To translate Nanjing writers!

The Nanjing municipal 文联 is teaming up with the Nanjing Municipal Publishing and Media Group to dump some money on the promotion of Nanjing arts and literature. There are many programs getting funding over the next three years, but one of them is particularly relevant to our interests: they're paying translators who successfully publish translations of works by writers in Nanjing.

Here's the link to the official application instructions.

The rules, as I understand them (and I could be wrong), are:

1. You sign a contract with them before the deadline, which is the end of July, 2015, ie fifteen days from the date of this posting.
2. Within three years of the signing, you translate and publish either one novel-length work, or two shorter works, by a Nanjing writer.
3. They pay you either 180,000 RMB (one novel), or 150,000 RMB (two shorter works). Actually it looks like the fee is disbursed in yearly installments.
4. Step four is usually "profit", but that's already happened in step three.

I'm not sure of the exact definition of a "Nanjing writer". I'm also not sure what happens if you translate the novel, and then no one agrees to publish it, which to be honest seems fairly likely. There are a few other terms and conditions, for which see the full explanation at the link above.

Update: I checked with them, and you don't need to have a novel publication contract in place to apply. They will be reviewing the applications, and making decisions based on likelihood of success, and it's enough that you find a publisher within the three-year term of the contract.

What is there to lose, comrades?