{"id":3812,"date":"2017-01-02T16:44:23","date_gmt":"2017-01-02T08:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/2017\/01\/02\/zhong_guo_wei_20170102\/"},"modified":"2017-01-02T16:44:23","modified_gmt":"2017-01-02T08:44:23","slug":"zhong_guo_wei_20170102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2017\/01\/02\/zhong_guo_wei_20170102\/","title":{"rendered":"How did the Chi\u00adnese-fla\u00advored \u201cPrincess\u2019s Kite\u201d come about?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n 
\n  The Princess\u2019 Kite is the sec\u00adond pic\u00adture book writ\u00adten by Jane Yolen that I have trans\u00adlat\u00aded. The first isGood\u00adbye, Hap\u00adpy Val\u00adley (illus\u00adtra\u00adtion by Bar\u00adbara Cooney)<\/a>In that sto\u00adry, she recounts in the first per\u00adson how her home\u00adtown, the Hap\u00adpy Riv\u00ader Val\u00adley, was flood\u00aded by the con\u00adstruc\u00adtion of the Cob\u00adbin Reser\u00advoir. The sto\u00adry moved many, lead\u00ading many to believe it was a gen\u00aduine account of her child\u00adhood, when she lived in the Hap\u00adpy Riv\u00ader Val\u00adley in Mass\u00ada\u00adchu\u00adsetts. In fact, she was a true New York\u00ader, born and raised in the city. She moved to the vicin\u00adi\u00adty of the reser\u00advoir with her hus\u00adband after mar\u00adry\u00ading and hav\u00ading chil\u00addren, and lat\u00ader wrote the sto\u00adry. Her sto\u00adry\u00adtelling skills are tru\u00adly admirable.
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n   
\nMost Chi\u00adnese read\u00aders were intro\u00adduced to Jane Yolen through her pic\u00adture book \u201cWatch\u00ading Owls Under the Moon,\u201d which won the 1988 Calde\u00adcott Medal. Of course, the award went to illus\u00adtra\u00adtor John Shon\u00aden, but it\u2019s hard to imag\u00adine the suc\u00adcess of her work with\u00adout Jane Yolen\u2019s beau\u00adti\u00adful, qui\u00adet sto\u00adry. She is a pro\u00adlif\u00adic writer, not only of pic\u00adture books but also of poet\u00adry, fairy tales, nov\u00adels, and non\u00adfic\u00adtion for both chil\u00addren and adults. She has won numer\u00adous awards, the most pres\u00adti\u00adgious of which are two Neb\u00adu\u00adla Awards and a World Fan\u00adta\u00adsy Award, two of the high\u00adest hon\u00adors in sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion and fan\u00adta\u00adsy lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture. Over the years, she has cre\u00adat\u00aded at least 150 high-qual\u00adi\u00adty orig\u00adi\u00adnal fairy tales, beloved by read\u00aders. Some crit\u00adics have even hailed her as the \u201cAmer\u00adi\u00adcan Hans Chris\u00adt\u00adian Ander\u00adsen.\u201d How\u00adev\u00ader, she is some\u00adwhat uncom\u00adfort\u00adable with this praise, explain\u00ading that she sim\u00adply enjoys turn\u00ading her life expe\u00adri\u00adences and feel\u00adings into sto\u00adries. For her, writ\u00ading is not just work; it\u2019s also enter\u00adtain\u00adment, or, in oth\u00ader words, life itself.
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n
\n 
\n 
\nEven a quaint Chi\u00adnese folk tale like \u201cThe Princess\u2019 Kite\u201d is based on her life and, in her own words, is a semi-auto\u00adbi\u00ado\u00adgraph\u00adi\u00adcal sto\u00adry. The emper\u00ador in the book is Yolen\u2019s father, and the lit\u00adtle princess is of course her\u00adself. She says she always want\u00aded to do things to please her father, but she nev\u00ader found the right way.
