Rebels or Heroes: Recreating the Image of Beats in Chinese Translations of on the Road

This article investigates the recreation of the image of Sal Paradise and the Beat Generation across three Chinese translations (1990, 2001, 2006) of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Employing a multi-level analytical framework, it reconceptualizes translation and its effects at textual, paratextual, and contextual tiers. At the textual level, it applies Hallidayan Systemic Functional Linguistics to examine how specific linguistic strategies—realized through the experiential, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions— construct Sal's identity. At the paratextual level, it analyzes how narrative (re)framing strategies, such as front cover design and prefatorial articles, guide reader reception and recast the rebels' image. Finally, at the contextual level, it explores how socio-historical and ideological factors motivated these translational and paratextual choices, ultimately explaining the evolution of three distinct images of the Beats in China.