International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences

Vol-8, Issue-2; Mar-Apr, 2023

Journal Home Page Available: https://ijels.com/

Journal DOI: 10.22161/ijels

A Study on Translation of Chinese Children’s Literature

from the Perspective of Polysystem Theory
Liang Xin

School of English Language, Literature and Culture, Beijing International Studies University, China

Received: 11 Mar 2023; Received in revised form: 08 Apr 2023; Accepted: 15 Apr 2023; Available online: 23 Apr 2023
©2023 The Author(s). Published by Infogain Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Abstract— Polysystem Theory was developed in 1970s by Israeli scholar Itamar Even-Zohar borrowing
ideas from the Russian Formalist of the the 1920s(Munday, 2001: 109). Although building on work by the
Formalist, Even-Zohar reacts against ‘the fallacies of traditional aesthetic approach’(Even-Zohar 2002: 4),
which had focus on ‘high’ literature and had disregarded as unimportant literary systems or genres such as
children’s literature, thrillers and the whole system of translated literature. We put the translation of
children’s literature in the general circumstance of social culture and find that children’s literature is on the
margin of the literary system. This causes a lot of constraints and obstructions in writing and translating for
children’s literature. This paper explores how the translation of children’s literature were influenced by
cultural environment. the author conducted the development of Chinese children’s literature into 3 period
and analyze how children’s literature improved in different eras from the perspective of polysystem theory.
Key words: Polysystem; Children’s Literature; Translation

I. INTRODUCTION (1).When a ‘young literature’ is being established and looks

The Israeli scholar Itamar Even-Zohar borrowing ideas initially to more established literatures for ready-made
from the Russian Formalists. For the Formalists, a literary models.
work was not studies in isolation but as part of a literary (2).When a literature is ‘peripheral’ or ‘weak’ , or both. It
system, which itself is defined itself as ‘a system of imports those literary types to use for reference.
functions of the literary order which are in continual (3).When there is a critical turning point in literary history
interrelationship with each other’(Tynjanov 1927/1971: 72). at which established models are no longer considered
Even-Zohar focuses on the relations between all these sufficient, or literary vacuums in a literature.
systems in overarching concept to which he gives a new This theory treats all literature including translation
term, the polysystem. This is defined by Even-Zohar as: a literature and other sorts of literature as an open and
multiple system, a system of various system which intersect dynamic systems. Polysystem aims to express the dynamic
with each other and partly overlap, using concurrently and heterogeneous system concept, and to bring things and
different options, yet functioning as one structured whole, images that are inadvertently ignored or even consciously
whose members are interdependent. He mentioned three excluded into the research field.
circumstances in which translated literature may occupy the Children’s literature, as a special branch of literature, is
central position in target literature system: hard for people to define and classify. Zohar’s polysystem

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Xin A Study on Translation of Chinese Children’s Literature from the Perspective of Polysystem Theory

