speculativeloaf's review against another edition
5.0
When I heard about this anthology of Chinese science fiction and fantasy by women and nonbinary authors, it immediately went to the top of my TBR list. The Way Spring Arrives did not disappoint – it was a really engaging collection as a whole and there were a number of standouts that left me thinking for a long time.
In her essay “The Futures of Genders in Chinese Science Fiction”, Jing Tsu writes “If today's sci-fi writers, exemplified in the current volume, decide to seek new linkages with China's past, it is not for the sake of a nostalgic return but to reinvent a path of discovery through myth and folklore.” There isn't really a single uniting theme to these stories, other than the shared nationality and genders of the authors, but many (perhaps most) of them are in conversation with Chinese myth, folklore, and other storytelling forms.
Not only do many of these stories twist, subvert, or draw upon mythology, but the act of translation itself changes them as well. As Yilin Wang writes in her essay describing translation of two stories, “When a story is translated from Chinese into English, it is never an exact replica; it undergoes transformation, however subtle, as it is recreated in a new language and cultural context.” Though I mainly bought the book for the stories, I also really appreciated the essays giving translators a chance to discuss language, their process of translation, or comment on the state of Chinese literature in general. As a Chinese person who grew up in the U.S. with little cultural context of China, knowing about the translators’ intentional choices was super valuable – I would've even been happy with more of it.
“Dragonslaying,” written in Chinese by Shen Yingying and translated to English by Emily Xueni Jin, was devastating and one of my favorites of the collection. It challenged the (Western, masculine) assumptions that I had about stories with that title. It's the story of Su Mian, one of few women doctors from the city, who travels to a distant province to learn about the art of dragonslaying. It's dark, brutal, and intimate, yet also clinical at times, interspersing narrative with excerpts from medical textbooks on the nature of the jiaoren. The change in tone highlights the banality of violence as accepted fact. In Western mythology, dragonslaying is often a celebrated act by a singular (male) hero – defeating the monster, slaying the beast, rescuing the princess. Without spoiling too much, this “Dragonslaying” is not that dragonslaying.
Ultimately, all of the stories were worth reading, and it’s hard for me to pick favorites. For example, the opening story “The Stars We Raised” captures the careless possibility and cruelty of youth, and “What Does the Fox Say?” is a lovely piece of flash fiction exploring meaning and storytelling. “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Tai-Chi Mashed Taro” references the Douglas Adams setting of course, but it's also a meditation on memory and beauty and life and the origins of a particular painting and poetic passage, flipping between the lives of a couple people in Ming Dynasty China and the end of the universe. “The Way Spring Arrives” tells an epic tale of the arrival of spring rains, warmer weather, and the tilting of the earth's axis by way of the actions of a few dedicated deities. “A Brief History of Binakan Disasters as told in a Sinitic Language” hearkens to a somewhat different sci-fi subgenre. It features a self-destructive species (surprisingly not human!) which deals with ecological crises with wildly oppressive (even geocidal) methods. On a slightly lighter note, I thought “The Mountain and the Secrets of their Names” did a great job of highlighting the contradictions of a small village with its own traditions and ancestral practices against the backdrop of a modernizing Chinese state launching satellites. The idea of a oral naming tradition as an algorithm is meaningful to me as well as someone who works with computer algorithms, and I will likely return to it for some further reflection.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, and mythic retellings written and translated by an amazing group of Chinese women and non binary people. The way it interpolates past and future translates to a unique and fulfilling reading experience.
5/5 stars
It is not for the sake of a nostalgic return but to reinvent a path of discovery through myth and folklore.
In her essay “The Futures of Genders in Chinese Science Fiction”, Jing Tsu writes “If today's sci-fi writers, exemplified in the current volume, decide to seek new linkages with China's past, it is not for the sake of a nostalgic return but to reinvent a path of discovery through myth and folklore.” There isn't really a single uniting theme to these stories, other than the shared nationality and genders of the authors, but many (perhaps most) of them are in conversation with Chinese myth, folklore, and other storytelling forms.
