China is a vast, incredible country filled with some of the most beautiful pieces of art, culture, landscape, and literature in history. Whatever your passion may be, it is crucial that you delve into some of the histories, and most important today, novels from this Chinese culture.
Some of the most unique and beautiful stories are created at the hands of Chinese novelists. Today, we are going to share with you some of the greatest novels translated from the Chinese language.
1. The Wedding Party by Liu Xinwu
Translated by Jeremy Tiang.
This book was published originally in China the year 1985. It takes place during after the Chinese Revolution. It was not yet a global powerhouse like today, but it was now open for trade and travel. What is most enticing about this is that during this blip in time, China was not often captured in film or fiction; it is an in depth look into what most do not know about their history.
2. Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge
Translated by Jeremy Tiang.
This novel is a transformative, surreal work of fiction by a twenty-year-old, woman writer. This story is set in the city of Yong’an where there are many races of humanoids living amongst the humans. These beasts all have aesthetic and behavioral characteristics that set them apart as Sacrificial Beasts, Flourishing Beasts, Sorrowful Beasts and so on. In each chapter, the protagonist who is a zoology student spends time building a relationship with a member of the beasts.
3. Fu Ping by Wang Anyi
Translated by Howard Goldblatt.
Fu Ping takes place in Shanghai at a moment in time neither past or present. There is a nameless Grandson which sets the stakes for the plot as it takes place in a chilling era where there is a cultural revolution going on. The real focus is the characters of Fu Ping and Nainai. Each chapter focuses on a singular character who details their district, telling a story which sums up a lot in the lives of the Chinese during this time.
4. Monkey King by Wu Cheng’en
Transltaed by Julia Lovell.
Also commonly known as Journey to the West, Monkey King is perhaps the most beloved and iconic Chinese novel ever written. It begins like a Greek myth, as there is a hilarious and antic-ridden ruler Sun Wukong the Monkey King. He masters death itself and ends up picking a fight with the angels in heaven. Need we say more to get you to read this book?
For more book recommendations from amazing countries outside your own, click here!