Chinese language major here. I've been reading a lot of Chinese literature recently for reading practice and would like some recommendations on any Chinese books you like.
>>7737012
Sorry I have nothing to contribute, but quick question.
I am really interested in learning chinese since I want to move to Taiwan, but with a major in Chinese what types of jobs can you get? Does that basically mean you are going to be an English teacher in Asia? Is your plan to move there? Thanks
>>7737079
You can do translation/interpretation, or you can use your language skills to supplement another career like computer programming, financial analysis, journalism, etc.
I'm doing a double major in computer science and Chinese, and I plan to go on to get a master's degree in conference interpretation and hopefully end up living in China and interpreting there. I've lived in China previously and really like it there. I haven't been to Taiwan, but my friends who have say they really liked it.
>>7737012
Your pic related is magnificent. Aside from the classics of Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, Red Chamber, and Water Margin, books by Luxun are also apparently good. I've read a bit of Wives and Concubines (or Raise the Red Lantern) by Su Tong as well, in translation, and quite enjoyed it.
im curious, does a chinese language major necessitate exposure/grasp of classical chinese, or is it all modern day vulgate?
>>7737012
Mo Yan: Sandalwood Death, Life and Death are Wearing Me Out, Red Sorghum
Cixin Liu: The Three Body Problem
Chronicle of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua
Soul Mountain by Gai Xingjian
The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun
Lu Xun is brilliant
>>7737349
Books 2 and 3 of three body problem are super different and much better imo btw
Op just read the complete works of 金庸, starting with 射雕英雄转. He will teach you more about Chinese culture and mindset more than almost any other single author. Not even really exaggerating he's extremely pervasive and influential on mass culture.
>>7737360
Pidgin please (not OP)
>>7737365
Jin Yong
I rec him a lot but most of his stuff is only available through crappy fan translations online, often incomplete , if you only read english.
His stuff also improves significantly if you have a decent grounding in Chinese history and culture already, which in presume OP has.
>>7737367
Ive looked before, the translations are not only crappy but badly made, ie they are encoded/OCR'd in Chinese even though the text is in English, so it fucks up any kind of conversion you try.
Are there any narrative histories or books of lives from classical times right up to 1949 that have been translated?
>>7737012
look for investiture of the gods as well as sorcerer's revolt.
Lu Xun is good but some history background is needed since most of his works are talking about the society at that time
Jin Yong is kinda hard to non-chinese because many words/concepts are not found in English. So, there must be differences in context or something while reading translated version
if you want/like to know the urban/city of China, read Fortress Besieged by Qian Zhongshu. It's a humorous tale about middle-class Chinese society in the late 1930s
if rural/countryside, Border Town by Shen Congwen, a short novel about the coming of age and romances of an adolescent country girl name Cuicui
>>7737862
yea personally i cant really imagine reading jin yong in english -shrug-
but he does very very well in SEA, kr, and to a lesser extent jp. the language is probably closer but still hard to translate exactly, but i think the similarity in culture and concepts makes it a lot easier.
