Im Rahmen des aktuellen ERC Projekts zur chinesischen Comics-Kultur („ChinaComx: Comics Culture in the People’s Republic of China“) übersetzen die Heidelberger Kolleg*innen Lena Henningsen, Damian Mandzunowski und das ChinaComx Team chinesische Comics ins Englische (hauptsächlich) und auch in andere europäische Sprachen (derzeit eine Serie ins deutsche). Inzwischen ist man bei 14 Werken angekommen – und more to come!
Ankündigung:
New Lianhuanhua Translations by ChinaComx
In the last year, the ChinaComx project has added numerous new translations to our website. Ranging from book-length standalone stories to one-pagers found in magazines, all translations are available free and openly on the website https://chinacomx.github.io/translations/.
Each translation comes with high-resolution scanned images, the transcribed text in original, and its translation next to each other. Each lianhuanhua is also introduced in an approachable but scholarly way by the translator(s).
We are happy to hear back from people who are using the translations in class or other ways — and tell us what stories you would like to read in translation next!
Here is a detailed overview of the translations as of March 2026 with direct links:
As of today, we have published fourteen ChinaComx translations of various types of lianhuanhua; these can be grouped into five thematic categories (but note that some stories may equally well fit in two categories or more):
- Works adapted from classics of Chinese literature:
- The New Year’s Sacrifice 祝福 (1974) is a lianhuanhua adaptation of Lu Xun’s famous critique of tradition and feudalism: read the English translation here;
- Geschichten über Lu Xun und Junge Leute 鲁迅和青年的故事 (1976) is a collection of three poignant short stories by Lu Xun: read the German translation here;
- A Pair of Tweezers 一把镊子 (1981) is a one-paged lianhuanhua strip adaptation of an equally short story about Lu Xun: read the English translation here;
- Nezha Wreaks Havoc in the East Sea 哪吒闹东海 (1985) is part three of a fifteen-part 1980s lianhuanhua adaptaion of the famous legend: read the English translation here;
- Tales of youth and socialist-patriotic ideals:
- Lei Feng’s Youth Years 雷锋的少年时代 (1973) provides a biographicallook at the early years of the socialist icon Lei Feng:read the English translation here;
- Niqiu Protects the Watermelons 泥鳅看瓜 (1974) is a wartimeadventure showcasing the bravery of children: read the Englishtranslation here;
- By the Yang River 洋河边上 (1974) adapts a coming-of-age short story by Hao Ran about an elementary school pupil whose mundane actions are framed as meaningful acts of ideological practice: read the English translation here;
- The Silent Fight 无声的战斗 (1976) is a story of espionage and counterespionage in the early-PRC told from the perspective of a young boy: read the English translation here;
- Are You a Communist? 你是共产党员吗 (1981) is piece of allegoricalscar literature lianhuanhua that raises an existential inquiry into what it meant to be a CCP member in 1981: read the English translation here;
- Science popularization lianhuanhua:
- Mermaid 人鱼 (1982) is an early-Reform Era lianhuanhua strip that both celebrates patriotic science and invites to venture beyond what is known: read the English translation here;
- Transcultural texts and storylines:
- Norman Bethune 白求恩 (1973) and Doctor Bethune 白求恩大夫(1979) are two lianhuanhua adaptations of biographical tales about Norman Bethune: read the English translation here.
- The Watch 表 (1980) is a beloved Soviet children’s story adapted into lianhuanhua for a Chinese audience: read the English translation here;
- My Uncle Jules 我的叔叔于勒 (1980) is a lianhuanhua strip adapting a short story by Guy de Maupassant that probably every schoolchild in China was made to read in class: read the English translation here
- Contemporary lianhuanhua:
- The Legend of Bing Conglin 冰聪林传奇 (2024) is an ongoingcontemporary lianhuanhua serialised on Xiaohongshu 小红书 by a young fan: read the English translation here.