From Shanghai Daily:
When I started my history of Chinese literature in 10 volumes, which might be finished within the next two years, a good friend and one of the best interpreters of the Chinese language once wanted to stop me from doing this.
I should not waste my time, he said. Years later, one of China’s most influential intellectuals told me not to waste my time any more by translating contemporary Chinese poetry.
My point was: Can writers before 1949 compete with writers after 1949? Why do so many people in and outside China now compete to ridicule Chinese writers? Is it possible that it has something to do with the writers themselves?[Full Text]
