WebLit for the Western Masses: New Site with Translations of Online Chinese Fiction
The expansion of Qidian International will provide China Reading and its writers with a platform to reach readers globally and the potential to become one of the largest platforms globally in online reading. Qidian International's key target markets include North America, Western Europe and Southeast Asia with future potential expansion into Eastern Europe. The content on Qidian International will primarily be in English with future potential editions in Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese provided through cooperation with local-language internet platforms. In addition to the Qidian International website, the Qidian App, available on both Android and iOS are expected to be frequently updated for content and functionality.
Comments
They're probably correct that the time is ripe for sites like this – see all the recent press about Wuxia World.
The big difference is that those stories are mostly translated by native English speakers. Qidian International so far seems... less than international. As in, pretty hard to read.
Eric Abrahamsen, May 16, 2017, 10:47a.m.
Good point, Eric.
It has taken time for Chinese publishers to realize that their English-language publications require native English speaking translators -- or at least editors with that kind of fluency. But thankfully, they are emerging despite the higher costs involved.
Examples: Pathlight, Caixin and several of the contemporary novels in the "Kaleidoscope: Ethnic Chinese Writers series" (五彩丛书), such as Mamba Rasang (满巴扎仓) and Zuilian. See Quick Guide to China’s Contemporary Ethnic-themed Literature in Translation for other titles in the series due out in 2017.
Bruce Humes, May 17, 2017, 11:59p.m.