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nJane Yolen as a child with her par\u00adents<\/i><\/p>\n

\n 
\n 
\nHer father, Will Yolen, was a mul\u00adti\u00adtal\u00adent\u00aded genius. He worked as a jour\u00adnal\u00adist and screen\u00adwriter, but his great\u00adest pas\u00adsion was kite fly\u00ading. His devo\u00adtion reached such a high lev\u00adel that he won the World Kite Cham\u00adpi\u00adonship and set a Guin\u00adness World Record for con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adous kite fly\u00ading for 179 hours. He was one of the key fig\u00adures in pro\u00admot\u00ading kite fly\u00ading as a pop\u00adu\u00adlar sport in the Unit\u00aded States in the 1950s. His daugh\u00adter right\u00adly called him the \u201cKite King\u201d in her ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion. Leg\u00adend has it that Will, so engrossed in his kite fly\u00ading, acci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly fell into Long Island Sound, and it was his daugh\u00adter who man\u00adaged to res\u00adcue him from the sea. A bit like a lit\u00adtle princess sav\u00ading her father, isn\u2019t it?
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nJane Yolen worked as a news\u00adpa\u00adper edi\u00adtor as a teenag\u00ader, and it almost became her career.<\/i>
\n<\/p>\n

\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nJane Yolen of Girls\u2019 Gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion can sing and dance
\nI gave up bal\u00adlet just because of my body shape.<\/i>
\n
\n 
\n 
\nJane Yolen\u2019s inspi\u00adra\u00adtion for this sto\u00adry stems from her father. It began in 1961, a year after grad\u00adu\u00adat\u00ading from uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty at the age of 22, when she was look\u00ading to become a free\u00adlance writer. Her father had asked her to write a book about kite fly\u00ading, and he asked her to be the \u201cauthor.\u201d Despite the mod\u00adest roy\u00adal\u00adties and the fact that her name could\u00adn\u2019t be on the book, she hap\u00adpi\u00adly accept\u00aded. While research\u00ading every avail\u00adable source on kites, she came across a book that men\u00adtioned how Emper\u00ador Shen, impris\u00adoned in a tow\u00ader, was saved by a kite. This inspired her, leav\u00ading a vivid image that stuck with her, and she wrote the sto\u00adry years lat\u00ader.
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nIt was a shame that the tal\u00adent\u00aded edi\u00adtor, Susan Hirschman, ini\u00adtial\u00adly reject\u00aded the sto\u00adry as unsuit\u00adable for chil\u00addren!<\/i><\/p>\n

\n 
\n 
\nHow\u00adev\u00ader, the book\u2019s pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion was some\u00adwhat fraught. Around the mid-1960s, Jane Yolen\u2019s pri\u00adma\u00adry col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtor left Macmil\u00adlan. Susan Hirschman, who sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly took over the depart\u00adment, dis\u00adap\u00adproved of the sto\u00adry. She frankly told Yolen that she was\u00adn\u2019t very good at writ\u00ading chil\u00addren\u2019s sto\u00adries yet, and per\u00adhaps she would gain some insight after hav\u00ading her own chil\u00addren. Susan, a top edi\u00adtor, had been the right-hand woman of leg\u00adendary Harper\u2019s edi\u00adtor Ursu\u00adla, and it was she who dis\u00adcov\u00adered Pat Hag\u00adgins in 1967 and men\u00adtored her in the clas\u00adsic Hen Rose Goes for a Walk. Even the best edi\u00adtors can make mis\u00adtakes. For\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, Jane was a con\u00adfi\u00addent writer, and she asked her agent to con\u00adtin\u00adue sub\u00admit\u00adting her work to oth\u00ader pub\u00adlish\u00aders. Final\u00adly, in 1966, she found a kin\u00addred spir\u00adit. Ann Bene\u00adduzzi, edi\u00adtor at World Pub\u00adlish\u00ading, not only decid\u00aded to pub\u00adlish the book but also hired Chi\u00adnese-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan artist Yang Zhicheng to illus\u00adtrate it\u2014a tru\u00adly remark\u00adable com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion!
