Two Enlightenments on Chinese Literature Going Out: By Comparing Wolf Totem With China in Ten Words

Abstract

China still has a serious cultural deficit in international cultural exchanges, and few contemporary Chinese literature works are successfully translated and communicated in foreign countries. However, both Wolf Totem and China in Ten Words have been on Amazon’s list of best sellers after their English versions were published in the United Kingdom and the United States. Based on comparison between them, this paper aims to find the similarities and differences between Wolf Totem and China in Ten Words, and then get two enlightenments on Chinese literature going out: First, successful translation and communication of Chinese literature works share some similarities. Successfully finding the similarities will be conductive to Chinese literature going out. Second, not all successful translation and communication of Chinese literature can objectively and truly present China to the world, taking China in Ten Words as an example. Therefore, the Chinese government should play a more active role in sending out Chinese literature works which could construct China’s national image.