Not many people outside China speak fluent Chinese. Fewer still can read or write Chinese, a written language made of complex characters.  And even fewer have the skill to translate written Chinese.

So for those of us with a love of Chinese literature, contemporary or classic, it can be endlessly frustrating waiting for English translations to come out and even more frustrating waiting for them to arrive (maybe, ever) in the United States. Furthermore, we never even hear about or know about many books or authors who haven’t been widely translated into English.

That’s why I think this site is so cool.  Paper Republic’s contributors know Chinese literature, and the site gives you suggestions, news, updates, info, reviews, profiles of authors, and resources including publishers and translators. It’s pretty much required reading for English-speaking fans of Chinese lit.