The article begins by examining the passages related to Cao Xueqin to provide a sketch of his character in the Hong Kong novel The Drunkard by Liu Yichang. Subsequently, Cao Xueqin’s character in The Drunkard is compared with his image established by Hu Shi’s ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber: Search for Evidence’, a pioneering article in Chinese New Redology. This comparative examination aims to unveil the parallels and disparities between the two representations of Cao Xueqin. The relationship between the ‘two Cao Xueqins’ is then examined with reference to the concept of ‘old tales retold’, signifying the recontextualization of classical Chinese narratives in contemporary frameworks, thus endowing them with renewed significance. To provide a detailed elucidation of the ‘old tales retold’ concept, one of Liu Yichang’s Cao Xueqin-related short stories, ‘Chinese New Year’s Eve’, will be used as an illustrative example. The article then turns to clarifying the significance of the 'old tales retold' in the study of the comparative history of East Asian literature.

Chinese translators Wu Tao, Zhou Zuoren, and Shi Zhecun translated the Polish novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz's short story "The Lighthouse Keeper" in 1907, 1909, and 1935, respectively. Notably, none of them translated from the original Polish text. This article explores the reasons behind these translators' choices to translate "The Lighthouse Keeper," their distinct translation characteristics, and how these translations reflect the early 20th-century Chinese literary community's acceptance and adaptation of foreign literature. This is significant in the context of empathy towards and solidarity with literature from small and weak nations, showcasing the complexity of cultural exchange among Asian literatures. Wu Tao's translation was derived from a Japanese version, specifically selected from the magazine Taiyō (The Sun). During the late Meiji period, the literary community responded to the government's calls for nationalism and praised national writers like Sienkiewicz. Therefore, it is not surprising that Wu Tao encountered Sienkiewicz's works in Taiyō. Simultaneously, Zhou Zuoren was studying in Japan, where he followed Japanese and western publications. Like other late Qing intellectuals, he was concerned with new ideas, particularly feeling empathy and solidarity with "small and weak nations." In 1909, Zhou and his brother Lu Xun published The Collected Works of Foreign Fiction, which included Zhou's translation of "The Lighthouse Keeper." His translation was based on Jeremiah Curtin's English version. Given Zhou's extensive reading, it is likely he encountered the Japanese translation in Taiyō, but he opted for the English version, disregarding the Japanese text. By the time Shi Zhecun translated "The Lighthouse Keeper," it was already the 1930s. The concern for small and weak nations had become a consensus among the educated class. At this point, Shi Zhecun translated a book called The Polish Short Story Collection, including "The Lighthouse Keeper." Wu Tao's translation was significantly influenced by the Japanese version, exhibiting traces of Sino-Japanese Daoist culture in its wording and sentence structure. Zhou's translation primarily employed a literal approach but adopted classical language. In contrast, Shi Zhecun responded to the call of the times by using accessible vernacular. Shi Zhecun's translation of Sienkiewicz's works began with "The Lighthouse Keeper," after which he continued to translate other works by the Polish author. Wu Tao's focus on Taiyō allowed him, without having studied in Japan, to be among the first to translate works that would later receive sustained attention in the Chinese literary translation community. As familiarity with small and weak nation literature grew, translators gradually obtained translated texts beyond the Japanese versions, slowly breaking free from Japan's influence. By the 1930s and 1940s, sustained attention to specific authors led to a rich output that had a more direct social impact.

This essay offers a timely exploration of abjection, hatred, and the transformative potential of forgiveness, using the gripping narratives of Han Kang’s Human Acts and Julia Kristeva’s philosophical work Hatred and Forgiveness. In an era marked by political division, collective trauma, and a heightened awareness of social injustices, the concepts of hate and forgiveness take on renewed significance. This essay will not only bridge literature and psychoanalytic theory but will also invite critical reflection on how these themes resonate with contemporary efforts for healing and reconciliation.

The presentation begins with Kristeva’s theoretical framework of abjection—a state where boundaries between self and other are blurred, leading to feelings of revulsion and alienation. Central to this is her analysis of the maternal body and the pre-Oedipal phase, where the “abject” first emerges. In the modern context, these insights reveal how trauma disrupts identity, sparking visceral responses that often defy rationality.

