Light the Way: China's Biggest Literary Mag Goes Global

China’s first literary magazine was born – like so many other things in this country – in 1949. Now, People’s Literature is welcoming its English offspring, Pathlight. Those who’ve relished the few drops of good Chinese literature that have hit our thirsty throats in the last decades will be pleased at this publication’s promise of new literary wellsprings. Managing editor Alice Xin Liu shares her insights:

I think international readers are looking for material that is not so much culturally specific – i.e. the China novel – but just writing that is universally good. It really is the storytelling, the words, that matter. Also, novels by establishment writers in their fifties, for example, are widely available in English already, so I’m concentrating on younger, more experimental writers.

The concrete reason for its start are the “soft power projects,” and the Writers’ Association (among other Chinese official organizations) trying to “step out.” We finished the first issue in less than three months in order to coincide with a nationwide Writers Association representative meeting happening in Beijing, and the next issue will coincide with the London Book Fair next April. It’s fair to say that with such powerful backing (and funding), there is a lot of room and potential for growth.

Qi Ge and Di An are really exciting contributors in this issue. The list for the next issue is being discussed as we speak. But expect favorites like Sheng Keyi [Northern Girls] and Xu Zechen [Running Through Zhongguancun], the former to be published in English by Penguin next year. We’re also looking at newer female writers (not usually part of the establishment) like Lu Min and sci-fi writers like Han Song.

Globally, I think contemporary Chinese literature’s position is still pretty weak. In terms of acclaim, actually a lot of China-related works do pretty well – just look at Yu Hua. But the problem is, we don’t see many “classic” writers who are still living. When we talk about Chinese lit, it’s often still the writers from the Republican era or earlier getting that distinction.

How long before China “gets there”? I think that’s a question of how fast we can be as readers and promoters and translators. I believe the material, if we sift through the lot, is out there.

After the first trial issues, we’re hoping to get rights for Amazon. People’s Literature are very conservative, so we need them to realize that literature can be part of the download movement. With distribution outside of China being so difficult (Confucius Institutes aside), it might be the only way to go.

Check out www.paper-republic.org/pathlight.

Click here to see the January issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Nature Zhang