Chinese literature brought Genevieve Imbot-Bichet and Dong Qiang together. The duo have established a publishing house and introduced France to China's top authors, "bleu de chine" is well known as fine, deep blue Chinese porcelain. But thanks to Genevieve Imbot-Bichet, the phrase has a new dimension.
With the help of Dong Qiang, an enthusiastic translator of Chinese literature, Imbot-Bichet established a French publishing house called Bleu de Chine. The 10-year-old business is the only one of its kind specializing in the works of Chinese writers in France.
The idea of establishing such a publishing house occurred to Imbot-Bichet after falling in love with the work of famous Chinese writer Zhang Ailing -- author of The Rice-Sprout Song and The Rouge of the North, and known in the West as Eileen Chang. Her novels and essays influenced her so much that Imbot-Bichet started translating them into French. "I met Zhang 20 years ago when I was living in Taipei," says the 50-year-old, who now lives in Paris. "We talked a lot about her works. I longed to introduce her to French readers. But no publishing house thought her novels would make money and no one would take them. So I sought help from Mr Dong and started on my own."
Dong, now a professor in the French Department of Peking University, studied at the School of High Research of Social Science in Paris. He followed Czech professor and author Milan Kundera's course The Music and the Art of the Novel for three years. Kundera always encouraged his foreign students to introduce their own culture in the class. Inspired by the idea, Dong penned many articles for Kundera's journal, Atelier du Roman, in order to introduce more Chinese writers to the French literary scene. "More attention is paid to China thanks to the opening-up policy," says the 37-year-old Dong. "Before, Chinese culture was just like an archaeological find to Westerners, pursued only by those whose ancestors had any trace of a relationship with China."
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the most prominent Chinese writers in French publishing circles were Ba Jin, who studied in France for a long time, and Wang Meng, the former minister of culture of China. Dong felt it imperative to introduce more young Chinese writers overseas. This meshed with the ambition of Imbot-Bichet. Starting on a small budget -- Imbot-Bichet inherited the money from a relative -- Bleu de Chine endured a difficult initial period. "Some Chinese writers didn't trust their works to us because we were so small and unknown," says Dong. "We had to make great efforts to get the translation right. Then we had to peddle the works to book stores. It's not thousands of copies, just a hundred or, in some cases, only a dozen copies. Even at such a small number, it's tough to convince local book stores to put the books on their shelves." Their persistence and hard work, however, paid off. The translation of Jia Pingwa's The Abandoned Capital, or Fei Du, won the Femina Prize for Best Foreign Novel, one of the top three literary awards in France, in 1997.
That success is now considered a milestone for Bleu de Chine. It allowed the publishing house to expand. Although it still can't compete with the bigger players, it has carved out a niche readership base in the country. "When French philosopher and writer Francois Voltaire first introduced the Chinese drama Zhao the Orphan to French readers in the 18th century, only a precious few noticed," says Dong. "Now Chinese movies have taken France by storm. They have helped fan the China craze in France." Many of the popular Chinese films in France are adapted from novels. Indeed, Red Sorghum, written by Mo Yan, won the Golden Bear award at the 1988 Berlin Film Festival, was directed by Zhang Yimou and starred Gong Li. The film brought Mo Yan to prominence in France. Director Chen Kaige and a number of Chinese motion pictures have all helped rekindle curiosity about China and Chinese culture. Many names jumped onto the publishing list of Bleu de Chine, such as Zhang Chengzhi, Liu Xinwu, Jiu Dan and Tie Ning.
Every year Imbot-Bichet's company translates and publishes works by six different writers. Dong returned to China in 2001. As a professor at Peking University, he is still a consultant for Bleu de Chine. He continues to bridge the gap between Chinese writers and influential French publishers, such as Gallimard and Seuil. Imbot-Bichet, who is based in Paris and makes frequent trips to Beijing, shows no sign of slacking, either. Her next plan is to publish a coffee table style book about a collection of Chinese painters.
It's a first for Blue de Chine to focus on something other than fiction since the book will rely almost exclusively on photographs. The future for Chinese literature looks bright. "At the dawn of the 17th century, Western civilization began to get its first detailed glimpse into the hidden empire of China," says Imbot-Bichet. "Along with this contact came stories from far-off East Asia and those fine pieces of Chinese porcelain began to trickle back to France, where it was highly prized and valued. I think now Chinese literature enjoys the same status." For more information visit the French language Website www.bleudechine.fr
(Eastday.com July 14, 2003)
