{"id":1403,"date":"2012-11-26T10:30:05","date_gmt":"2012-11-26T02:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/xichuanpoetry.com\/?p=1403"},"modified":"2012-11-26T00:28:54","modified_gmt":"2012-11-25T16:28:54","slug":"renditions-special-issue-chinese-science-fiction-late-qing-and-the-contemporary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xichuanpoetry.com\/?p=1403","title":{"rendered":"Renditions Special Issue: Chinese Science Fiction: Late Qing and the Contemporary"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span><\/a>The next issue of Renditions<\/em><\/a>, no. 77\/78 (Spring and Autumn of 2012), a special issue on late Qing and contemporary science fiction, is now available for order, guest edited by Mingwei Song \u5b8b\u660e\u7152. He writes:<\/p>\n

As a popular genre, science fiction has energized modern Chinese literature by evoking an array of sensations ranging from the grotesque to the sublime, from the utopian to the apocalyptic, and from the human to the post-human. It mingles nationalism with fantasy, sharpens social criticism with an acute awareness of China\u2019s potential for further reform as well as its limitations, and envelops political consciousness in scientific discourses on the power of technology or the technology of power. Science fiction today both echoes and complicates the late Qing writers\u2019 vision of China\u2019s future and the transformation of human society.<\/p>\n

Juxtaposing writings from the first two decades of successive centuries has proven to be a meaningful project. Both epochs are characterized by heightened aspiration for change as well as by deep anxieties about China\u2019s future. A comparative reading of the stories from the late Qing and the contemporary sheds light on their common themes. Yet recapitulations of the earlier age\u2019s literary motifs also lead to self-reflexive variations that point to the latter period\u2019s uniqueness.<\/p>\n

The history of Chinese science fiction has never been continuous. Only three short booms can be identified: the last decade of the Qing dynasty (1902-1911); the first four years of the New Era (1978-1982); and the beginning of the twenty-first century. These booms alternated with long dormant periods. This Renditions special issue showcases representative works of Chinese science fiction from its first and latest booms, focusing on the late Qing and the contemporary. An earlier anthology Science Fiction from China (New York: Praeger, 1989), edited by Wu Dingbo and Patrick D. Murphy, introduced English readers to the second generation of Chinese science fiction writers.<\/p>\n

The works selected have all been translated into English for the first time. This special issue is also the first English-language collection of Chinese science fiction since the publication of Wu and Murphy\u2019s anthology in 1989. The thirteen pieces included are divided into two groups: the first four are stories and novel excerpts from the first decade of Chinese science fiction\u2019s development; the other nine pieces are recent works by contemporary authors. I will welcome any comments and criticism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s the Table of Contents:<\/p>\n

Preface: Mingwei Song<\/p>\n

Part One: The Early Twentieth Century<\/p>\n

Xu Nianci, \u201cNew Tales of Mr. Braggadocio\u201d (Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson) \u5f90\u5ff5\u6148: \u65b0\u6cd5\u87ba\u5148\u751f\u8b5a<\/p>\n

Wu Jianren, New Story of the Stone: excerpts (Translated by Sterling Swallow) \u5433\u8dbc\u4eba:\u65b0\u77f3\u982d\u8a18\uff08\u7bc0\u9078\uff09<\/p>\n

Louise Strong, \u201cThe Art of Creating Humanity\u201d (Translated by Suozi [Lu Xun]; Re-translated by Carlos Rojas) \u7d22\u5b50[\u9b6f\u8fc5]: \u9020\u4eba\u672e<\/p>\n

Xu Zhuodai, \u201cThe Secret Room\u201d (Translated by Christopher Rea) \u5f90\u5353\u5446: \u79d8\u5bc6\u5ba4<\/p>\n

Part Two: The Early Twenty First Century<\/p>\n

Liu Cixin, \u201cThe Poetry Cloud\u201d (Translated by Chi-yin Ip and Cheuk Wong) \u5289\u6148\u6b23: \u8a69\u96f2<\/p>\n

Liu Cixin, \u201cThe Village Schoolteacher\u201d (Translated by Christopher Elford and Jiang Chenxin) \u5289\u6148\u6b23: \u9109\u6751\u6559\u5e2b<\/p>\n

Han Song, \u201cThe Passengers and the Creator\u201d (Translated by Nathaniel Isaacson) \u97d3\u677e: \u4e58\u5ba2\u8207\u5275\u9020\u8005<\/p>\n

Wang Jinkang, \u201cThe Reincarnated Giant\u201d (Translated by Carlos Rojas) \u738b\u6649\u5eb7:\u8f49\u751f\u7684\u5de8\u4eba<\/p>\n

La La, \u201cThe Radio Waves That Never Die\u201d (Translated by Petula Parris-Huang) \u62c9\u62c9: \u6c38\u4e0d\u6d88\u901d\u7684\u96fb\u6ce2<\/p>\n

Zhao Haihong, \u201c1923-a Fantasy\u201d (Translated by Nicky Narman and Pang Zhaoxia) \u8d99\u6d77\u8679: \u4e00\u4e5d\u4e8c\u4e09\u5e74\u79d1\u5e7b\u6545\u4e8b<\/p>\n

Chi Hui, \u201cThe Rainforest\u201d (Translated by Jie Li) \u9072\u5349: \u96e8\u6797<\/p>\n

Fei Dao, \u201cThe Demon\u2019s Head\u201d (Translated by David Hull) \u98db\u6c18: \u9b54\u9b3c\u7684\u982d\u9871<\/p>\n

Xia Jia, \u201cThe Demon-Enslaving Flask\u201d (Translated by Linda Rui Feng) \u590f\u7b33: \u95a2\u5996\u7cbe\u7684\u74f6\u5b50<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The next issue of Renditions, no. 77\/78 (Spring and Autumn of 2012), a special issue on late Qing and contemporary science fiction, is now available for order, guest edited by Mingwei Song \u5b8b\u660e\u7152. He writes: As a popular genre, science … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[13,3],"tags":[837,841,849,840,842,655,852,851,106,843,850,845,854,839,836,383,833,399,848,846,831,835,844,834,853,832,838,847],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8srwF-mD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1513,"url":"https:\/\/xichuanpoetry.com\/?p=1513","url_meta":{"origin":1403,"position":0},"title":"Out-of-Print Renditions Issues Free Downloads","author":"Lucas Klein","date":"January 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Renditions has made its out-of-print back issues available for free download, including issues devoted to drama (1974), middlebrow fiction (1982), contemporary writing as of 1983, and Hong Kong (1988) and Hong Kong in the nineties (1997). 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