Insuperable Barriers? Some Thoughts on the Reception of Chinese Writing in English Translation

That modern Chinese writing in English translation has not made much impact in English-speaking countries is very obvious. Classical Chinese literature in English has, to a certain extent, done so for over half a century, thanks largely to Arthur Waley. Books on China make the best-seller lists from time to time— The Good Earth, Red Star over China, Destination Chunking, Thunder Out of China, Chinese Shadows, The Woman Warrior, China: Alive in the Bitter Sea , and so on. A few Chinese writing in English—Lin Yutang or Chiang Yee, for example—have at some time or other built up readerships in Anglophone countries. But the real thing remains almost unknown.