Not only do many of these stories twist, subvert, or draw upon mythology, but the act of translation itself changes them as well. As Yilin Wang writes in her essay describing translation of two stories, “When a story is translated from Chinese into English, it is never an exact replica; it undergoes transformation, however subtle, as it is recreated in a new language and cultural context.” Though I mainly bought the book for the stories, I also really appreciated the essays giving translators a chance to discuss language, their process of translation, or comment on the state of Chinese literature in general. As a Chinese person who grew up in the U.S. with little cultural context of China, knowing about the translators’ intentional choices was super valuable – I would've even been happy with more of it.
“Dragonslaying,” written in Chinese by Shen Yingying and translated to English by Emily Xueni Jin, was devastating and one of my favorites of the collection. It challenged the (Western, masculine) assumptions that I had about stories with that title. It's the story of Su Mian, one of few women doctors from the city, who travels to a distant province to learn about the art of dragonslaying. It's dark, brutal, and intimate, yet also clinical at times, interspersing narrative with excerpts from medical textbooks on the nature of the jiaoren. The change in tone highlights the banality of violence as accepted fact. In Western mythology, dragonslaying is often a celebrated act by a singular (male) hero – defeating the monster, slaying the beast, rescuing the princess. Without spoiling too much, this “Dragonslaying” is not that dragonslaying.
Ultimately, all of the stories were worth reading, and it’s hard for me to pick favorites. For example, the opening story “The Stars We Raised” captures the careless possibility and cruelty of youth, and “What Does the Fox Say?” is a lovely piece of flash fiction exploring meaning and storytelling. “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Tai-Chi Mashed Taro” references the Douglas Adams setting of course, but it's also a meditation on memory and beauty and life and the origins of a particular painting and poetic passage, flipping between the lives of a couple people in Ming Dynasty China and the end of the universe. “The Way Spring Arrives” tells an epic tale of the arrival of spring rains, warmer weather, and the tilting of the earth's axis by way of the actions of a few dedicated deities. “A Brief History of Binakan Disasters as told in a Sinitic Language” hearkens to a somewhat different sci-fi subgenre. It features a self-destructive species (surprisingly not human!) which deals with ecological crises with wildly oppressive (even geocidal) methods. On a slightly lighter note, I thought “The Mountain and the Secrets of their Names” did a great job of highlighting the contradictions of a small village with its own traditions and ancestral practices against the backdrop of a modernizing Chinese state launching satellites. The idea of a oral naming tradition as an algorithm is meaningful to me as well as someone who works with computer algorithms, and I will likely return to it for some further reflection.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, and mythic retellings written and translated by an amazing group of Chinese women and non binary people. The way it interpolates past and future translates to a unique and fulfilling reading experience.
5/5 stars
detailsandtales's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic short story anthology of fantasy and science fiction, all translated from Chinese by a group of translators, some of whom are authors themselves. The authors and translators are all women or nonbinary as well. I like nearly every story in this collection, and it was fascinating to read so many stories that took Chinese settings - contemporary, futuristic, historical - for granted. There are also essays about translation and how gender impacts authors in China, among other topics interspersed throughout. Some of these were not of interest to me because I was there for the stories, but they may be of interest to other readers.
isabelrstev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
5.0
klibri's review against another edition
3.0
"The Stars We Raised" by Xiu Xinyu ★★★
"What Does the Fox Say?" by Xia Jia ★★★
"Blackbird" by Shen Dacheng ★½
"The Name of the Dragon" by Ling Chen ★★½
"New Year Painting, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, Zhaoqiao Village" by Chen Qian ★★★
"The Woman Carrying a Corpse" by Chi Hui ★★★
"What Does the Fox Say?" by Xia Jia ★★★
"Blackbird" by Shen Dacheng ★½
"The Name of the Dragon" by Ling Chen ★★½
"New Year Painting, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, Zhaoqiao Village" by Chen Qian ★★★
"The Woman Carrying a Corpse" by Chi Hui ★★★
astrangerhere's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dpant94's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Anthologies are tough- short stories varied in terms of how much I enjoyed them but I really really appreciated the essays interspersed throughout the book which showed the unique challenges and cultural contexts that comes with being a Chinese woman or nonbinary author writing SFF.
