Translation of Takeda Taijun’s Works in Manchukuo: An Analysis Based on Translators’ Backgrounds and Discourses Related to Lu Xun

This study explores discourses on Lu Xun in Manchukuo and examines Cui Shu’s role as a translator. Despite Lu Xun being deemed subversive in Manchukuo, young intellectuals, including members of the “Leftist Reading Group,” continued to engage with his works. Cui Shu, who obtained The Complete Works of Lu Xun published by Kaizo in 1937, translated Takeda Taijun’s The Man Who Sold His Shadow, which was published in 1941. By analyzing this translation, the study investigates the unique reception of Lu Xun in Manchukuo, Cui Shu’s motivations, and the intellectual resonance of translation. It also reconsiders Takeda’s post-leftist ideology and highlights how translation acted as a medium for young intellectuals to navigate cultural and ideological complexities in a foreign context.