One Hundred Years of Chinese Literature Translation in Bulgaria

Abstract The translation of Chinese literature in Bulgaria had a relatively late start. This can be attributed to the five centuries of foreign domination that constrained Bulgaria’s political, economic, and social development, as well as its interactions with external civilizations. These circumstances significantly influenced the dissemination of foreign cultures within Bulgaria. In the mid-19th century, Bulgarian scholars began to show interest in China and its culture, leading to an increasing presence of Chinese literary works in Bulgarian newspapers and magazines. Chinese literature’s journey in Bulgaria over the past century and a half has seen both prosperous periods in the 20th century, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as less vibrant decades in the 1970s. This is an encouraging sign that the Bulgarian readers’ interest in Chinese literature has remained unwavering. Since the adoption of the Belt and Road Initiative, the translation and publication of Chinese literary works in Bulgaria have experienced rapid growth in terms of both quantity and quality. Currently, Chinese literature in Bulgaria has matured over the course of long-term development, gradually becoming more systematic, and yielding increasingly abundant translation achievements.