Anthologies are tough- short stories varied in terms of how much I enjoyed them but I really really appreciated the essays interspersed throughout the book which showed the unique challenges and cultural contexts that comes with being a Chinese woman or nonbinary author writing SFF.
audhdpumpa's review against another edition
5.0
This collections of fantasy tales is beautiful.
This one will be a permanent resident of my bookshelves.
I wasn't expecting to read about the texts and the intricate process of translation they required; I learned and I love learning. For someone only interested in the stories, the more educational chapters can simply be skipped, but they do had a layer of understanding and thus adding depth to the experience (for a novice like me).
***I still have a couple of short stories to read, but I doubt my review will change once I completed my first read.***
This one will be a permanent resident of my bookshelves.
I wasn't expecting to read about the texts and the intricate process of translation they required; I learned and I love learning. For someone only interested in the stories, the more educational chapters can simply be skipped, but they do had a layer of understanding and thus adding depth to the experience (for a novice like me).
***I still have a couple of short stories to read, but I doubt my review will change once I completed my first read.***
ejpass's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: anthologies, short stories, Chinese literature, language and linguistics, gender, translation
Big thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Stars We Raised: Xiu Xinyu, transl. Judy Yi Zhou
4/5 stars
I thought the idea of stars just hanging around on earth was interesting. I liked that the children did what children do best and made a game out of it. I thought that aspect made it more realistic, and I liked how the transitions showed growth.
The Tale of Wude’s Heavenly Tribulation: Count E, transl. Mel ‘etvolare’ Lee
4.5/5 stars
I enjoyed reading about Wude’s misadventure. This was an entertaining story and I liked the hints that there could be future stories about the characters.
What Does the Fox Say: Xia Jia
5/5 stars
I quite enjoyed this one as well. It’s clever in its use of language and narration, and I liked reading the author’s note afterward about how the story came about.
Blackbird: Shen Dacheng, transl. Cara Healey
5/5 stars
This one was interesting. It didn’t go the way I was expecting, but it did go an interesting route.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Tai-Chi Mashed Taro: Anna Wu, transl. Carmen Yiling Yan
5/5 stars
I really enjoyed this story. The mixing of a very sci-fi realm with one that’s more aligned with ‘normal’ history was interesting, and I liked how time was played around with. The imagery was rich as well, which I always enjoy. Mo was a fun character too and I liked her addition to things.
The Futures of Genders in Chinese Science Fiction: Jing Tsu
It’s kind of hard to rate an essay. This one poses some good questions about the role of gender in the past and present (and of course future) of sci-fi. Interesting read.
Baby, I Love You: Zhao Haihong, transl. Elizabeth Hanlon
4/5 stars
I’m not really sure how I feel about this one. The writing was good and I was invested in the story. However, the narrator is unlikeable and some of the things in there I don’t really agree with (i.e., the whole biological clock stuff and a woman who wants kids changing her mind just because she interacted with some kids).
A Saccharophilic Earthworm: BaiFanRuShuang, transl. Ru-Ping Chen
5/5 stars
I like how I couldn’t tell if this was truly fantasy or just something cooked up by Flora at first. It was an interesting take on loss and love and relationships.
The Alchemist of Lantian: BaiFanRuShuang, transl. Ru-Ping Chen
4/5 stars
This one had some humor to it. It’s an interesting concept, to be resentfully immortal.
The Way Spring Arrives: Wang Nuonuo, transl. Rebecca F. Kuang
5/5 stars
I liked the imagery and the mythology in this one. I wasn’t a huge fan of Goumang, but the rest of the story was good.
Translation as Retelling: An Approach to Translating Gu Shi’s ‘To Procure Jade’ and Ling Chen’s ‘The Name of the Dragon’: Yilin Wang
This was a good overview on translation and the intricacies of the job. I liked getting to know some background of some of the choices of these translations.
