红楼梦和大观园外文文献翻译中英文.docx
《红楼梦和大观园外文文献翻译中英文.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《红楼梦和大观园外文文献翻译中英文.docx(7页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
![红楼梦和大观园外文文献翻译中英文.docx](https://file1.bdocx.com/fileroot1/2023-1/14/9f95697f-9448-4796-82ff-31fcf9634b93/9f95697f-9448-4796-82ff-31fcf9634b931.gif)
红楼梦和大观园外文文献翻译中英文
红楼梦和大观园外文翻译中英文
英文
Tourism,aClassicNovel,andTelevision:
TheCaseofCáoXue˘qin’sDreamoftheRedMansionsandGrandViewGardens,Beijing
ChrisRyan
Abstract
ThisarticlereportsastudyoftheimportanceoftheclassicChinesenovel,TheDreamoftheRedMansion,inattractingvisitorstoGrandViewGardensinBeijing.ThatsitewasbuiltasareplicaofaQingDynastypalaceforapopulartelevisionseries.Thestudyfoundthat52%ofthe308respondentsstatedthatthenovelwasveryorextremelyimportantinattractingthemtothegardens.Thearticleseekstogobeyondthisstatisticbyexamininghowfamiliaritywiththenovelmighthelpexplainsomeofthestatisticalfindingsandconcludesbyarguingthatifoneistoobtainanunderstandingofthetouristexperienceofaplacemadepopularbyfiction,thenitisalsonecessarytoengageincultural,media,andliterarystudiesaswellasconversationsandsurveysofvisitors.Hence,thetextofthenovelisitselfpartofthedataset.
Keywords:
Chineseliterature;tourism;constructions;culture;heritage
Thepurposeofthisarticleistoexaminetowhatextentfamiliaritywiththetelevisionseriesandclassicnovel,TheDreamoftheRedMansion,attractedvisitorstoGrandViewGardensinBeijing.GiventhetexttakenabovefromthenovelbyCáoXue˘qin,thenatureofthesite,thenovel,thefilm,andthedifferentperceptionsofvisitorsmightbesaidtocombinetofulfillCáoXue˘qin’scomplexunfoldingofillusionasreality,andrealityasillusion.Inaddition,repeatedvisitsbytheauthorswerefoundtoinformsubsequentvisitsandtheresearchprojectsothattheauthorsbecamefiltersthroughwhichtobetterunderstandtheplaceandpeople’sexperienceofit.Consequently,thestudyusesamixed-methodsresearchapproachinwhichthedataare
(1)observationandsustainedvisitationduringaperiodofmorethan4months,
(2)thestatisticaldatacollectedfromrespondents,(3)responsestoopen-endedquestions,(4)conversationswithvisitors,and(5)knowledgeofthenovel.ThislastisimportantinthatitquicklybecameevidentthatformanyrespondentsthevisitwasmotivatedbythenovelanditsstatuswithinChineseliteratureas“amasterpieceofrealismwritteninthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury”(YangandYang1979,p.1289).Theimplicationofthisisthatasixthsourceofdataexists,whichistheexperienceandknowledgeoftheauthorsofnotonlythesitebutalsoChineseculture,includingitsTaoistandBuddhistunderpinnings.Consequently,thediscoursewithinthisarticleisinformedbynotonlyanempiricistresearchtraditionbutalsoasubjectivetraditionofobservationthatAdlerandAdler(1994,p.389)maintainservesas“themostpowerfulformofvalidation.”Bynecessity,therefore,theauthorshaverecoursenotonlytothemeta-narrativesimplicitinthepostpositivisticapproachthatseekstogeneralizeandpredictfromquantitativedatabutalsointheminutiaeofobservationsofbehaviors.Theyhaveadoptedideasderivedfromsymbolicorinterpretiveinteractionismandthe“livedinexperience”asproposedbyDenzin(2001)andthestanceofCAPethnography—thatis,creativeanalyticalpractice—asespousedbyRichardson(2000),bywhichresearchunfoldsmicroactionswithunknownmacroimplications.However,problemsrelatetosuchnon-postpositivisticapproachespremisedontheviewthat“thetruth”ofasituationisstructuredwithinitssocialsettingandthattheresearcherisalsopartofthatstructure.Theauthorsrecognizethattheactofaskingaquestionisnotneutral.Thequestionshapesthearticulationofaresponseonthepartoftherespondent,andthusaskingaquestioninitiatesareplyonthepartoftherespondentaboutsomethingwhichtherespondentmaynotactuallyhavepreviouslythoughtabout.Forexample,avisitormayvisitanattractionunawarethatitisassociatedwithanovelorafilm,butonbeingtoldofthelinkagewillnowshapearesponsehavinghadthatlinkagecreatedinhisorhermind.Thequestionhaschangedthevisitor’sexperience!
Simplycollectingdatathatareformedsolelybyresponsestoaquantitativelybasedquestionnairedoesnotincludethisaspectofthevisitorexperience.However,achallengethenexistsfortheresearcher.Whilenowtheresearcherhasplayedaroleintheconstructionoftheexperience,howdoestheresearcherestablishthecredibilityofaninterpretationinthereportingofthevisitorexperiencetowhichtheyhavecontributed?
Inthisinstancetheauthorsusedtextanalysissoftwaretohelpformulatetheinterpretationofatleastpartofthequalitativedata.
