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Chinese Image in Lin Yutang's Trans-Creation Works

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Journal of Literature and Art Studies, April 2021, Vol. 11, No. 4, 242-247 doi: 10.17265/2159-5836/2021.04.006 D DAVID PUBLISHING Overlapping or Reshaping: Chinese Image in Lin Yutang’s Trans-creation Works LIU Ru-fei School of Foreign Languages, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 43000, China Lin Yutang had been working hard to spread Chinese culture in English since he settled abroad in 1936 and all his oversea trans-creation works to some extent re-shaped the Chinese image in the West. This paper makes a contrast study between the stereotyped one in the West and the real Chinese image in Lin Yutang’s trans-creation works and finally points out that Lin Yutang’s adoration for Chinese culture and his passion for establishing culture identity overseas has set a good example for building up a good national image for China today. Keywords: Lin Yutang, Trans-creation works, Chinese image Introduction The national image is a comprehensive evaluation and overall impression of the international community on a country in politics, economy, military, spirit, consciousness, concept, customs, environment and other aspects. Tracing back the history, from 13th to 19th century, the image of China displaying in the western eyes had experienced from the process of “worship” to “devaluate”, from “paradise” to “hell”, most of which were from the “Text China” written by missionaries or writers (Zhouning, 2011). Until modern times, by grace of the efforts made by Gu Hongming and Lin Yutang and other devoted Chinese writers, who had been committed to introducing Chinese culture directly to the world in foreign languages, Chinese image underwent real re-shaping and therefore, excellent Chinese culture could be spread in the world. Wang Qinling (2018) believes that when the author transforms Chinese culture in his mind into specific English words, it is a typical phenomenon integrating translation and writing, that is “trans-creation”. Lin Yutang’s oversea works, from proses collections as My Country and My People to novel trilogy as Moment in Peking, A Leaf in the Storm and The Vermilion Gate to his classics translation collections as The Wisdom of Confucius to whatever (Lin, 2009), can be called as his trans-creation. It is his trans-creation that well re-shaped the Chinese image with cultural confidence and national confidence, and thus realized the interaction and communication between China and Western countries. Therefore, the study of Chinese image created by Lin Yutang’s trans-creation works can give us a better understanding for writer himself, and furthermore, provides reference for the global-establishment of a good national image for China today. LIU Ru-fei, Ph.D. of Literature, Associate Professor of Wuhan University of Technology, shows interest in literature, art and Lin Yutang’s study. OVERLAPPING OR RESHAPING: CHINESE IMAGE IN LIN YUTANG’S TRANS-CREATION WORKS 243 Literature Review There are many scholars involving in the study of “Chinese image” in Lin Yutang’s the overseas trans-creation works. Among them, Gao Hong (2004) explores the different characteristics of the Chinese image created by Lin Yutang’s overseas trans-creation works through the angle of comparative literature, the cultural identity and narrative strategy his overseas trans-creation works convey; Wang Zhaosheng (2007) analyzes the relationship between Lin Yutang’s overseas trans-creation works and Chinese classical novels; Feng Zhiqiang (2018) puts forward the “language confidence” in Lin Yutang’s translation works for the first time; Xiao Bairong (2019) expounds that the translation writing method in Lin Yutang’s English novels contributed to the output of Chinese culture and the reshaping of Chinese image. Compared with domestic study, there are few abroad studies of Lin Yutang’s overseas trans-creation works on Chinese image, and if so, sporadic papers are almost limited to Moment in Peking. For example, Dudásová (2015) has analyzed respective Chinese image by comparing Pearl Buck’s Earth and Lin Yutang’s Moment in Peking, in which the different language strategies adopted by the two authors when facing American readers are explored from the different narrative styles. Stereotypes: Changing Chinese Image in the West Before the spread of Lin Yutang’s works, Chinese image were mostly stereotyped-one from“Text China” constructed by missionaries or writers. In Travels of Marco Polo (William Marsden, 1998), Marco Polo, an Italian businessman in the 13th century, concentrated on describing Chinese cities and transportation, products and commerce, as well as politics and religion. For the first time, he highly materialized the image of China in his travels. In the 16th Century, in his book China in the 16th Century: The Journal of Matthew Ricci (He Gaoji, 2010), Matthew Ricci depicted the ancient image of the great Chinese Empire in a rich and