The Name of the Dragon: Ling Chen, transl. Yilin Wang
3.5/5 stars
This story was fairly quick and brief. I get the dragon was upset about having to serve humans, but I don’t really get the point of the story.
To Procure Jade: Gu Shi, transl. Yilin Wang
4.5/5 stars
This one plays on language and meaning, which I enjoyed. I felt somewhat bad for Deyu at the end, considering what he’d gained since leaving the palace, but it was still a good story.
A Brief History of Beinakan Disasters as Told in a Sinitic Language: Nian Yu, transl. Ru-Ping Chen
5/5 stars
This is definitely one of my favorites. I really liked the different planets and the differing issues that are faced on each of them. There’s definitely a moral dilemma in here (as well as several allegories for climate change).
Is There Such a Thing as Feminine Quietness? A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective: Emily Xueni Jin
This essay was another good one about translating and language. I liked how this one specifically focused on words in specific contexts and how to best choose a translation. Gender is heavily taken into account here, and I find the different ways ‘quiet’ can be translated depending on context from English to Mandarin to be quite fascinating.
Dragonslaying: Shen Yingying, transl. Emily Xueni Jin
4/5 stars
This is well written and I liked the magic of the world, but it’s also horrifying.
New Year Painting, Ink and Color on rice Paper, Zhaoqiao Village [Tk]: Chen Qian, transl. Emily Xueni Jin
5/5 stars
I liked this one as well. There was a good mix of reality and fantasy, and I liked the curse aspect of things.
The Portrait: Chu Xidao, transl. Gigi Chang
4/5 stars
This story didn’t go where I was thinking it would. It was interesting how it turned out.
The Woman Carrying a Corpse: Chi Hui, transl. Judith Huang
5/5 stars
This was an odd little story, but I liked the twisting wordiness of it.
The Mountain and the Secret of Their Names: Wang Nuonuo, transl. Rebecca F. Kuang
4/5 stars
I liked the role of the mountain in the story. I wish we’d gotten to see a bit more of the grandfather, though.
Net Novels and the ‘She Era’: How Internet Novels Opened the Door for Female Readers and Writers in China: Xueting Christine Ni
This was a really interesting essay on the rise of net novels in China and the role they played in creating a more egalitarian form of literature. I wasn’t familiar with this topic and found the essay to be quite educational and interesting.
Writing and Translation: A Hundred Technical Tricks: Rebecca F. Kuang
This was another interesting piece that explored translation. I’m currently taking a class on translating right now (German to English), and I find it interesting to read about how various translators think about the act.
Recommended for people who like: anthologies, short stories, Chinese literature, language and linguistics, gender, translation
Big thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Stars We Raised: Xiu Xinyu, transl. Judy Yi Zhou
4/5 stars
I thought the idea of stars just hanging around on earth was interesting. I liked that the children did what children do best and made a game out of it. I thought that aspect made it more realistic, and I liked how the transitions showed growth.
The Tale of Wude’s Heavenly Tribulation: Count E, transl. Mel ‘etvolare’ Lee
4.5/5 stars
I enjoyed reading about Wude’s misadventure. This was an entertaining story and I liked the hints that there could be future stories about the characters.
What Does the Fox Say: Xia Jia
5/5 stars
I quite enjoyed this one as well. It’s clever in its use of language and narration, and I liked reading the author’s note afterward about how the story came about.
Blackbird: Shen Dacheng, transl. Cara Healey
5/5 stars
This one was interesting. It didn’t go the way I was expecting, but it did go an interesting route.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Tai-Chi Mashed Taro: Anna Wu, transl. Carmen Yiling Yan
5/5 stars
I really enjoyed this story. The mixing of a very sci-fi realm with one that’s more aligned with ‘normal’ history was interesting, and I liked how time was played around with. The imagery was rich as well, which I always enjoy. Mo was a fun character too and I liked her addition to things.