Building on this foundation, the essay then analyses Human Acts, where abjection vividly manifests amid the violence and dehumanisation of the Gwangju Uprising. Through poignant examples, including graphic portrayals of bodies and characters’ intense, physical reactions to trauma, we will examine how Han Kang employs abjection to depict trauma as an embodied experience—a reality faced by many in today’s turbulent world. In Kang’s text, blood, bodily fluids, and corpses become symbols of suppressed memories that haunt individuals and collective identities alike, illustrating Kristeva’s notion of the “abject” as a visceral confrontation with the limits of human endurance.

From this place of abjection, the essay traces an evolution to hatred, drawing on Kristeva’s theory and Han Kang’s literary insights. Trauma in Human Acts breeds rage and resentment, spurring characters towards revenge and despair. We will draw comparisons between the unnamed prisoner in Human Acts and Pierre, a patient in Kristeva’s Hatred and Forgiveness, exploring how each grapples with hatred born of traumatic violations. These stories reveal how abjection can fester into hatred, and in turn, how unchecked hatred may fracture communities and hinder personal healing—a compelling message for today’s world.

Finally, the essay will examine Kristeva’s notion of forgiveness. Beyond a simple ethical imperative, Kristeva envisions forgiveness as a challenging, transformative path, demanding deep self-reflection and confronting the complexities of shared humanity. We will explore whether Kang’s characters, shaped by violence and grief, can embark on such a journey. By analysing the roles of art, language, and memory in Human Acts, the essay highlights ways trauma might be confronted and re-integrated, both individually and collectively. Ultimately it aims to provoke a discussion on trauma and healing, moving beyond binaries of victim and perpetrator.

The emerging field of Sino-Japanese studies has, in recent decades, shed light on literary exchanges between China and Japan, long shaped by the tradition of “brushtalk”. However, at the turn of the 20th century, intra-Asian intellectual exchanges intensified in multiple directions, fostering greater mobility for women. This paper follows the trajectory of Sino-Japanese studies by examining the writings of Chinese women who traveled to Japan and Japanese women who visited China between 1900 and 1940, as their diverse works reveal a renewal of the poetic travel tradition between the two countries.

In the early 20th century, many Chinese women traveled to Japan for education before returning home to disseminate Japanese feminist ideas, engaging in poetic and feminist journals. This collective feminine experience of travel to Japan is notably reflected in the works of Qiu Jin, whose shi, ci, and tanci, such as "Jingwei shi", urge Chinese women to cross the Eastern Sea. Conversely, numerous Japanese women traveled to China, renewing the Chinese tradition of guji poetic itinerary while discovering Chinese women’s lives. Akiko Yosano’s work thus evolves from a poetic writing of her first crossing of China, in "Natsu yori aki e" (1914), to a blend of prose and poetry in both Chinese and Japanese in "Manmō yūki" (1928), which depicts her travel in Manchuria. This prose-poetry alternation is also found in Hayashi Fumiko’s travelogues from the 1930s, such as "Furansu iki" (1933) and "Hokugan butai" (1939). While Yosano and Hayashi’s writings reflect the growing influence of nationalism on Japanese women writers—mirroring the rise of anti-Japanese sentiment in China—this paper will also consider dissenting voices offering counter-narratives. Alongside her diary-like account of her life in Japan, "Guimao lüxing ji" (1903), Shan Shili translated Japanese educational manuals advocating the Meiji-era ideal of “good wives and wise mothers”, which contrasted with contemporary feminist circles. Similarly, amid rising anti-Japanese sentiment in the 1930s, Lu Yin’s "Dongjing Xiaopin" (1930–1931) offers a strikingly different perspective during her stay in Tokyo, portraying Japanese women’s kindness and generosity. She also contrasts Japanese feminism with the country’s rigid social structure, which remains an obstacle to women’s emancipation.

This paper aims to provide a nuanced overview of the collective and individual voices of women navigating between China and Japan during a period of both intensified exchanges and escalating conflicts. What roles do women play in shaping representations of China and Japan, and how do they contribute to the circulation of texts and ideas between the Chinese and Japanese shores? Finally, how does crossing the Eastern Sea, allowing Chinese and Japanese women to observe a feminine Other, influence their writing?