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It turns out that Yang Zhicheng\u2019s debut in the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan children\u2019s book indus\u00adtry is relat\u00aded to Ursu\u00adla Nord\u00adstrom!<\/i>
\n
<\/i>
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>The sto\u00adry of Yang Zhicheng and Ursu\u00adla is also writ\u00adten in \u201cThe Pow\u00ader of Child\u00adhood\u201d<\/p>\n

 
\n 
\nCoin\u00adci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly, Yang Zhicheng\u2019s debut in the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan chil\u00addren\u2019s book indus\u00adtry coin\u00adcid\u00aded close\u00adly with Jane Yolen\u2019s. Ini\u00adtial\u00adly work\u00ading as an adver\u00adtis\u00ading design\u00ader in New York, he enjoyed sketch\u00ading ani\u00admals in Cen\u00adtral Park in his spare time. A friend rec\u00adom\u00admend\u00aded him to Ursu\u00adla of Harper\u2019s. Ursu\u00adla was so impressed with Yang Zhicheng that she imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly com\u00admis\u00adsioned him to illus\u00adtrate The Nasty Mouse and Oth\u00ader Nasty Sto\u00adries by Wood\u00adley (author of \u201cTrees Are Good\u201d), pub\u00adlished in 1962. Although Yang Zhicheng him\u00adself dis\u00adliked the book and nev\u00ader col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrat\u00aded with Ursu\u00adla again, it won the Graph\u00adic Design Asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion\u2019s Award for Excel\u00adlence that year. Pub\u00adlish\u00aders flocked to him, and Yang Zhicheng was drawn into the chil\u00addren\u2019s book world, a posi\u00adtion he would lat\u00ader deep\u00aden.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nIllus\u00adtra\u00adtions for The Princess\u2019 Kite, whose bold white space is still stun\u00adning today<\/i>!
\n
\n 
\n 
\nThe artist imbues this sto\u00adry with a rich Chi\u00adnese fla\u00advor. Not only does he accu\u00adrate\u00adly depict the author\u2019s intend\u00aded nar\u00adra\u00adtive, but his images reveal some\u00adthing more, per\u00adhaps even unimag\u00adined. The most strik\u00ading aspect is his use of paper-cut\u00adting as his pri\u00adma\u00adry cre\u00adative medi\u00adum, a ground\u00adbreak\u00ading exper\u00adi\u00adment in the West\u00adern pic\u00adture book world at the time. Even more strik\u00ading is his gen\u00ader\u00adous use of white space in the com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtion. This not only con\u00adtrasts with the vibrant paper-cut illus\u00adtra\u00adtions but also allows for a vibrant \u201cqi\u201d (ener\u00adgy) to flow through the can\u00advas. The atten\u00adtive read\u00ader can sense the flow of this ener\u00adgy, hint\u00ading at the artist\u2019s explo\u00adration of the qual\u00adi\u00adties of wind. This cre\u00adative approach embod\u00adies the spir\u00adit of tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Chi\u00adnese literati paint\u00ading, offer\u00ading a fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading glimpse into Zen phi\u00adlos\u00ado\u00adphy. Around 1965, Yang Zhicheng began study\u00ading under Zheng Man\u00adqing, a mas\u00adter of poet\u00adry, cal\u00adlig\u00adra\u00adphy, paint\u00ading, mar\u00adtial arts, and med\u00adi\u00adcine, and pre\u00adsum\u00adably grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly gained insights.
