Chinese Literature Readers Club Launched

Main Image: Left, Translator, James Trapp Right, Ying Mathieson, Chief Publisher, ACE Publishing

On Saturday 9^th October, ACA Publishing Ltd hosted the UK launch of the Chinese Literature Readers Club, in partnership with the Chinese Authors Association. The launch served as the first in an upcoming series of events aimed at spreading Chinese literature to a wider international audience, and was partly dedicated to Zhou Daxin’s Longevity Park. In attendance were the book’s translator, James Trapp, Keith Bennett, the vice-chairman of the 48 Group, and members of both the British and Chinese press. In total, there were around 20 people in attendance, not including invited guests joining virtually, which included Jiang Hao Shu and Su Yue, representing the Chinese Authors Association, translators Hui and Dennis Cooper, and Martin Ward, a Doctor in both English and Chinese  at the University of Leeds. 

The launch began with a speech from Ying Mathieson, Chief Publisher at ACA Publishing, and Head of the Chinese Literature Readers Club UK, thanking everyone for attending and introducing the initiative’s goals. The launch was officially marked with the cutting of a cake, and photographs were taken to commemorate the occasion.

Zhou Daxin, Contemporary Chinese Author  

Further talks took place introducing the work of Zhou Daxin, including a reading from Longevity Park by James Trapp. Zhou Daxin is a decorated contemporary Chinese author, who has won several major literary honours including China’s highest award for literature, the Mao Dun Prize. Drawing on his countryside roots and long military career for inspiration, his piercing observations of Chinese society set characters in rural, urban and even allegorical environments, and touch upon challenging and often intimate humanitarian questions seldom dealt with by other authors of his generation. As a result, many of his works have been adapted into successful films and television series, and translated into numerous other languages.  

Guests at the Chinese Readers Club launch

The UK Chinese Literature Readers Club is one of 12 branches that have been recently launched worldwide, following a previous event hosted by the Chinese Writers Association on August 18^th, 2021. It is hoped that these groups will foster cultural exchange, and increase the reach of Chinese authors in their respective countries. Equally important for ACA has been the focus on its Sinoist Books imprint, which has seen exciting recent changes, including a move to a new office, and plans for the introduction of a Subscription Scheme, details of which are set to be announced later this year.

ACA Publishing have been bringing the best of Chinese literature to the UK since its establishment in 2007, and, as the launch party showed, the Chinese Literature Readers Club is already proving to be an effective partnership in furthering this mission. 

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