The Futures of Genders in Chinese Science Fiction: Jing Tsu
It’s kind of hard to rate an essay. This one poses some good questions about the role of gender in the past and present (and of course future) of sci-fi. Interesting read.
Baby, I Love You: Zhao Haihong, transl. Elizabeth Hanlon
4/5 stars
I’m not really sure how I feel about this one. The writing was good and I was invested in the story. However, the narrator is unlikeable and some of the things in there I don’t really agree with (i.e., the whole biological clock stuff and a woman who wants kids changing her mind just because she interacted with some kids).
A Saccharophilic Earthworm: BaiFanRuShuang, transl. Ru-Ping Chen
5/5 stars
I like how I couldn’t tell if this was truly fantasy or just something cooked up by Flora at first. It was an interesting take on loss and love and relationships.
The Alchemist of Lantian: BaiFanRuShuang, transl. Ru-Ping Chen
4/5 stars
This one had some humor to it. It’s an interesting concept, to be resentfully immortal.
The Way Spring Arrives: Wang Nuonuo, transl. Rebecca F. Kuang
5/5 stars
I liked the imagery and the mythology in this one. I wasn’t a huge fan of Goumang, but the rest of the story was good.
Translation as Retelling: An Approach to Translating Gu Shi’s ‘To Procure Jade’ and Ling Chen’s ‘The Name of the Dragon’: Yilin Wang
This was a good overview on translation and the intricacies of the job. I liked getting to know some background of some of the choices of these translations.
The Name of the Dragon: Ling Chen, transl. Yilin Wang
3.5/5 stars
This story was fairly quick and brief. I get the dragon was upset about having to serve humans, but I don’t really get the point of the story.
To Procure Jade: Gu Shi, transl. Yilin Wang
4.5/5 stars
This one plays on language and meaning, which I enjoyed. I felt somewhat bad for Deyu at the end, considering what he’d gained since leaving the palace, but it was still a good story.
A Brief History of Beinakan Disasters as Told in a Sinitic Language: Nian Yu, transl. Ru-Ping Chen
5/5 stars
This is definitely one of my favorites. I really liked the different planets and the differing issues that are faced on each of them. There’s definitely a moral dilemma in here (as well as several allegories for climate change).
Is There Such a Thing as Feminine Quietness? A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective: Emily Xueni Jin
This essay was another good one about translating and language. I liked how this one specifically focused on words in specific contexts and how to best choose a translation. Gender is heavily taken into account here, and I find the different ways ‘quiet’ can be translated depending on context from English to Mandarin to be quite fascinating.
Dragonslaying: Shen Yingying, transl. Emily Xueni Jin
4/5 stars
This is well written and I liked the magic of the world, but it’s also horrifying.
New Year Painting, Ink and Color on rice Paper, Zhaoqiao Village [Tk]: Chen Qian, transl. Emily Xueni Jin
5/5 stars
I liked this one as well. There was a good mix of reality and fantasy, and I liked the curse aspect of things.
The Portrait: Chu Xidao, transl. Gigi Chang
4/5 stars
This story didn’t go where I was thinking it would. It was interesting how it turned out.
The Woman Carrying a Corpse: Chi Hui, transl. Judith Huang
5/5 stars
This was an odd little story, but I liked the twisting wordiness of it.
The Mountain and the Secret of Their Names: Wang Nuonuo, transl. Rebecca F. Kuang
4/5 stars
I liked the role of the mountain in the story. I wish we’d gotten to see a bit more of the grandfather, though.
Net Novels and the ‘She Era’: How Internet Novels Opened the Door for Female Readers and Writers in China: Xueting Christine Ni
This was a really interesting essay on the rise of net novels in China and the role they played in creating a more egalitarian form of literature. I wasn’t familiar with this topic and found the essay to be quite educational and interesting.
Writing and Translation: A Hundred Technical Tricks: Rebecca F. Kuang
This was another interesting piece that explored translation. I’m currently taking a class on translating right now (German to English), and I find it interesting to read about how various translators think about the act.