theory has laid the theoretical foundation for the translation cultural turn and thus provides a new approach for
of children’s literature, but Zohar Shavit is the scholar who translation studies. He points out that there are many periods
has further studied the translation of children’s literature that match the 3 cases proposed by Even-Zohar when the
both in theory and practice(Tan 2011 ： 24 ） . Shavit’s translated literature occupies the central position in the
Children’s Poetics Translation Theory mentions two target culture.
primary principles that must be considered in the translation Thanks to those scholars, they have introduced millions
of children’s literature: “one is to adjust the text to make it of foreign literature works to China, which makes the
suitable and useful for children according to the socially translated literature gradually became a part of Chinese
accepted principle of ‘good for children’, that is, the literature and promoted the rapid development of Chinese
educational function; the second is to adjust the plot, culture. However, there are still some literary genre were
character’s personality, language to adapt to children’s left behind and rarely been researched. Take the children’s
understanding level and reading ability, that is, to meet their literature as an example: it was greatly researched and
acceptance”(Shavit Zohar 1981:2). studied in most of the western countries, but in china it was
In the following, the author will focuses on analyzing the lately imported and barely researched. Here, the author tend
process of the development of Chinese children’s literature to analysis the the growing history of Chinese children’s
based on the Polysystem. literature acoording to the 3 periods discussed above and
aims to give a comprehensive perception.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 The Origin of Polysystem Model III. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE
Polysystem theory is mainly based on the idea of some CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
late Russian Formalists. According to them, a literary work Children’s literature is an integral part of literature.
is not just “a heap of devices but an ordered heap, a Generally, researchers believe that children’s literature, as
hierarchically structured set”(Herman,1999:104). among an independent category of Chinese literature, emerged in
those Russian formalists, Yury Tynjanov has had biggest May Fourth Movement period, while the late Qing Dynasty
influence on Even-Zohar’s polysystem theory. Two of hia was regarded as the “sprout” period of Chinese children’s
essays,The Literary Fact and On The Literary Evolution are literature. The birth of Chinese children’s literature is
particularly relevant to the development of polysystem closely related to the translation of foreign children’s
theory. literature in the late Qing Dynasty. Because of under the
2.2 Current Study on Polysystem Theory prosperity of the translation, especially the translation of
The hypothesis of polysystem theory broadens the field foreign literature, that adults in the late Qing Dynasty
of translation studies and literature studies. However, it is gradually developed a distinct “consciousness of children’s
still has some limitation. Hermans(1999:118) points out the literature”, which also give birth to Chinese children’s
limitation in his essay: “it is not only ferociously abstract literature. The iconic work is “A Country without A Cat”,
and depersonalized, but also runs the risk of being which appeared in 1908, marking the initial birth of Chinese
ultimately deterministic”. He continued to explain that children’s literature(Xie 1999:15). In order to recognize the
“polysystem remains blind to all those ambivalent, hybrid, development of Chinese Children’s Literature from the
unstable, mobile, overlapping and collapsed elements that polysystem approach, the author will arrange the whole
escape binary classification.” process of the development into 3 periods.
Many Chinese scholars have discussed the influences of 3.1 The late Qing and Early-Republican period
polysystem theory for China in their paper. For example, Since the late Qing Dynasty, translated literature has been
Xie Tianzhen(2003:59-66) introduces the basic concept of an important member of Chinese literature family. In fact,
polysystem theory and illustrated the significance in translated literature plays an dominant enlightening role in
Chinese translation studies with abundant examples. the modernization of Chinese literature. Just as Guo Moruo
Polysystem theory made remarkable contribution to the said, “No matter which ethnic culture is changing, a foreign

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Xin A Study on Translation of Chinese Children’s Literature from the Perspective of Polysystem Theory

