Self-translation from China

Abstract

Creative Writing programmes/courses in tertiary education in China sprouted in the first decade of the 21st century. In 2009, Fudan University offered the first MFA programme in Creative Writing in Chinese. This chapter will elaborate on aspects, which include the treatment of culturally loaded expressions, the relationship between creative writing in English and translation, the status/role of Chinese English/Chinglish, and rhetorical devices that enrich a story through creativity coupled with Chinese culture. The chapter examines different aspects of Creative Writing in English as a foreign language, based on the teaching practice at Sun Yat-sen University, China. The healing aspect of the workshop, the expressive contents written, the navigation of culturally loaded expressions, the self-translation aspect of writing in a foreign language, and a creativity that is distinct from most Chinese education are special features of teaching Creative Writing in English in China.