Su Hua's English Writing And Construction Of China's National Image Overseas

In 1953,Su Hua's autobiographical novel Ancient Melodies was published in Britain.Famous British newspapers and magazines at that time such as Time and Tide,The Spectator,Times Literary Supplement successively commented and praised that “She introduces the English reader to a fresh world of Chinese sensations.” Because of its unique Chinese flavor,Ancient Melodies was translated into French,German,Russian,Swedish and other languages and published in European countries.Su Hua,one of the first Chinese writers whose works had been published overseas,contributed to the spread of Chinese culture and the construction of China's national image.From the “modernity” writing in T'ien Hsia Monthly in 1930 s to the “Chinese traditions” writing in Ancient Melodies in 1950 s,Su Hua explored the way of presenting “China” in English writing according to expectations of British readers,works of other Chinese writers who were writing overseas then as well as her own writing experiences.Finally,in Ancient Melodies,Su Hua reconstructed a calm and beautiful “Oriental Utopia” for the British readers with her picturesque brushstrokes and it became kind of resistance to the terrible and demonized China's images such as “The Yellow Peril” and “Fu Manchu” in Britain then.Meanwhile,as the first Chinese female writer who published works in Britain,Su Hua filled the vacancy of female discourse and female images in the construction of China's national image in Britain with her writing.Also,she opened the way for Chinese women to write and speak overseas.In addition,Su Hua's English writing provided new Chinese images for their writing of China in the history of English literature,which contributed to the richness and diversity of China's national image and it also provided a reference for overseas Chinese writer's English writing.