硕士学位论文

H.G.威尔斯科幻小说在中国的译介

和接受研究（1912-1949）

王银霞

指 导 教 师： 李金树

专 业 名 称： 英语语言文学

研 究 方 向： 翻译理论与实践

论文提交时间： 2023年4月

论文答辩时间： 2023年5月

论 文 编 号： 20230795

A Study on the Translation and Reception of Herbert George Wells’s Science Fiction in

China from 1912 to 1949

By

Wang Yinxia

A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School

of Sichuan International Studies University

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Master of Arts

in

English Language and Literature

under

the supervision of Professor Li

Chongqing, P. R. China

May 2023

ii

摘 要

中国本土科幻的发展，离不开对国外科幻小说的译介。威尔斯科幻小说在

1912-1949年，受到大量的译介和关注，但现今对其科幻小说的研究尚少，有

待进一步挖掘。本文以威尔斯的科幻小说为研究对象，采用描述性翻译研究和

文本细读，通过史料收集、整理和对比分析，从译介情况、接受情况和影响三

个层面来探讨威尔斯科幻小说在民国的接受和影响。

研究发现，威尔斯科幻小说在民国的接受和我国的的实际需求相契合。译

介初期，威尔斯科幻小说胜在故事情节有趣；20世纪20年代末，梁启超等人

对威尔斯史学著作的推崇让中国读者认识到作为历史学家的威尔斯，开始关

注威尔斯的思想和动态；20世纪30-40年代，威尔斯《未来世界》一书中对

抗战结果的预测引起了中国读者的广泛讨论。笔者借译本《火星与地球之战争》

管窥威尔斯科幻小说译介对民国时期本土科幻创作的影响，发现威尔斯科幻

小说中对火星人形象的描写，成了民国时期火星题材创作的借鉴对象。

本文对威尔斯科幻小说翻译研究做出新的史料补充。通过中国读者的评

价和相关期刊文章，探究威尔斯科幻小说的接受情况及其对中国本土科幻创

作的影响，进而重新审视威尔斯及其科幻作品的价值和影响。

关键词：威尔斯；科幻小说；1912-1949；译介；接受

iii

Abstract

The development of China’s local science fiction cannot be separated from the

translation and introduction of foreign science fiction. Wells’s science fiction

received a great deal of translation and attention from 1912 to 1949, but there are

still a few studies on his science fiction today, which need to be further explored.

This thesis takes Wells’s science fiction as the research object, adopts descriptive

translation research and close reading, and explores the reception and influence of

Well’s science fiction during the years of 1912-1949 through historical data

collection, collation and comparative analysis at three levels: the translation and

introduction, reception and influence.

The study finds that the reception of Wells’s science fiction from 1912 to 1949

is in line with the actual needs of China. In the early days of the translation, Wells’s

science fiction was popular for the translations’ interesting storyline. In the late

1920s, the reverence for Wells’s historical works by Liang Qichao and others made

Chinese readers aware of Wells as a historian and began to pay attention to his

thoughts and other activities. In the 1930-40s, the prediction of the outcome of the

Anti-Japanese Aggression War in Wells’s book, The Shape of Things to Come

aroused widespread discussion among Chinese readers. The author uses the

translation of Huoxing Yu Diqiu Zhi Zhanzheng to examine the influence of Wells’s

science fiction translation on local science fiction creation from 1912 to 1949, and

finds that the depiction of Martians in Wells’s science fiction became the object of

reference for the creation of Martian-themed articles from 1912 to 1949.

This thesis makes a new historical addition to the study of Wells’s science

fiction in translation, explores the reception of Wells’s science fiction and its

influence on China’s local science fiction creation through Chinese readers’

comments and related journal articles, and then re-examines the value and influence

of Wells himself and his science fictions.

