analysis supports qualitative research from a data perspective, unifying scientific rigor and critical thinking in the study of the overseas dissemination of contemporary Chinese literature, achieving a new breakthrough in the digital age.

02 From focusing on static comparisons between translations and original texts to exploring the dynamic translation process

Language conversion is one of the essential characteristics of literary translation. Readers and researchers first see the two ends of the translation—the translation and the original text. Therefore, research on literary translation has traditionally focused on comparative analysis of these two, exploring the translation quality, fidelity to the original text, the translator's skill level, and the application of domestication and foreignization strategies. A typical example of this is the two English translations of Dream of the Red Chamber—the David Hawkes and John Minford translation and the Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang translation. The former is generally considered to be target-language oriented, focusing more on the acceptance of the target language reader, while the latter is source-language oriented, considering more the accurate transmission of the original text's meaning and flavor. This research trend... The 21st century has brought about new changes, shifting the focus from a comparative study of the source and translation texts to examining not only these two texts but also the process of translation from source to translation. This involves analyzing the interactions between translators, authors, publishers, and editors, identifying the factors influencing the creation of the translation, and revealing the dynamic processes behind the static text. This provides new perspectives and interpretive dimensions for issues such as faithfulness to the original text, the translator's rewriting, and creative rebellion.

Theoretically, this shift in translation studies from static textual comparison to exploring the dynamic translation process is related to the development of linguistics in the second half of the 20th century. Research has shifted from a focus on "structure" and "form" to a focus on "cognitive" activities. This cognitive shift in linguistic research has undoubtedly had a significant impact on literary translation studies. While focusing on the mutual conversion between language texts, literary translation studies have begun to shift their research perspective to the cognition of translators and readers (Xu Shiyan & Zhang Jie, 2020: 161). This shift in the focus of translation studies, namely the emphasis on the translation process, first attracted the attention of researchers abroad. The period from 2006 to 2013 saw rapid development in research on the translation process; according to incomplete statistics, 11 related foreign language works were published during this period, with more than 100 chapters discussing this issue (Martín, 2014: 52). And from 2013 to 2020, even more research has been conducted on this topic.

]]> recoon@newsletter.paragraph.com (recoon) <![CDATA[What a wanderer]]> https://paragraph.com/@recoon/what-a-wanderer G2sDqnAAk3OEqHXDTu6Y Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:05:13 GMT I often 'don't keep my soul', dislike dark and cramped houses, and often sneak out to play. Sometimes, I condense into a stone and lurk at the bottom of a stream. Time and water usually sprinkle me across the river; I only know that I am in the water, and I don't feel the flow. The still freedom, as if in the boundless nature outside the void, only the sun flickered on the water, revealing a self attached to infinity, brightly or darkly. Sometimes, I feel as relaxed as a flowing spring. Countless indistinct moments are stones I have washed down. The splashed water flows briskly over the stones, swiftly and slipperily. The riverbank cannot be bound, the silt cannot be retained, it transforms into clouds and mist, the sea is wide and the sky is high, floating with the atmosphere. Sometimes, I have a 'book escape', and as soon as I enter the vast world of books, it is like Sun Wukong riding a cloud, instantly travelling 108,000 miles. I leave home far behind and forget where I am. Yet, after all, I am a mortal being, inseparable from time and space, inseparable from myself. I take responsibility and retreat into a closed room. People often clean, corners gather cobwebs, the floor is covered in dust, windows rattle in the wind, and tables and beds are messy. I have heard people say: I want to use my own heart, this is simply uninhabitable. I pushed the door open and saw neighbours busy painting, decorating, and expanding the house. Doors are bright everywhere, and the corridors and duplexes inside are captivating. I watched in amazement, sometimes approaching to peek, sometimes even entering through the door. Broadly speaking, in terms of the body, with the body, so as not to feel like 'sour grapes'. No matter how tall a person is, they are only eight or nine feet tall. Self-reinforcement will definitely allow mutual adaptation. Even if elasticity expands, the gas and original shape remain equal. The more twists and turns in the house, the narrower it is, the more spacious the façade, and the shallower the inner room. Moreover, in such a situation, fortunately, my 'eight-sided light' house is worthy of my nostalgia. It's just a dilapidated fighting room, unable to withstand the ravages of time, with doors and windows tilting sooner or later, offering no shelter from wind and rain. We take it day by day, living each day as it comes.

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