trend will join in”. Foreign cultures become catalysts and their parents, their own independence has been completely
stimuli, causing qualitative changes in our own culture. denied. It is conceivable that no real children’s literature can
Translated literature opens the door of western cultures for be produced under such feudal concept. The birth and
us. Chinese children’s literature started from the translation development of children’s literature in the real sense
of western literature, which has made an indelible benefits from the correct understanding of “children”as an
contribution to the initiation, establishment and individual. During the May Forth Movement, with the
development of Chinese children’s literature. Driven by the introduction and translation of western children’s literature,
idea of enlightenment and salvation, the intellectual elites of many insightful people, such as Zhou Zuoren and Lu Xun,
the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China paid realized that children were independent individuals and
attention to children’s education. Those scholars had made gratified contributions to the discovery of
experienced the process of imitating, exploring and creating “children”in their own literary field. These healthy and
the children’s literature while translating western works. correct ideas arouse the keen attention of all sectors of
Liang Qichao is an example, in the magazine New Novel society through various carriers. People constantly put
founded in Japan, he actively advocated the creation of forward new views, all kinds of ideas in the exchange of
children’s poetry and personally created the four chapters of collision and fusion, so that the theory of children’s
children’s poetry, which is addressed patriotic poetry. In literature can be gradually improved.
addition to poetry, he also advocated the translation of The active participation and guidance of cultural pioneers
novels for children, and personally re-translated the science is one of the most important reasons why the translation of
novel Fifteen Little Heroes(the original famous “Two Years children’s literature in May Fourth Movement period can be
of School Summer Vacation”). In 1902, he translated the so enthusiastic. Lu Xun attached great importance to the
scientific and philosophical novel “Diary of the End of the spiritual resources provided by children’s literature outside
World” under the pseudonym “Yin Bing”, praising the the country. He said, “if there is a new fairy tale, I do not
French novel. Hu Congjing(1982) believed that: “the think that is necessary to tell the story of enthronement and
construction of modern children’s literature theory began worship”(Lu Xun 1981). Besides Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren,
with Liang Qichao”. Liang’s monograph,poems and essays, Zhao Jingshen and other modern literary masters strongly
preface and postscript often have insightful views on advocated and were enthusiastic about children’s
children’s literature, and have made corresponding practice. translation.The impetus of newspapers and publishing
Translated literature in the late Qing Dynasty has exerted circles is also an important reason for the prosperity of
a profound influence on Chinese children’s literature, at children’s literature translation during the May Fourth
least in the following two aspects: First, the translated Movement. At that time, “Morning Newspaper”, which was
literature in late Qing Dynasty pays the attention to the very influential, used a lot of space to publish the translation
characteristic of narration, which makes the real creation of of children’s literature.
children’s literature possible. Without narration, there The rich translation of children’s literature promotes
would be no children’s literature;second, in order to awake science and love, focusing on life and national history,
Chinese people, children’s literature in that time is actually encourages happiness and imagination. Advocating love is
a political tool rather than literary genre. Most of the an important feature of May Fourth Movement children’s
western works were translated into classical Chinese and it literature translation.
is hard for children to understand. the translated literature of 3.3 The Reform and Opening-up period
late Qing Dynasty did not have a clear consciousness of From the end of 1920s until now, Chinese children’s
targeting children readers while breaking the shackles of the literature has gone through a long development. Here the
old Chinese literature. author only focus on the period after the reform and
3.2 May Fourth period opening-up policy in 1978. Due to the influence of “anti-
This was a period of great emancipation of the mind. revision-prevention” and “Cultural Revolution” in the
Distant view of ancient society, children as the belongs of 1960s and 1970s, the translation of children’s literature in

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the early year of 1978 was at an unprecedented low ebb. literature is placed the peripheral and weak position in the
Engaging in translation work has the suspicion of “worship traditional Chinese literary system. With the time goes by,
foreign things”, so the translators dare not make mistakes the position of children’s literature changes from time to
and the translated works were barely published. Data shows time but mainly in accordance with the development of
that since 1962, Shanghai Children’s Publishing House history. According to the polysystem, all literary system are
published the Soviet union writer Belyayev’s science fiction struggle for the primary position and always entangled with
“Pingel’s Adventure”,the whole 18 years, China only non-literary factors,such as policy, economy, culture. With
produced a few foreign children’s literature alone, until the new culture movement, the emergence of the western
1981, this began to revive(Wang Genquan 2003). children’s literature inspires the literary pioneers. They
The translation of children’s literature in this period has introduced a brand-new material to China and filled the
the following three characteristics. First of all, during this “vacuum” of modern Chinese children’s literature. After the
period, translation materials come from all over the world reform and opening-up, more and more types of children’s
and broke the Soviet union’s dominance. Britain, Japan, literature are introduced to Chinese children, and arouse
Germany and France have also become the main source academic research on them.
countries; Secondly, the objects of translation are mainly Although children’s literature has a high status in China,
classic works. Most of the classical works of children’s it is a pity that there is no localized, classic and successful
literature in the world have been translated. By the mid- children’s literature in China. While translation has taken
1980s, nearly 70% of the masterpieces mentioned in the the center position, it means that this literary genre will soon
history of western children’s literature had been translated be localized and a glorious future is on the way.
into Chinese according to Wei(2009:49-54). Jules Verne’s
science fiction, Mark Twain’s adventure novels, References
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