Key words: Wells; Science Fiction; 1912-1949; Translation; Reception

Contents

Chapter One Introduction ........................................................................... 1

1.1 Research Background ........................................................................ 1

1.2 Research Significance ........................................................................ 3

1.3 Research Methods .............................................................................. 4

1.4 Thesis Structure .................................................................................. 5

Chapter Two Literature Review .................................................................. 7

2.1 Previous Studies on Science Fiction Translation ............................... 7

2.2 Previous Studies on Herbert George Wells’s Science Fiction ......... 13

Chapter Three Translation of Herbert George Wells’s Science Fiction from

1912 to 1949 ............................................................................................ 19

3.1 The First Stage from 1912 to 1918: Rewriting in the Translations . 20

3.1.1 Translation of Wells’ Science Fiction in the First Stage ............ 20

3.1.2 Translations’ Features................................................................. 22

3.1.3 The Continuation of Science Fiction Translation in the Late Qing

Dynasty .............................................................................................. 27

3.2 The Second Stage from 1919 to 1933: A Translation of Wells’s Short

Science Fiction Stories ......................................................................... 29

3.2.1 Translation of Wells’s Science Fiction in the Second Stage ...... 29

3.2.2 Characteristics of the Translated Texts ...................................... 31

3.2.3 The Historical Context: A Call for “Science” ............................ 33

3.3 The Third Stage from 1934 to 1949: Focus on The Shape of Things

to Come ................................................................................................. 34

3.3.1 The Retranslations of The Shape of Things to Come ................ 34

3.3.2 Features of Different Versions of The Shape of Things to Come

and Other Science Fictions ................................................................ 37

3.3.3 Historical Context:Attention to the Anti-Japanese Aggression

War ..................................................................................................... 40

Chapter Four The Acceptance and Influence of Herbert George Wells’s

Science Fiction from 1912 to 1949 ......................................................... 44

4.1 The Acceptance of Wells’s Science Fiction in the First Stage: Wells,

Accepted as A Science Fiction Writer .................................................. 45

4.2 The Acceptance of Wells’s Science Fiction in the Second Stage: Wells,

Accepted as A Science Fiction Writer and Other Identities ................. 46

4.2.1 The First Appearance of Wells’s “Prophet” Status .................... 46 4.2.2 Wells, Accepted as A Historical Writer ...................................... 48

4.2.3 Domestic Attention to Wells’ Activities ..................................... 49

4.3 The Acceptance of Wells’s Science Fiction in the Third Stage: Wells,

A Writer Well Known to Chinese Readers ........................................... 51

4.3.1 Wells’s Enhanced “Prophet” Identity ......................................... 51

4.3.2 Domestic Introduction of Wells ................................................. 57

4.3.3 Remembrance of Wells’s Death ................................................. 58

4.4 A Case Study of the Influence of Wells’s Science Fiction Translation

on the Local Science Fiction Creation in China in the Years of 1912-

1949 ...................................................................................................... 60

4.4.1 Discussion of Mars During the Years of 1912-1949 .................. 63

4.4.2 Overview of the Mars Theme Creation During the Years of 1912-

1949 ................................................................................................... 66

4.4.3 The Influence of Huoxing Yu Diqiu Zhi Zhanzheng on the Mars

Theme Creation During the Years of 1912-1949 .............................. 69

Chapter Five Conclusion .......................................................................... 76

Endnotes .................................................................................................... 79

References ................................................................................................. 81

Appendices ................................................................................................ 84

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Research Background

As a literary form, science fiction was introduced to China through translation.

Under the influence of foreign science fiction, local Chinese writers began to turn

their attention to science fiction creation, and Chinese science fiction literature

gradually developed. The local science fiction creation was slightly later than the

translation of science fictions, and although the initial science fiction creation was

not ideal, by the end of the 20th century, science fictions had taken root and

developed greatly in China. The role and importance of science fiction and the

development of science fiction literature in China have been emphasized.

Foreign science fiction has played an important role in the process of the

emergence of science fiction in China from scratch. Therefore, it is necessary to

investigate the influence of foreign science fiction translation.