comprehensive way. Then, when in 1687, the landmark work Confucius: Chinese philosopher (Philippe Couplet, 1998) compiled by Philippe Couplet was published in Paris, the “Confucian Utopia” marked an era of philosophical image in China. However, from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the image of “Utopia” created by the “Text China” finally ended after some foreign missions’ visits from Britain and the Netherlands. Arthur H. Smith (Chinese name: Mingenpo) (Liu Wenfei, 2014) in his Chinese Characteristics depicted the ugly image of the Chinese people and won the popularity in the West, which led Chinese image to the bottom. Moreover, at the end of the 19th century, with the spread of the Yellow Peril theory and the widespread panic caused by Chinese Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Chinese people became the immoral villains and the dangerous devils haunted in the Westerners’ nightmare. Overlapping: Positive Stereotyped Chinese Image in Lin Yutang’s Trans-creation Works Marco Polo viewed China as a rich place with endless gold and silver treasures; Matthew Ricci regarded that Chinese people revered the imperial power and family system was the foundation of Chinese society; Philippe Couplet depicted a “Confucian Utopia” attracting due adoration, all of which might overlap Lin Yutang’s oversea trans-creation works. 244 OVERLAPPING OR RESHAPING: CHINESE IMAGE IN LIN YUTANG’S TRANS-CREATION WORKS In Moment in Peking, Lin Yutang made great efforts to render Mulan’s luxurious and spectacular wedding. 1 gold juyi, I silver juyi, 4 jade juyi, 1 pair of solid old gold bracelets of dragon design, 1 pair of gold-fibered bracelets of lobster-feelers design, 1 gold lock pendant, 1 gold neck ring, 1 pair of gold curtain hooks, 10 gold ingots; 2 sets of table silver… 1 set of jade animals, 1 set of amethyst, 1 set of amber and carnelian, then followed the stationery and antiques, such as sandalwood curio cabinets, a case of carved ivory followed, after which came 10 cases of silk, gauze, crepe, and satin, 6 cases of furs… (Lin, 2009, p. 325) In the above description, “ruyi, bangles, jade, amethyst, oracle bone, ivory, silk and satin” and other unique products appearing on Mulan’s wedding showed the prosperity and happiness beyond people’s imagination, shaping Chinese image of being “rich”. In chapter six of My Country and My People, Lin Yutang discussed the state from aspects of “government dimension” and “cultural dimension”. And among them, “government dimension” was mainly about the “virtuous government”, “township system”, “family system” and so on. While, “cultural dimension” was about the description of Chinese image generally distributed in “social life and political life” because of their unique cultural value and aesthetic conception, which reflected the temperament of the country. In his mind, different from the West, Chinese government was “Government by Gentlemen”. The most striking characteristic in our political life as a nation is the absence of a constitution and of the idea of civil right… which mixes moral with politics and is a philosophy of moral harmony rather than a philosophy of force… (Lin, 2009, p. 178) When talking about the base of Chinese family system, he said, The family system colors all our social life, it nearly takes the place of religion by giving man a sense of social survival and family continuity … (Lin, 2009, p. 179) Since he had set a tone for the Chinese government and family, it is no wonder that in his other trans-creation works, the big families in the stories had such relations with the royal family, and several heroines Mulan, Meiling and Rouan were all born in the rich and precious families, thus shaping Chinese image of being “noble, civilized and harmonious”. Confucius-worshipped People The Wisdom of Confucius is a compilation of Chinese classics typically characterized by lots of culture-bound words or phrases and proverbs. In chapter five Aphorisms of Confucius, when mentioning the standards of being a superior man, Confucius said, “There are three things about the superior man that I have not been able to attain. The true man has no worries; the wise man has no perplexities; and the brave man has no fear” (Lin, 2009, p. 208). Besides the trans-creation works related to Chinese classics, Lin Yutang also quoated Confucius and Analects many times in his novels. In the A Leaf in the Storm, Lao Peng was a real gentleman meeting the Confucian value of “worry not and fear not” and Lao Peng’s wife only liked Confucius’ Chinese character and refused to learn pinyin. In A Moment in Peking, even when eating crabs in the Mid Autumn Festival, young people did not forget to quote Analects of Confucius in their argument. In The Vermilion Gate, Du Zhong was OVERLAPPING OR RESHAPING: CHINESE IMAGE IN LIN YUTANG’S TRANS-CREATION WORKS 245 both the royalist and loyal defender of Confucianism, who was compared as an old oak tree, which might be cut down by the axe, but not rotten inside.
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