汉语世界（2017年第2期）总第63期汉语世界（The World of Chinese）

2017 Issue 2

 

Short intro:

Delve into Chinese fantasy, ride a disappearing slow-train, greet maternity matrons and glimpse China’s elderly villages—all that and more inside.

 

Long intro:

The Middle Kingdom has its own take on Middle Earth. Novoland isn’t run by hobbits or orcs; you’re far more likely to see winged men or immortal warriors. But the schisms of Novoland also play out in reality, as the creators turned on one another, creating rival cliques. We take a look at the state of fantasy literature in China and where it’s headed in the future.

Also this issue, we take a leisurely ride on one of China’s famed green trains. The leisurely pace is mandatory—these very slow trains are a fixture in the memories of many Chinese but as they are phased out for faster models, their final stop may arrive more quickly than expected. We also look at the business of maternity matrons, as well as the hollowing out of China’s villages and the implications of leaving elderly residents behind.

In Diaspora, you’ll find a Chinatown within China, where overseas Chinese have shaped an enclave, and Made in China tells the tangled history of China’s wired radio. There’s plenty more in these pages and if you want more, check out our digital edition. In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy the spring weather.

 

封面故事：

四海八荒中有一个神奇的世界叫“九州”，它凝聚了一代青年作者的中国奇幻梦。他们从古代神话、传奇、话本和小说中汲取养分，创造出一个托尔金式的架空世界，也成就了一批读者心中的热血传奇。集体创作的形式和作品丰富的程度在世界奇幻史上也是前所未有的。十年以后的今天，IP与网文遍地开花，对于中国奇幻文学来说，是喜是忧？未来的道路又在何方？

 

主题故事：留守老人是城市化进程中无奈的产物。思念着外出打工的成年子女，还要照顾他们年幼的孙辈，谁来守候老人们的“夕阳红”？

 

主题故事：从北京开往承德的4471次列车是目前已经为数不多的绿皮车。硬座车厢里素昧平生的旅人不久都会敞开话匣子谈天说地。每个人的故事聚合起来就折射出了整个社会。这样的“移动公共论坛”却在渐渐消失。

 

主题故事：月入万余，供不应求，月嫂已经成为了一个抢手的新兴职业，本文带你观察火爆的行业背后。

三味书屋：作家骑桶人的短篇小说《飘浮在空中的兰若》颇有唐传奇遗风。奇异的人物和情节等你来解读。

 

在路上：莫干山下尘嚣远，偷得浮生半日闲：浙江德清县的山水与美食

 

采访、小说、书评、影评、艺术、语言……从国际视角欣赏中国文化，用地道英文讲述中国故事。有幽默，有泪水，有真知灼见……从封面到封底，想停都停不下来。

 

Cover Story
Wildest Fantasy
Visit a world of mountain giants, mermen, and winged archers in Novoland, a curious fantasy realm that has boomed into a full-blown literary genre in China over the last decade. But out in the real world, fantasy writers struggle to move their tales from the website, to the page, to the screen.
四海九州话中国奇幻
Green Train Blues
The 4471 “green train” runs from Beijing to Chengde, a slow, lazy journey fueled by a coal stove and the warm company of strangers. The advent of the high-speed rail has meant the end of most trains like this, but the long journey and close quarters foster a culture of easy sociability that has all but disappeared in modern-day China.
绿皮车：移动公共论坛
Maternal Instinct
“Sitting the month” after childbirth is a lot easier when you’ve got someone else to do the heavy lifting. Enter the yuesao, professional maternity matrons with the training to help women through the most difficult month of their lives. Today, home-based post-natal care is now a proper industry with proper problems.
“月嫂”是怎样炼成的？
The Old County
When adults leave the village for work in the city, the old (and young) are left behind. With few mechanisms in place for elderly care in China’s rural areas, policy moves the fill a gap left by children who let their parents raise their children.
农村里的留守老人
Kaleidoscope
En Pointe
From the pirouettes and graceful leaps onstage to toil and tears in the wings, follow the ballet journey of a young performer at the Secondary School Attached to the Beijing Dance Academy as she gets ready to make her debut.
芭蕾是足尖上的梦
Diaspora
Chinatown 1.0
Shantou, Guangdong, has a “Chinatown” within China: full of Chinese-Western hybrid architecture and old-timey vertical signs, but the haven’t been maintained in years. The authorities want to draw overseas Chinese tourists with a facelift of the area, but is it enough?
“初”代唐人街
Tech Support
Bike Curious
China’s been reclaiming its status as the Kingdom of Bicycles of late, with Mobike and ofo putting their bikes of various colors all over the city. Mobile technology is giving this 19th-century invention a 21th-century twist.
共享单车之战
Time Machine
The curious assassination of China’s first publisher
Who knew that printing books could lead to murder, conspiracy, and nationalism? As the Commercial Press celebrates its 120th anniversary, learn more about the mysterious death of its founder Xia Ruifang and the birth of modern publishing in China.
中国出版界的一桩百年悬案
On the Road
Delving into Deqing
If you’re looking for honest fare, simple Jiangnan style, and peace and quiet for the whole family, Deqing county has what you need. When the hustle and bustle of Shanghai and Hangzhou get too much, head down to Dongshen village and Zhenjue Temple.
德清山水，现代桃源
Pioneer
Tales from China’s Millennials
Journalist and writer Alec Ash sits down with The World of Chinese to speak about his new book Wish Lanterns: Young lives in New China, which discusses the tribulations of the 1985 to 1990 generation and what they have to offer the Middle Kingdom’s future.
听美国作家阿修讲中国八五后的故事
Frontier
Traveling with Chinese Characteristics
Learn how to live the imperial lifestyle at The Emperor hotel chain, a business that bucks traditional hotel uniformity for a strictly Chinese feel. From marketing to management, The Emperor wants to grab foreign customers with domestic chic.
新中式旅馆