Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[christopher000]

As a Chinese,i am really proud of our country's long history. The history of five thousand years gives birth to many great writers. If you were Chinese,you would understand their works are fantastic.I also read some Chinese poems which have been translated into English. I have to say the translation is awful. The great meanings behind the great works is hard to translate though we can translate the words.
It is a reallydisppointing thing to us. We really want to introduce our country's literature and culture to the world better.Chinese literature is beyond your thoughts.But we have to adimit that we haven't find a good way yet.I really expect more and more people could understand Chinese literature much more.
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Change we can believe in......

[pugachevV]

If the words are translated correctly, many of us in the West will be able to understand the underlying meaning.
Although your culture is different, many quai loh enjoy it.

[orchid]

[Stephanie S]

I find it interesting that the English classics of literature are well known and read in China. I have a Chinese friend who has probably read more English classics than I have! She said when she was a kid, she tried reading Shakespeare in English, and was frustrated that she couldn't understand it. She thought she was losing her English. Most native speakers these days have a difficult time with Shakespeare...

Stephanie
http://www.elanguest.com

[Afra]

Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature vernacular fiction novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese. The introduction of widespread woodblock printing during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and the invention of movable type printing by Bi Sheng (990–1051) during the Song Dynasty (960–1279) rapidly spread written knowledge throughout China. In more modern times, the author Lu Xun (1881–1936) is considered the founder of baihua literature in China.

Chinese literature

[PeterAlex]

To many Westerners, Chinese literature remains a hidden seam in the rich strata of Chinese culture. As a matter of fact, it is a treasure of a very considerable number of brilliant and profound works as each dynasty, in the long history of China, has passed down its legacy of magnificent events and works. For 3500 years, they have woven a variety of genres and forms encompassing poetry, essays, fiction and drama; each in its own way reflecting the social climate of its day through the high spirit of art. Chinese literature has its own values and tastes, its own reigning cultural tradition and its own critical system of theory.