KenLiudeliveredaspeechattheopeningceremonyoftheNebulaAwardsonNovember1,2014.Xinhua
InFebruary2018,theChineseversionofTheDandelionDynasty,thefirstEnglishnovelbyChinese-AmericanwriterKenLiu,waspublished.ThistraditionalWesternfantasyepichas“re-imagined”theemergenceofChina’sHanDynasty(202-220A.D.).ItcombinesthescientificspiritoftheWestwithclassicalaestheticsoftheEast.ThecoreofthestoryanditsnarrativeisamixofWesternandEasternelements,justlikeLiuhimself,whogrewupinaculturallydiverseatmosphere.
LiutranslatedChinesesci-fiworksTheThree-BodyProblemandFoldingBeijingintoEnglish.The“nearlyperfect”translation(accordingtoauthorLiuCixin)helpedTheThree-BodyProblembecomewidelyknowninWesterncountries.Thenovelisnowhailedasa“treasureofglobalsciencefiction.”China’ssciencefictionisnowworld-famous.Meanwhile,itstranslatorKenLiuhasemergedasanexcellentsciencefictionwriter.Sincehebegantopublishin2002,hehasbeenhonoredbymanymajorinternationalawardsforsciencefictionsuchastheHugoAwards,theNebulaAwardsandtheWorldFantasyAwards.
ThePrintofOrientalCulture
Borninthe1970sinLanzhou,KenLiumovedtotheUnitedStateswithhisparentswhenhewas11yearsold.HestudiedBritishliteratureandlawatHarvard.DespitehisAsianroots,LiumanagedtoreceivetheeducationofaWesternelite.HewritesinnativeEnglishbutisheavilyinfluencedbyEasternculture.LiuCixinonceremarkedthatKenLiu’sworkshavemanagedto“combinescientificimaginationandtraditionalChinesecultureinadelicateandprofoundmanner.”
InTheDandelionDynasty,KenLiumixedEasternelementssuchasancientChineselegends,history,militaryplotsandtechnicalinnovationinanovelmanner.Influencedby“Steampunk”sciencefiction,thenovelcreatedaworlddominatedbyhighlydevelopedancientChineseengineeringtechnologies.KenLiusaid,“IwanttocreatedifferentaestheticsyetfeaturesomeofthecoolmachinesofancientChinasuchasmovabletypeprinting,akiteformilitaryspyinginventedbyLuBan(507-444B.C.),andawoodenoxusedfortransportationofarmyprovisionsinventedbyZhugeLiang(181-234).”
KenLiuhasreadmanybooksonChinesehistoryandisafanofancientChinesepoetryandcontemporaryChinesechivalricnovels,whichhavegreatlyinfluencedhiswriting.ThePaperMenagerie(2012),hisfirstworktowinaHugoAward,depictstheculturalcollisionbetweenasecond-generationimmigranttoAmericaandhismother.Duetoarebelliousattitudeandjuvenilelogic,theprotagonistmissedoutonmuchoftheprofoundloveofhismother.Liu’ssubtlewritingstyleinthisnovelisimpressive.
Liu’swritinghas“anOrientalcharm”—reserved,withlimitedwordsbutprofoundmeaning.ChenQiufan,afamousChinesesci-fiwriter,explainedKenLiu’sstyleincinematicterms:“Ratherthanaclose-up,Liuwillgiveyouonesideofthefaceorabacktothecamera.Buriedunderthewaterarewavesofemotion.”
InTheManWhoEndedHistory:ADocumentary,KenLiuinventedaJapanesestudiocalledYurushi.Chinesesci-fiwriterXiaJiafirsttranslateditas“KuanShu”(forgiveness),butLiusuggestedshechangeitto“RenShu”(benevolenceandforgiveness).TheswitchwasinspiredbyasentencefromTheBookofHan,ahistoryoftheWesternHanDynasty(202B.C.8A.D.),expressinghopethattheChinesewouldforgivewithbenevolence.
InFebruary2018,theChineseversionofTheGraceofKingsofthetrilogyTheDandelionDynasty,thefirstEnglishnovelbyChinese-AmericanwriterKenLiu,waspublished.PromotingChineseScienceFiction
Inadditiontowriting,KenLiuhasalsotranslatedsciencefictionbycontemporaryChineseauthorsincludingChenQiufan,XiaJiaandHaoJingfangintoEnglish,playingakeyroleinintroducingChina’sscifiworkstotheworld.ChenQiufan’sworkTheFishofLijiang,translatedbyKenLiu,wontheWorldFantasyAwardsin2012,thefirsttoaChineseauthor.
“WhenIbegintheproject,thefirststepisadjustingthenarrativestructuretotellthestoryinawaythatisfamiliartoAmericanreaders,”Liureveals.WhentranslatingXiaJia’sAHundredGhostsParadeTonight,LiutranslatedChina’straditional24solartermsintoEnglishphrasesthatcouldbeeasilyunderstoodinsteadofusingtransliteration.Forexample,Jingzhe,thethirdterm,istranslatedas“AwakeningofInsects.”
OfLiu’stranslations,themostfamousistheEnglishversionofTheThree-BodyProblempublishedin2014.ThisbookisaboutaChinesestory,butinordertointroducetheenvironmenttoanewculture,Liudecidedtomaintaintheoriginalmeaningasaccuratelyaspossibletoretainabit“wonderandstrangeness.”ButtohelpWesternreadersunderstandthepoliticalbackground,Liuintroducedfootnotes,whicharerareinEnglishnovels.“IwantedtohelpEnglishreadersunderstandthehistoryrelatedtothestorywithafewfootnotes.”
In2015,LiuCixinsaidinhisacceptancespeechfortheBestNovelofthe73thHugoAwardsthat“translationalwaystranscendsculturesandspace,andasforthisbook,KenLiuisthebridge.”
Afterfinishingthattranslation,KenLiuinvitedmanyAmericancelebritiesinthefieldofsciencefictiontowritebookreviews(includingDavidBrin,whoservesasamemberoftheadvisoryboardofNASA’sInnovativeandAdvancedConceptsgroup).ManyofthereviewswerepublishedinmajormediaoutletssuchasTheWashingtonPostandTheNewYorkTimes,whichultimatelyfacilitatedpublicationoftheEnglishversionbythebigpublishinghouseTorBooks.
KenLiuisarareandoutstandingfigureinculturalexchangebetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,notonlybecausehetranslateswell,butalsobecauseheenthusiasticallypromotestheworkswithallavailableresources.Oftenthroughhisguidance,agrowingnumberofemergingChinesesciencefictionwritersarefindingmoreplatformssuchasAmericanmagazinesClarksworldandLightspeedtopresenttheirworkstoWesternreaders.JapaneseauthorTachiharaToyaoncesighed,“OursciencefictionisnotasfamousasChina’sbecausewedon’thaveKenLiu.”
KenLiubelievesthatthevalueofsciencefictionliesinthepossibleexpressionofthefuture.Themetaphorsinvolvedinhugechangesinspireustoexamineourselves.AlongwithmanyotherChinesesciencefictionwriters,heisinfluencinghowpeoplearoundtheglobeexaminetheworldandexplorethefuture.
In2014,KenLiutranslatedthefirstvolumeoftherenownedChinesesci-fitrilogyTheThree-BodyProblemintoEnglish,andChina’ssciencefictionhassincegarneredglobalfame.Abovearethecoversofthethreevolumesofthistrilogy.KenLiutranslatedthefirstandthirdvolumes.
KenLiu(left)andLiuCixinmetsciencefictionfansattheawardceremonyforthefifthNebulaAwardsinNovember2014.byLiYibo/Xinhua