Exotic Mirroring: The Knowledge-Productive Translation of Jin Ping Mei in the Anglophone World in the First Half of the 20th Century

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2025.06.023

Abstract

Abstract:

The transformation and reception of Chinese literature in the global literary field is an ongoing process. Taking the classical novel Jin Ping Mei as a representative case, this paper finds that its knowledge-generating translation has demonstrated the dynamics and complexity of translation when Chinese literature is introduced into the foreign context. By tracing the translational history and translated versions of Jin Ping Mei, this study aims to uncover how each version serves as a mirror of its time, with a particular focus on the agents driving these translations in respective historical contexts. Furthermore, it seeks to reveal the hidden mechanisms shaping the novel’s translation and knowledge production, contributing to a broader discussion on the effective pathways for the global transmission and development of Chinese literature within world literature.

Key words: mirroring, Jin Ping Mei, knowledge, translation

CLC Number:

H315.9

SHI Yun. Exotic Mirroring: The Knowledge-Productive Translation of Jin Ping Mei in the Anglophone World in the First Half of the 20th Century[J]. Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies, 2025, 25(6): 213-222.

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