Herbert George Wells is a famous British historian, novelist, politician and

biologist, a master of science fiction on par with French science fiction writer Jules

Verne, and known as the “Shakespeare of science fiction”. Wells’s science fictions

were introduced to China in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic Era of China,

which is more than 100 years until now. Although the introduction of Wells’s science

fiction works has been interrupted occasionally from 20t

h to 21

st century, his classic

science fictions are still being published and reprinted today, which shows the charm

of his fictional works.

As a science fiction writer on par with Jules Verne, Wells did not receive the

same treatment as Verne in China. It is translation that Wells’s fictional works were

introduced to and spread in China. Although his science fictions have been

repeatedly published and retranslated in China, studies on the translation of his

science fictions are relatively lacking. Most of the existing studies have been

conducted from the literary perspective (creative techniques, otherness, gothic 2

narratives) and the ideological concepts reflected in their works (utopia, realism,

ethical conflicts arising from technology). Scholars who have conducted studies

from the perspective of translation include Chen Juan (2011, 2012) and Chen

Shaojuan (2010). They combed through the translations of Wells’s science fiction in

China. In addition, Jiang Qian, Wu Yan and others have dealt with the discussion of

Wells’s fictional works in their studies respectively. However, in general, there are a

few studies on the translation of Wells’s science fictions, which need to be further

explored.

Wells is a forgotten master of science fiction. In the late Qing and Republican

periods, Wells’s major science fictions had been translated into China. (Wells died

in 1946.) The translation of Wells’s science fiction can be divided into three stages:

1) the late Qing and Republican periods; 2) the 1980s; and 3) the 21st century. The

late Qing Dynasty and the years of 1912-1949 was the period when Wells’s science

fictions were first translated into China. Most subsequent translations of Wells’s

science fiction were retranslated and reprinted.

In the climax of science fiction translation in the late Qing Dynasty and early

Republic of China, domestic scholars mostly focused on the science fiction of the

late Qing Dynasty and neglected the translation of science fiction during the years

of 1912-1949. Compared with the translation, attention and study of the fictional

novels of French science fiction writer Jules Verne, the study of Wells’s works were

less concerned.

According to Pym, “any research should be justifiable on at least two grounds.

First, it should not have been done before. Second, the people carrying out the

research must have an interest in it”.(2007, P.15) Although Wells’s science fiction

has been studied previously, the author believes that there is still room for this topic.

That’s the reason why the author choose Wells and his science fictions as research

object.

The author chose the period 1912-1949 because it was not only the period when 3

Wells’s science fiction was first translated into China, but also the budding period of

China’s indigenous science fiction creation. Therefore, the author would like to take

the translation and reception of Wells’s science fiction from 1912 to 1949 as an

opportunity to explore what kind of repercussions the translation of Wells’s science

fictions brought and whether it had an impact on the local science fiction creation in

China.

1.2 Research Significance

During 1912 to 1949, Wells’s science fiction was translated into China, and a

high point of translation was formed. From 1915, when Wells’s first science fiction

work was translated into China, to the end of the 20th century, there were a few

studies of Wells’s science fiction in China. Most of the studies appreciated Wells’s

science fictions from literary or artistic perspectives, ignoring the important role

translation activities played. In the first two decades of the 21st century, domestic

scholars gradually began to pay attention to Wells and his science fictions, exploring

the translation and influence of Wells’s works in China. However, most of the

previous studies started from the macro level, from the external socio-historical

context, neglecting to pay attention to and examine the translations of Wells’s

science fictions and readers’ evaluations during this period.

The thesis is significant in the following ways,

1. This thesis systematically combs several translations of Wells’s science

fictions from 1912 to 1949. On the basis of previous studies, new historical materials

are unearthed to present a more comprehensive picture of the translations of Wells’s

fictional works. By collecting the comments on Wells and his works from Chinese

readers, especially intellectuals in that period, the author explores the reception and

their influence of Wells himself and his works in China. After months of collecting

and organizing the literature, the author has attached appendices of the literature

related to this study, which will be of great benefit to subsequent researchers of Wells 4

or science fiction translation studies.

