Authenticity, Postmodernity, and Translation: The Debates around Han Shaogong’s Dictionary of Maqiao

Abstract

In this article the author makes an attempt to show that the so-called ‘Maqiao debate’ – raised by critics claiming that Han Shaogong’s Dictionary of Maqiao was an imitation of Dictionary of the Khazars edited by the Serbian writer Milorad Pavic – not only revealed the anxiety concerning foreign influences on Chinese contemporary literature, but also touched on such issues as the function of literature in contemporary society, the relationship between literary themes and ideas of national authenticity, and the reception of postmodern theory in the Chinese literary field.