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nYang Zhicheng first met the retired Wujue old man in the Unit\u00aded States to treat his leg dis\u00adease, but because of this oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty, he became his dis\u00adci\u00adple!<\/i>
\n
\n 
\n 
\nThe Princess\u2019s Kite won the Calde\u00adcott Medal in 1968, the first tru\u00adly pres\u00adti\u00adgious award for both the artist and the writer, giv\u00ading them a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant boost in their cre\u00adative careers. The book also won the Lewis Car\u00adroll Book\u00adshelf Prize, a tru\u00adly remark\u00adable award, mean\u00ading it \u201cdeserves to be placed on the same shelf as Alice in Won\u00adder\u00adland\u201d! This tru\u00adly deserved hon\u00ador is tru\u00adly remark\u00adable. This leg\u00adendary sto\u00adry of love and loy\u00adal\u00adty, illus\u00adtrat\u00aded with vibrant and beau\u00adti\u00adful Chi\u00adnese illus\u00adtra\u00adtions, is a true addi\u00adtion to any book\u00adshelf.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nAjia \u2026
\nWrit\u00adten in Bei\u00adjing on March 5, 2016<\/span>(Revised on Jan\u00adu\u00adary 2, 2017)<\/p>\n

\n[Trans\u00adla\u00adtion High\u00adlights 1: Ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion]
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a> 
\n  The ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion of the author and painter of The Princess\u2019 Kite is very inter\u00adest\u00ading. The author Jane Yolen wrote: \u201cFor my father,
\nwho is the king of the kite fliers, and for my lit\u00adtle princess,
\nHei\u00addi
\nElis\u00ada\u00adbet.\u201d \u2014 Ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to her father, the rea\u00adson has been men\u00adtioned above; but why is it ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to her \u201cLit\u00adtle Princess Hei\u00addi\u201d? It is a fam\u00adi\u00adly anec\u00addote: in 1962, Jane Yolen mar\u00adried David Stamp (who lat\u00ader became a famous com\u00adput\u00ader sci\u00aden\u00adtist).
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n
\n 
\n 
\nThe cou\u00adple\u2019s first few years were filled with romance. In 1965, they decid\u00aded to take a break from reg\u00adu\u00adlar work and embark on a year-long Euro\u00adpean tour, one tak\u00ading pho\u00adtos with a cam\u00adera, the oth\u00ader writ\u00ading on a type\u00adwriter. They trav\u00adeled for about eight months and, when they arrived in Rome, dis\u00adcov\u00adered they were expect\u00ading their daugh\u00adter, Hei\u00addi.
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nJane Yolen and David Stam\u00adp\u2019s hap\u00adpy fam\u00adi\u00adly, Hei\u00addi has two younger broth\u00aders
\n
\n 
\n  Hei\u00addi was born in 1966. Dur\u00ading the peri\u00adod of her preg\u00adnan\u00adcy, Jane Yolen sold the copy\u00adright of \u201cThe Princess\u2019s Kite\u201d.
\n\u201cLit\u00adtle Princess\u201d is her lucky star!
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n   
\nWhen Hei\u00addi grew up, she first worked in oth\u00ader pro\u00adfes\u00adsions, and lat\u00ader turned to writ\u00ading chil\u00addren\u2019s books, main\u00adly col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrat\u00ading with her moth\u00ader.
\n
\n 
\n  The orig\u00adi\u00adnal ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion by illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Yang Zhicheng reads: To my moth\u00ader, \u201cRival\u00ading the
\nClouds,\u201d for her gift of bound\u00adless ener\u00adgy and artis\u00adtic
\nresource\u00adful\u00adness, and to the friend\u00adly rival\u00adry of ACS where it
\nThis is ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to his moth\u00ader. I know his mother\u2019s Chi\u00adnese name is Tang Yun, but \u201cRival\u00ading the
\n\u201cClouds\u201d may be a char\u00adac\u00adter or an alias, it\u2019s hard to guess (I ini\u00adtial\u00adly guessed it might be \u201cLingyun\u201d
\nACS, I found out, is like\u00adly the for\u00admer abbre\u00advi\u00ada\u00adtion of his alma mater, Art Cen\u00adter Col\u00adlege of Design (now renamed), but I\u2019m not entire\u00adly sure. So, regard\u00ading the trans\u00adla\u00adtion of this ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion, I had to ask Yang Zhiben him\u00adself. He kind\u00adly replied, and the orig\u00adi\u00adnal image is below:
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n   
