The Arabian Nights In China (1900-1929)

As a world famous Arab folk tales, the Arabian Nights has been translated intoChinese for more than100years since the early1900s. Through the cultural andpolitical perspectives, it has been translated and spread in Modern China as importantforeign cultural resources with the significance of Enlightenment. On the one hand,with the discovery of children and the beginning of children’s view, the ArabianNights has become the earliest children’ new books to educate and enlighten thechildren. On the other hand, under the influence of the New Citizen Ideological Trend,the translation of the Arabian Nights has also been elevated to the level of changingthe people and become one important way to open the wisdom of the people.Therefore, under the task of building the new citizenship and enlightenment,translators always delete and revise the text consciously, such as the Story of theFisherman, the Story of Xin Boda’s SailingTtrip and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves inthe process of the translation.Analysis by cases, two of the most famous short stories which are the Story ofXin Boda’s Sailing Trip and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves have been translated andpublished into separated edition under the driven of the modern Enlightenment. TheStory of Xin Boda’s Sailing Trip is the earliest translated adventure novel, it reflectsthe spirit of adventure which is an important quality to be a new citizen. And the AliBaba and the Forty Thieves is the earliest translation piece which reflects ZhouZuoren’s female idea. In one word, as the start of the translation of Chinese ChildrenLiterary, the translation of the Arabian Nights is of great significance in the history ofChinese modern translation.