2. Re-examine the value and influence of Wells and his works. From the

translation of Wells’s first work into China in 1915 to the present, Wells’s science

fictions have been translated into China for more than a century, and to this day, his

science fictions are still being published and retranslated, so as to explore the

influence of his science fictions on local science fiction creations, to make more

people pay attention to Wells himself and his works, and to recognize the important

role of Wells in the development of Chinese science fiction from scratch.

3. Pay attention to the study of science fiction translation. Science fiction has

been translated and published in China for more than a century. However, there is

still a little research on the translation of science fiction, especially the science fiction

translation from 1912 to 1949, and there is still room for further exploration.

1.3 Research Methods

By collecting historical materials related to Wells during the years of 1912-

1949, this thesis composes what Wells’s science fictions were translated into China

during that period, finds the corresponding science fiction translations, and divides

the translations of Wells’s science fiction between 1912 and 1949 into three different

stages according to the characteristics of these translations. On this basis, we also

collected Chinese readers’ evaluations on Wells himself and his works. Most of these

evaluations are in the form of translators’ prefaces or journal articles, which are

attached to the beginning or end of the translations, or published in newspapers and

magazines.

This paper mainly adopts the following three research methods: 1) Historical

documentation method. On the basis of previous studies, the author tries to find the

primary documentations of the translations of Wells’s science fictions during the

years of 1912-1949. Collecting articles about Wells himself and his works published

in newspapers and magazines during the period, so as to get a glimpse of the 5

reception of Wells’s fictional works from 1912 to 1949. To investigate the influence

of the translation of Wells’s science fictions on the creation of science fiction in

China,the author collects the local science fiction creations from 1912 to 1949 and

compares them to Wells’s works; 2) Close reading. First, on the basis of first-hand

historical documents, a close reading of Wells’s science fiction translations is

conducted to summarize the characteristics of individual translations, and then to

discover the common characteristics that exist among these translations. Second, the

paper also focuses on the readers’ evaluations of Wells’s works in the period, and

explores the motivations behind the translation and reception of Wells’s science

fictions in the period through a close reading of the translators’ preface and

newspaper and magazine articles. Finally, the local science fiction works of the

period are read to explore the possible influence of the translations of Wells’s science

fictions on the creation of science fiction from 1912 to 1949; 3) Descriptive

translation studies. On the basis of a close textual reading of translations, readers’

evaluations, and indigenous science fiction works, a description of the

characteristics of the translations is developed to present the reception of Wells’s

science fiction from 1912 to 1949 and to explore the influence produced by Wells’s

fictional works.

1.4 Thesis Structure

This thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction, it

introducing the background, significance, research methods, and structure of this

thesis.

The second chapter is literature review, which is divided into two parts. It

reviews the current status of domestic science fiction translation research and the

research of Herbert George Wells’s science fictions in China, respectively.

The third chapter focuses on the translation of Herbert George Wells’ science

fictions from 1912 to1949. This chapter divides the translation of Wells’ science 6

fiction into three stages according to the characteristics of the translations: 1) 1912

to 1918; 2) 1919 to 1933; and 3) 1934 to 1949, respectively, and discusses the

translation situation, the characteristics of the translations, and the historical context

of the translations.

The author divides the translation of Wells’s science fictions from 1912 to 1949

in China into three stages for the following reasons 1) According to the type of

Wells’s science fictions. Wells’s science fictions have both long and short stories. In

the first stage, the translations were mainly long science fictions, in the second stage,

they were mainly short science fictions and in the third stage, they were long and

short stories in parallel. 2) The division is based on the characteristics of the

translations. In the first stage, the translations were written in traditional Chinese,

and the typesetting of the translated texts followed the right-to-left writing

convention. After 1919, under the influence of the New Culture Movement, the text

was gradually changed to vernacular. 3) The influence of the translation in China.

