In his renowned work, “Philology in Three Dimensions” (part of his celebrated ‘Philological Trilogy’), the esteemed Sanskrit scholar Sheldon Pollock elucidates the threefold dimensions of textual practice, which can be fully applied to the study of the universal humanities. These dimensions are: first, the moment of textual production; second, the historical reception of the text; and third, the presentation of the text in the subjectivity of the reading subject, ‘I’ itself. Pollock’s three dimensions of philology are closely related to the concept of ‘World Philology’, which he and numerous contemporary philologists advocate. In examining the history of the discipline, it becomes evident that the humanist elements and methods embedded in the ‘New Philology’, which was championed by scholars from Auerbach to Said in the mid-to-late twentieth century, also played a role in the development of contemporary philology. By coincidence, the development of contemporary ‘world literature’ theory has also been profoundly influenced by the ‘new philology’, especially in the basic guidance of the research path, so it is not difficult to see that in today's era of globalisation, the mutual understanding between philology and world literature is bound to increase. Thus, the three practical dimensions of philology may be used to examine the mechanisms and paths through which intercultural texts of world literature produce meaning. David Damrosch, a leading figure in the theory of world literature, defines world literature as a mode of reading and a circulation mechanism, in which the translation of multiple texts and the multiple meanings generated by cross-cultural interpretation cannot be separated from the practical guidance of contemporary philology. The internal disciplinary crisis faced by contemporary and comparative literature has prompted scholars on both sides to endeavour to save themselves, while the dilemma faced by the two is itself a two-sided problem, and it would be mutually beneficial for both sides to reach a full cooperation.

Since its release in 2021, "Pioneer Summer: A Novel," a Russian queer coming-of-age novel by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova, has generated exceptional hype, sparking widespread discussion and cultivating a dedicated readership. However, in October 2022, following the Russian government’s expansion of its ban on so-called “LGBT propaganda” from minors to all age groups, the novel was officially prohibited under the new legislation in the country. Despite this intensified censorship, the circulation of "Pioneer Summer: A Novel" did not cease. Instead, the novel found a new life through unofficial channels, particularly fan translation, allowing it to transcend national borders and reach new audiences. This article examines the novel’s transnational journey through fan translation, tracing its movement from Russia to Canada and ultimately to China—another restrictive media environment where queer-related content faces intense scrutiny and censorship. Drawing on qualitative research methods, this study includes semi-structured interviews with two Canada-based Chinese fan translators, who played key roles in translating and disseminating the novel within Chinese online spaces. These interviews seek to explore the translators’ strategies for navigating and circumventing state-imposed restrictions on queer narratives. In particular, the study examines the role of digital platforms and online communities, including SosadFun and Xiaohongshu, which enable the novel’s distribution across national borders, providing a space for the transnational flow of queer narratives under censorship. Through a cross-national framework, the research traces the novel’s movement from Russia, where it was banned, to Canada, where it was translated, and then to China, where it reached a new audience despite censorship. By mapping the novel’s trajectory across regulatory regimes, the study emphasizes the subversive role of fan translation as a form of resistance to censorship, offering insights into the global circulation of queerness across repressive anti-queer contexts.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, a massive effort was made by this new country to translate Chinese literature into English in order to convey a good national image, and Sidney Shapiro's translation of the Chinese classic novel Shui Hu Zhuan - Outlaws of the Marsh is one of them. Shui Hu Zhuan has serious misogynistic overtones that run counter to the concept of gender equality promoted by New China and the reality of the improvement of the status of Chinese women, and is therefore likely to be rewritten. Drawing on André Lefevere’s rewriting theory, this research explores translator Shapiro's (re)constructions of female images in his Outlaws of the Marsh. The research begins by outlining the domestic and international context of the Outlaws of the Marsh translation, analysing the patronage, ideological and poetic factors that would influence this translation. Based on the contextual analysis, this research finds that the misogynistic overtones in the original text were inconsistent with the ideology at home and abroad at the time and faced being rewritten. However, through textual analysis and reader acceptance analysis, this research finds that due to the pursuit of faithfulness, and the fact that the original text is deeply misogynistic, the translator rewrote the female images only through some words and phrases. This has no mitigating effect on the misogyny of the novel.