Tosummarize,theresearchquestionistowhatextentassociationswithfilmandliteratureattractpeopletothegardens,orarethegarden’saestheticattributesalonesufficient?
Accordingly,thearticleiscontextualizedwithindifferenttexts.First,thereisthatrelatedtothenovelitself.Second,thereisthatrelatedtotheacademicliteratureontherelationshipbetweenfilmsandnovelsononehandandtourismontheother.Third,thereisthatrelatedtothemodesofanalysisadopted.Thislastincludessomeexplanationofthesoftwareusedtointerpretthetextualdata.ThearticleisalsopremisedonaviewthatthereislittlewrittenabouttherelationshipbetweenliteratureandtelevisionononehandandpatternsofvisitationtositesinChinaontheother.Thisarticledoesnotpretendtoofferadefinitiveanalysisofthatsituationbutsimplyseekstoinitiateadiscussionbyofferingthiscasestudy.
Consequently,thearticleisdividedintovarioussections.Thefirstisadescriptionofthenovelandlocationoftheresearch,therebyindicatingwhythegardenswereselectedasasiteforthisresearch.Second,thereisareviewoftheliteraturepertainingtovisitormotivationandreactiontositesbasedonpopularmediarepresentations.Third,theresultsoftheresearcharepresented,beforefinallyadiscussionoftheimplicationsoftheresearchcompletesthearticle.
GrandViewGardensandTheDreamoftheRedMansion
TheDreamoftheRedMansionisoneoftheclassicpiecesofChineseliterature,andthusthedestinationhastwofacetstobeingatouristattraction.First,itreplicatesthelocationofthestoryitself.Second,thedestinationwascreated,inBeijing,from1984to1989asafilmlocationforatelevisionseriesthat,becauseofitshistoricalantecedentsaswellastheepicstyleoftheproduction,becameverypopularinChina.However,unlikemanyWesternfilmsets,thebuildingsnotonlysoughttoreplicatetheQingDynastysettingofthenovelbutalsowerebuiltaspermanentstructuresonalargescale.Itcovers30hectares(32.12acres)andreplicatesinfullsizethepalace,pavilions,andgardensoftheperiod,asisillustratedinfigures1and2.ItalsoappealstotouristsbybeingmorethansimplyareplicaofclassicalChinesearchitecturebyalsomaintainingapermanentexhibitionofcostumesandphotographsofthefilmseriesandthroughhostingvariouseventsbasedonthestoryline,including“TheImperialConcubineYuanVisitsHome,”“AGrandViewGardenTempleFair,”and“TheGrandViewGardenMid-AutumnNight.”Inaddition,asshowninfigures3and4,thegardensareusedasarecreationalresourcebylocalpeople.Inaddition,visitorsareofferedanopportunitytobedressedintheclothesoftheperiod,havephotographstaken(figure5),andbecarriedinasedanchair.Visitorspayanentrancefee,butlocalpeopleareabletobuyanannualpassataheavilydiscountedprice,therebypermittingfrequentaccesstothegardens.ThisisconsistentwithnormalChinesepracticeinBeijingasevidencedatotherparks,forexampleJingshangPark.Chineseparksareimportantsocialmeetingplacesandarevenuesfordance,song,andgamesplayingfortheirlocalcommunities.Thisstudyisofnonlocalvisitors,butthelocalpeoplearepartoftheexperientialframework,anditcanbearguedthatmultiplegazesexistwithintheparkwherenonlocalvisitors,especiallynon-Chinese,arethemselvesgazedonbythelocals.Forananalysisofthisexistenceofmultiplegazes,seeWillemen(1995,p.114)whonotes,“Anyarticulationofimagesandlookswhichbringsintoplaythepositionandactivityoftheviewer...alsodestabilisesthatposition...theviewer[therefore]runstheriskofbecomingtheobjectofthelook.”
Thenovel,writtenbyCáoXue˘qin,waswritteninthemiddleoftheeighteenthcenturyandisthoughttobe,atleastinpart,autobiographical(Hawkes1973).CenteredontwohousesoftheJiaClan,itisanepicwithmorethan400characters.Theirstoriesaretoldoverfourvolumes,120chapters,and2,549pages.Onthefaceofitthestoryisabouttwogreathousesbroughttoruinthroughadictatorialwhim,whilewithinthesagathereliesastoryofromancedeniedanddecayanddecline,asgreatasanyfoundinWesternliterature.Itisdifficulttounderstatetheimportanceofthenovel.Minford(1986,p.15)commentsthat“wewitnessdeath(sometimesbriefandpoignant,moreoftenprotractedandharrowing),ruin(nowhereinChineseliteratureistheresuchawellinventoriedchronicleofafamily’s‘confiscation’).”Throughoutthestoryisthelifeofthemajorprotagonist,JiaBao-yu—thestone.Andhereinliesthecomplexityofthestory,forthisisnomeretellingofafamily’sfortunelikeJohnGalsworthy’sForsyteSaga,indicativethoughthatnovelisofthesocialmoresofitstime.TheDreamoftheRedMansionisinfusedwithTaoistandBuddhistthoughtandobservation(Kao1988).Hawkes(1973,p.45)statesthat“Chinesedevoteesofthenoveloftencontinuetoreadandrereaditthroughouttheirlivesandtodiscovermore...eachtime