\nThis is the ori\u00adgin of the Chi\u00adnese trans\u00adla\u00adtion of the ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion, \u201cSaiyun.\u201d I sus\u00adpect this very Chi\u00adnese sto\u00adry remind\u00aded Yang Zhicheng of his moth\u00ader, whose ener\u00adgy and artis\u00adtic inspi\u00adra\u00adtion seemed bound\u00adless, and the image of the kite also has some con\u00adnec\u00adtion to \u201cSaiyun.\u201d (Also, Yang Zhicheng\u2019s moth\u00ader was born in the Year of the Drag\u00adon; could this also be relat\u00aded to the image of the kite?) Out of curios\u00adi\u00adty, I found a biog\u00adra\u00adphy of Yang Zhicheng\u2019s father, \u201cYang Kuan\u00adlin: Chi\u00adna\u2019s First Gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion Mas\u00adter of Archi\u00adtec\u00adtur\u00adal Struc\u00adtur\u00adal Engi\u00adneer\u00ading Design,\u201d which includes a pho\u00adto of his moth\u00ader:
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n 
\n  This is a pho\u00adto of her and her moth\u00ader-in-law Yang Jiang! It turns out that Yang Zhicheng\u2019s eldest broth\u00ader is the son-in-law of Qian Zhong\u00adshu\u2019s fam\u00adi\u00adly\u2014\u2014
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n   
\nMr. Yang Kuan\u00adlin trag\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly passed away in 1971, dur\u00ading that unique era. How\u00adev\u00ader, I once had the priv\u00adi\u00adlege of hav\u00ading lunch with Mr. Yang Zhicheng, and he spoke of his father with fond mem\u00ado\u00adries. He told me a sto\u00adry about how his father built a unique house for his fam\u00adi\u00adly in Shang\u00adhai in the 1930s. It sound\u00aded like a leg\u00adend. This sto\u00adry is now avail\u00adable in Eng\u00adlish, and I\u2019ve read it myself. He was tru\u00adly an extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary father!
\n
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\nYang Zhicheng\u2019s child\u00adhood sto\u00adry \u201cThe House My Father Built\u201d<\/i>
\n
\n[Trans\u00adla\u00adtion Extra 2: Princess\u2019 Name and Food Names]
\n
\n 
\n  The Eng\u00adlish name of the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist of \u201cThe Princess\u2019 Kite\u201d is: Dje\u00adow
\nSeow, accord\u00ading to pro\u00adnun\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion, is sim\u00adi\u00adlar to \u201cpetite\u201d, but the sto\u00adry explains that the mean\u00ading of this name is \u201csmall\u00adest\u201d, so \u201cpetite\u201d is def\u00adi\u00adnite\u00adly not appro\u00adpri\u00adate as a name.
\n
\n 
\n 
\nHow\u00adev\u00ader, on the first page of the main sto\u00adry, there is a char\u00adac\u00adter for \u201c\u81a0\u201d. This is of course the \u201c\u80f6\u201d in \u201cglue\u201d, but it may also be used as a sur\u00adname in Chi\u00adnese.Dje\u00adow
\nCould Seow pos\u00adsi\u00adbly be \u201c\u81a0\u5c0f\u201d (\u81a0\u5c0f) or \u201c\u81a0\u5c0f\u5c0f\u201d (\u81a0\u5c0f\u5c0f)? We also con\u00adtact\u00aded the author and illus\u00adtra\u00adtor through the copy\u00adright agency regard\u00ading this ques\u00adtion. As shown in the image above, Yang Zhicheng con\u00adfi\u00addent\u00adly stat\u00aded that the \u201c\u81a0\u201d he used here sim\u00adply means glue. The copy\u00adright hold\u00ader, Jane Yolen, respond\u00aded on behalf of the author:<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\nAs for
\n\u201cDje\u00adow Seow\u201d: I believe this is intend\u00aded to be a Chi\u00adnese name that
\ntrans\u00adlates as \u201cthe small\u00adest one,\u201d but rather than writ\u00ading it in
\nChi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters (which Amer\u00adi\u00adcans would\u00adn\u2019t know how to
\npro\u00adnounce), they spelled it out as best as they could using Eng\u00adlish
\nlet\u00adters. Do I explain myself clear\u00adly? I hon\u00adest\u00adly don\u2019t think the
\nauthor would know the cor\u00adrect Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters to use, but maybe
\nthe pub\u00adlish\u00ader can come up with some\u00adthing based on the mean\u00ading and
\nsounds of the name.<\/i><\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n 
\n 
\nIn short, sim\u00adi\u00adlar to my ini\u00adtial spec\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion, Jane Yolen like\u00adly did\u00adn\u2019t design this Eng\u00adlish name based on any Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters she knew. Instead, it was derived from a hypo\u00adthet\u00adi\u00adcal or per\u00adhaps an unheard-of pro\u00adnun\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion. Even the illus\u00adtra\u00adtor, who knew Chi\u00adnese at the time, could\u00adn\u2019t fig\u00adure out which char\u00adac\u00adter it was. So, we had to cre\u00adate a name based on the orig\u00adi\u00adnal mean\u00ading, and that\u2019s how \u201cLit\u00adtle Princess\u201d came to be.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n 
\n  In the sto\u00adry, the lit\u00adtle princess\u2019s dai\u00adly food deliv\u00adery to her father trapped in the tow\u00ader is also very inter\u00adest\u00ading. There is a pop\u00adpy\u00adseed in the orig\u00adi\u00adnal text.
