Chinese Literary Works in Myanmar

A growing number of Chinese literary works have been translated and distributed to different nations as China’s relations with other nations deepen. Since translation is important for cross-cultural communication, Chinese literary works have been translated into several languages, including Burmese. In this paper, the author presents the history of the dissemination of Chinese literary works in Myanmar. Furthermore, the author discusses the status of the translated Chinese literary works, the reasons or events behind the challenges encountered in the process of disseminating them in Myanmar, and the nature of the relationship between China and Myanmar based on this literary exchange. In this research the author provides in-depth research of Chinese literary works translated into Burmese spanning over five different periods of time, starting from the early years of formation Sino-Myanmar relationships up until the present time. Each period is characterized by specific publications, for instance; translations during the Early Period include travelogues and medical books; Colonial Period (1885-1948) includes translations of revolutionary and pure literature; the Postcolonial Period (1948-1962) includes translations of political literature; translations during the Military Government Period (1962-2010) mostly include folktales, travelogues, children’s literature and martial arts novels; and translations during the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Period (2010–Present) mostly include Chinese contemporary literature. The aim of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of the history of Chinese literary translation in Myanmar.