Photo taken on Feb 25 shows attendees at a ceremony in Beijing to promote the English version of Into the Desert. [Photo/CFLPA]

Publicity event held in Beijing to promote English version of Into the Desert

(chinadaily.com.cn)|Updated

A ceremony was held in Beijing on Feb 25 to further promote the publicity of Into the Desert, the English version of popular fiction series written by Chinese novelist Xue Mo, an honoree of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration (CFLPA), known overseas as China International Communications Group (CICG).

The award-winning novel was adapted and translated by Howard Goldblatt, a well-known US sinologist and preeminent translator of Chinese literature, and his wife Sylvia Li-chun Lin, from White Tiger Pass and Desert Rites, two novels written by Xue, the penname of Chinese writer Chen Kaihong, from Gansu province.

Goldblatt said that it was a totally fresh experience to read and translate Xue's literary works. With Xue's agreement, he and his wife rearranged the stories of White Tiger Pass and Desert Rites into a new novel to fully meet the demands of American readers.

A poster for the works of Xue Mo at the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, in October 2022.[Photo/CFLPA]

The English version of Into the Desert was published by U.S. Long River Press in September 2022. It became one of the most highly recommended publications of the China International Book Trading Corporation (CIBTC) at the 74th Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany in October 2022, and garnered lots of attention from publishing houses and agents worldwide.

Statistics show that Xue's works have been translated into over 20 languages and published in many countries across the world. Goldblatt and Lin have accomplished the translation of more than 10 books by Xue over the years.

Qiu Huadong, member of the Secretariat of the China Writers Association (CWA), delivers a speech at the promotion ceremony for the English version of Into the Desert, in Beijing on Feb 25.[Photo/CFLPA]

In his speech at the ceremony, Qiu Huadong, member of the Secretariat of the China Writers Association (CWA), said that the translated novel revolves around the ups and downs of the life of two rural Chinese women, depicting the kindness of humanity and beauty of literature, and praised the perseverance and other fine character traits of Chinese people.

Huang Wei, the first-level inspector of the General Affairs Department of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, attends and addresses the ceremony in Beijing on Feb 25.[Photo/CFLPA]

Huang Wei, the first-level inspector of the General Affairs Department in the CFLPA, introduced that the novel takes deep root in the culture of western China, portrays the plight, mental crisis and struggle of ordinary people, and showcases the universal values of mankind.

Xue and the translated novel have become a hit in the US publishing market in the wake of Mo Yan, the contemporary Chinese writer and laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, a winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015.

Attending scholars from home and abroad hold a panel discussion on the works of Xue Mo at the ceremony.[Photo/CFLPA]

During a panel discussion, several Chinese and foreign scholars highlighted the importance of the translation of Xue's works to the development of exporting Chinese literature, and held talks on how to further strengthen the country's capacity building in international communication and help more Chinese writers go global.

Wolfgang Kubin (L), an academic tenure with the University of Bonn and a chair professor at Shantou University, attends the panel discussion in Beijing on Feb 25.[Photo/CFLPA]

Wolfgang Kubin, an academic tenure with Germany's University of Bonn and a chair professor at Shantou University in South China's Guangdong province, gave high praise to Xue and added that women make up a large percentage of his reading base in the country.

Li Xuetao, a professor from Beijing Foreign Studies University, attends the panel discussion in Beijing on Feb 25.[Photo/CFLPA]

Li Xuetao, a professor from Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), stressed that Goldblatt, Lin and other foreign translators have successfully uncovered universal literary and artistic value from Xue's works, a key to the success of the English version of Into the Desert.

Xue Mo (R2) attends and addresses the panel discussion in Beijing on Feb 25.[Photo/CFLPA]

Photo taken on Feb 25 shows participants at a ceremony in Beijing to promote the English version of Into the Desert.[Photo/CFLPA]

Liu Dawei (C), deputy director of China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, attends the 35th Beijing Book Fair in December 2022.[Photo/CFLPA]