A Comparative Study of the Chinese and Japanese Translations of Red Star Over China under the Rewriting Theory Framework
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Red Star over China, written by American journalist Edgar Snow, provides a vivid and authentic account of the Chinese Communist Party and the Soviet Area during the War of Resistance against Japan, and has become a crucial medium for shaping the Party’s public image. Grounded in the framework of rewriting theory, this study compares the first complete Chinese and Japanese translations—namely, the Fushe edition Xixing Manji and 1952 Chikuma Shobō Japanese version Chūgoku no Akai Hoshi. It examines their respective translation strategies and sociopolitical impacts, with a particular focus on the roles of ideology, patronage, and poetics in shaping the translations. The findings reveal that the Fushe edition was shaped by multiple ideologies: it resonated with the nationwide anti-Japanese ideology, circumvented Kuomintang censorship, foreign settlement restrictions, and Japanese military repression, and ultimately served as a tool of wartime propaganda. In contrast, the 1952 Chikuma Shobō Japanese version emerged during a period of significant social transformation in postwar Japan, aiming to faithfully reproduce the original narrative of the Chinese revolution and offer valuable lessons for the Japanese public.
DOI: 10.15096/0002000214
Authors: Wang, Zhenzhen, Yan, Xiya
Language: Chinese
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7169722975
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