Revision/Regionalism/Reproduction

Biancheng, acclaimed as Shen’s magnum opus, underwent several revisions, whichresult in at least five divergent versions. There exist four English versions of Biancheng,which were translated in different historical periods according to different versions of theoriginal text. In light of this, to identify and choose the corresponding Chinese version(s)of the English version(s) is a prerequisite for all researches on C-E translation ofBiancheng, be it a comparative study of two or more English versions, or a case studyfocused on a particular English version. Otherwise, hardly any of the researchesconcerning C-E translation of Biancheng can ever be free of errors. Up to now, there havebeen altogether four journal articles and twenty-four masters’ these investigating C-Etranslation of Biancheng from a variety of perspectives, yet none of which, unfortunately,have touched upon the relation of Chinese versions to English versions of Biancheng.Moreover, ignorant of the fact that Biancheng exists in divergent Chinese versions, manyresearchers have chosen as their object of research a Chinese version that does notcorrespond to the English version, which subsequently leads to erroneous conclusions.Therefore, the primary aim of this thesis is to clarify the relationship between thedivergent Chinese versions and the four English versions of Biancheng, and also to correctcertain inaccurate statements in existing studies.Having determined the relationship between Chinese and English versions ofBiancheng, the thesis continues with a comparative study of two English versions ofBiancheng. Since the four English versions were produced by different translators indifferent social-cultural contexts, each one of them has its peculiar characteristics and isworth studying. Nevertheless, due to space constraints and also to ensure that thecomparative study is focused and enlightening, this thesis chooses as its research objectthe following two English versions: namely the earliest version, Green Jade and GreenJade, which was published in1936and co-translated by Emily Hahn＆Shing Mo-lei(thepseudonym of Shao Xunmei), and the latest version, Border Town, which was publishedin2009and translated by Jeffrey C.Kinkley. Buttressed by translation and literary theories, this comparative analysis adopts the methodology of close reading. The aim is toinvestigate to what extent the two English versions have reproduced the essence of theoriginal text, or in other words, literary regionalism of Biancheng, and also to analyze anddescribe translation strategies used by translators.