Around 1934, the atmosphere of the war was intensifying, and Wells’s The Shape of

Things to Come attracted the attention and discussion of domestic readers.

Chapter four pays attention to the reception and influence of Herbert George

Wells’s science fictions from 1912 to 1949. Through readers’ evaluations, the author

explores what factors contributed to the acceptance of Wells’s science fictions in the

period, and what impact Wells’s science fictions had at that time, especially what

impact the translation of Wells’s science fiction had on the local science fiction

creation in China.

Chapter five concludes the findings and limitations of this paper. It summarizes

the reception of Wells’s science fictions and the influence on the creation of Martian

themes during the years of 1912 to 1949. Besides, the author presents her humble

opinions on further research of this topic. 7

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Previous Studies on Science Fiction Translation

Science fiction is also known as science fantasy. “When Hugo Gernsback first

coined the term science fiction, he intended to highlight the ‘scientific’ nature of this

type of supernatural fiction and meant to call for a ‘return’ to traditional creative

methods ” (黄禄善, 2003, p. 43). The definition of the word science fiction varies,

both at home and abroad. According to western scholars, the definition of Science

fiction is “a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence

and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose main formal device is an

imaginative framework alternative to the author’s empirical environment” (Suvin,

1988, p. 37), “a charming romance intermingled with scientific fact and prophetic

vision” (John Clute&Peter Nicholls,1903, p. 311) or “that species of storytelling

native to a culture undergoing the epistemic changes implicated in the rise and

supersession of technical-industrial modes of production, distribution, consumption

and disposal” (Broderick, p. 155). In fact, the term “科幻小说” in China is a

mistranslation of science fiction. “Before 1949, Lu Xun, Lao She, and Mao Dun

used the name ‘科学小说’ to refer to what we now call ‘科幻小说’”(郭建中,2004,

p. 52). During the 1850s and 1860s, Chinese translators translated a large number of

science fiction novels from Soviet Russia, and “while translating a large number of

Soviet science novels, they also introduced the name‘科幻小说’to China, thus

replacing the term‘科幻小说’”(郭建中,2004, ibid.). But nowadays, “科幻小说” is

usually used to refer to science fiction in China. Therefore, this thesis continues the

previous usage and calls it science fiction.

As a foreign literary form, science fiction was introduced into China through

translation and “can be considered a ‘foreign flower’ in our literary garden” (郭建

中, 1992, p. 88). “In 1900, Ba Shi Ri Huan You Ji, which was regarded by translators

Xue Shaowei and Chen Yiru as a superficial book for learning Western studies, was 8

published by the Jing Shi Wen She, initiating the ‘journey’ of Verne’s novels in

China.” (吴岩, 2022, p. 8). At the same time, science fiction, a new literary genre,

has also been introduced to China. “Science fiction was introduced into China some

120 years ago-a mere blink of the eye in the long history of Chinese civilization-and

from the very beginning its development has been closely intertwined with

translation” (Jiang Qian, 2013, p.116). Jiang Qian divided the 20th century Chinese

science fiction translation into four stages in her thesis: 1) the first wave of science

fiction translation (late Qing Dynasty and early Min Dynasty); 2) the relatively silent

period of science fiction translation (1920s to 1940s); 3) the second wave of science

fiction translation (1950s); 4) the third wave of science fiction translation (late 1970s

to early 1980s); 5) the fourth wave (1990s)” (姜倩, 2006, p. iv).The late Qing

Dynasty and the early Republic of China were the first climax of the science fiction

translation in China. According to Ren Dongsheng and Yuan Feng, there were 87

science fictions first translated in China between 1891 and 1917. The 1950s was the

second climax of science fiction translation in China. During this period, translations

of science fictions from the Soviet Union took a large proportion. From the 1970s to

the early 1980s, “the nationality of science fiction translation mainly changed from

the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to Europe, America and Japan” (吴岩, 2022,

p. 117). By the last decade of the late 20th century, science fiction translation was

rich and varied. From the late Qing Dynasty to the present day of the twenty-first

century, science fiction has gone through more than 100 years in China, and has

allowed the genre of science fiction literature to take root and bear fruit in China.

