Polish literature has been present in China since 1906. The first Polish literary text translated into Chinese was Latarnik (The Lighthouse Keeper) by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Contemporary fans of Polish novella and novel were reading indirect translations since the Chinese novelists, who did not speak Polish, usually based their translations on the Japanese versions. In my years of contact with Chinese culture and literature, I have never come across any mention of translations of Polish or Eastern European children’s literature. Once I started my research into this subject, I quickly learned what caused the lack of information on it. It turned out that it was quite difficult to find any credible information on what has been translated, in what volume it was published and what the reactions of young readers were.As a result, this article is merely an introduction to the research on Polish children’s literature in People’s Republic of China and focuses almost exclusively on latest publications, i.e. released in the twenty-first century. To a significant extent, it is based on data collected from people actively participating in promoting Polish culture in China via email. I received a lot of valuable data from Wojciech Widłak – one of the authors whose children’s books were published in China. The article is practically a short catalogue of books published on the Chinese market, but it also presents the few reviews I have managed to find in Chinese sources. There is also a presentation of the translators and it is worth noting that Polish children’s literature has been taken care of by the best among those studying Polish literature in China. I hope that this article will be the first of many on the position, popularity and reception of Polish children’s literature in China.
This article is an attempt to gather in one place the most popular myths, symbols and characters associated with the Moon. It has been divided into two parts. The first part refers to legends and presents residents of the Silver Globe (Chang’e, bunny/rabbit, toad/frog, Wu Gang) and objects located there (cinnamon tree, Moon Palace). The second part is an attempt to scientifically verify these beliefs and myths. It refers to such issues as frog deity and Moon deity in the context of femininity, fertility and immortality. Next, it deals with the relationship between Moon and number “seven.” The last two sections briefly discuss the traditional Chinese holidays, connected with the Moon (Mid Autumn Festival and Double Seventh Festival) and the Chinese Lunar Exploration Project, which could be a modern proof of the Chinese people’s attachment to traditions and popular beliefs (names of space vehicles).
PL
Niniejszy artykuł stanowi próbę zgromadzenia w jednym miejscu najpopularniejszych mitów, symboli i opisów postaci związanych z Księżycem. Został podzielony na dwie części, z których pierwsza odnosi się właśnie do legend i przedstawia mieszkańców Srebrnego Globu (Chang’e, zając/królik, ropucha/żaba, Wu Gang) oraz obiekty tam się znajdujące (drzewo cynamonowe, Pałac rozległego zimna). Druga część to próba naukowej weryfikacji opisanych wcześniej wierzeń i mitów. Obejmuje takie zagadnienia, jak kult bóstwa żaby i bóstwa Księżyca w kontekście kobiecości, płodności i nieśmiertelności. Dalej, zajmuje się związkiem Księżyca i cyfry „siedem”. Ostatnie dwie części omawiają krótko święta, które tradycyjny kalendarz chiński łączy z Księżycem (Święto Środka Jesieni oraz Święto Podwójnej Siódemki), oraz Chiński Projekt Eksploracji Księżyca, który jest współczesnym dowodem na przywiązanie Chińczyków do tradycji i ludowych wierzeń (nazwy pojazdów kosmicznych od imion mitycznych postaci).
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