\nCakes, what is this? See the pic\u00adture below:<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\n\"\u4e2d\u56fd\u5473\u513f\u5341\u8db3\u7684\u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u6765\u7684\uff1f\"<\/a>
\n 
\n 
\nIt turned out to be a pop\u00adpy seed cake! In such a dis\u00adtant ancient time, how could a lit\u00adtle princess send such a West\u00adern-style cake to her father in the tow\u00ader every day? Per\u00adhaps Jane Yolen was think\u00ading about the \u201cOpi\u00adum War\u201d? Any\u00adway, for\u00adeign\u00aders\u2019 asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtions with Chi\u00adnese food are actu\u00adal\u00adly quite sus\u00adpi\u00adcious. How\u00adev\u00ader, pop\u00adpy seeds are used in Chi\u00adnese food, gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly used to make cook\u00ading oil, called \u201cimpe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal rice oil\u201d. Pop\u00adpy seeds are also called \u201cimpe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal rice\u201d, and the word \u201cimpe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal\u201d has a roy\u00adal con\u00adno\u00adta\u00adtion. So pop\u00adpy\u00adseed
\nIn this book, cake is trans\u00adlat\u00aded as \u201c\u5fa1\u7c73\u51b0\u201d (note that it is not \u201c\u5fa1\u7c73\u51b0\u201d).
\n(As for what \u201cimpe\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal rice cakes\u201d taste like? I haven\u2019t tried them either. Next time, I\u2019ll try to adapt the pop\u00adpy seed cake recipe and make them into pan\u00adcakes. Per\u00adhaps they\u2019ll taste good too!) (*Note: Regard\u00ading the Chi\u00adnese food in this book, a young read\u00ader went to the US to ask Jane Yolen in per\u00adson how she came up with it. The Amer\u00adi\u00adcan author frankly said she had no idea; it was illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Yang Zhicheng\u2019s idea!)
\n
\n 
\n 
\nJust a secret, the \u201cwater chest\u00adnut\u201d in the orig\u00adi\u00adnal text was orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly \u201cwater cal\u00adtrop\u201d. I also changed the recipe and I feel that water chest\u00adnut is more suit\u00adable for the emper\u00ador on the tow\u00ader to fill his stom\u00adach ^_^<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u300a\u516c\u4e3b\u7684\u98ce\u7b5d\u300b\u662f\u6211\u7ffb\u8bd1\u7684\u7b2c\u4e8c\u672c\u7531\u7b80\u00b7\u7ea6\u4f26\u5199\u7684\u56fe\u753b\u4e66\uff0c\u7b2c\u4e00\u672c\u662f\u300a\u522b\u4e86\uff0c\u6b22\u6cb3\u8c37\u300b\uff08\u82ad\u82ad\u62c9\u00b7\u5e93\u5c3c\u7ed8\uff09\u3002\u5728\u90a3\u4e2a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[5,10,6,17,24],"class_list":["post-3812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-timemachine","tag-5","tag-10","tag-6","tag-17","tag-24"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/001Cukigzy77FIMQNupc1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}