Compared with the introduction of science fiction, the study of science fiction

in China is relatively late. In 1956, Chinese science fiction writer Zheng Wenguang

published an article Talking about Science Fantasy Novels in Du Shu Yue Bao,

explaining how to understand science fiction. 1959, Yang Xiangyi introduced Jules

Verne’s science fantasy novels in Shi Jie Wen Xue. During this period, most articles

are an introduction to science fiction, aiming to introduce the new genre of science 9

fiction to China. In the latter two decades of the 20th century, Luo Dan published an

article entitled Science Fantasy Novels and Scientists - A Brief Discussion of the

Enlightening Role of Science Fiction and Reflections on It in 1988, discussing the

enlightening role of science fantasy novels. Yang Zhenkun published Science and

Fantasy:On the Development of Science Fiction in Xiao Shuo Ping Lun In 1990,

Wang Chuan published A Brief Discussion of the Rise and Fall of Chinese Science

Fiction, which explored the reasons for the decline of Chinese science fiction after

1982. These three articles are no longer limited to the science fiction itself and began

to study the role of science fiction and to explore the problems in the development

of science fiction in China.

The study of science fiction’s translation in China started late, with only

sporadic articles from the late 20th century. In 1992, Guo Jianzhong, a famous

science fiction translator and theorist in China, published an article entitled

Exploring the Rise and Fall of Chinese Science Fiction, which statistically analyzed

the translation and publication of science fiction in China in the 1980s, and analyzed

the development trend of science fiction in China and its reasons. Although the

article did not explore specific science fiction translation problems, it can show that

at this time, domestic researchers had already begun to pay attention to the study of

science fiction translation.

In 2002, Liu Hui published an article entitled The Politics and Influence of

Science Fiction in the Late Qing and Early Min Dynasties, which explored the

connection between the translation of Verne’s novels and political purposes in the

late Qing and early Min dynasties, arguing that “the obvious political tendencies in

the translation caused people to misinterpret science fiction and had a profound

impact on the birth and development of science fiction in China” (刘会, 2002, p. 83).

Xu Weibin’s The Scientific Significance of Science Fiction Translation discusses the

significance of science fiction translation. In 2003, Huang Lushan wrote “Kehuan

Xiaoshuo” or “Science Fiction” explored the evolution of the Chinese translation 10

name of “science fiction”. Since 2007, articles on the influence of science fiction

translation and the translation and reception of science fiction in China have been

published continuously.

Graph 1 Statistics of the SF translation researches issued in Chaoxing

Graph 2 Map of academic development trends of different types in Chaoxing

From Graph 1 and Graph 2, it can be seen that theses account for a relatively

large proportion of science fiction translation studies. Among them, master’s degree

theses are the most common.

Graph 3 Academic trends of degree theses in Chaoxing

As can be seen from Graph 3, master’s theses related to science fiction

translation studies have increased year by year from 2000. These theses can be

divided into two categories, translation practice reports and academic papers. The

translation practice reports are mostly translations of foreign science fiction novels

and studies on the translation strategies of science fictions. In contrast, the academic 11

papers have more diverse research perspectives (Hermeneutics, Prospecting theory,

register theory, Ethics). The research topics include translation strategies, translation

methods, translation techniques, translators’ subjectivity, cultural load words, etc.

It is worth mentioning that among the master’s theses, Liu Cixin’s Santi has

received extensive attention. From 2002 to 2023, Santi has been the focus of

master’s students.

Graph 4 Academic Trends of theses on Santi in Chaoxing

Graph 5 Academic trends of science fiction translation research journals in

Chaoxing

In terms of research topics, journal papers and master’s theses have similarities.

For example, they explore translation strategies, and translation methods. The


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