Participation in Mediterranean island's book festival opens a new chapter in international ties

Reading China, an exhibition by the China Cultural Centre in Malta at the 45th Malta Book Festival between Nov 6 and 10 at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, was a kaleidoscope of culture and society.

The exhibition was a collaborative effort between the center and several major publishers, including the China Education Publishing & Media Group Ltd, and the People's Publishing House. It was the first time for the center to participate in the festival, which it did on the invitation of the event's host, the National Book Council of Malta.

About 200 books in both Chinese and English were on display. They included various categories, including Chinese language education, traditional culture, literature, tourism, and children's books. Also on display were an array of special collectible editions of China Daily and its creative cultural products.

"The China Cultural Centre in Malta is very proud to present a selection of books that tell the stories of China to Maltese students and the wider public," Yuan Yuan, the center's director, told the China Daily website.

"The China Cultural Centre in Malta is an important organization that bridges the two countries — a very small country and a very big one. This is the first time that it is participating, and we hope that it continues to participate in the coming editions," said Mark Camilleri, executive chairman of the National Book Council of Malta.

The largest yearly celebration of book culture in the Mediterranean country since 1979, the Malta Book Festival boasts an attendance rate of around 50,000 visitors, and the 40-odd exhibitors present networking opportunities for industry professionals, according to organizers.

Camilleri said the center's presence at the festival enriched the event and the experience of the thousands of visitors who come each year.

A 26-year-old graduate student at the University of Malta majoring in Chinese, who prefers to identify himself as Mark, looked for travel guidebooks to prepare for a two-week trip to Beijing and Shanghai this month with his girlfriend as a graduation gift.

Yelyzaveta Bazalieieva, a 22-year-old Ukrainian student who studies chemistry in Malta, visited the exhibition in search of modern Chinese fiction.

"A modern Chinese fiction will give me a better and interesting perspective of the protagonist and help me learn about the references to pop culture, history, and society, than from the point of view of a tourist," she said.

Emiliano Salvi, a 34-year-old Italian bookseller exhibiting at the festival, was captivated by Every Treasure Tells a Story, a book published by the China Intercontinental Press and based on the 2018 hit eponymous mini-documentary series which taught viewers about one national treasure in every five-minute episode.

"My younger sister has been learning Chinese for years and she told me something about the evolution of Chinese characters, and I just found an example in this book, which is fascinating to me. I'd like to take it home for her," he said.

"It's not easy to find something about China directly in Italy, and I find this book festival a great opportunity to explore books on Chinese culture," he added.

Fresh exchange platform

Meeting Chinese Publishers, an event on Nov 6 that brought together Maltese publishers and a Chinese publishing delegation, was a highlight of the center's participation.

In her opening remarks, Yuan commended the Malta Book Festival for creating a dynamic platform for Chinese publishers to meet Maltese counterparts, and explore new avenues for future collaboration.

Zhang Jing, head of the Chinese publishing delegation and a leader at the China Education Publishing & Media Group Ltd, said in her speech that the two countries should first advance the mutual translation and publication of classics to enhance understanding between the peoples.

"We were very happy that this year, a delegation of Chinese publishers came to the festival. We hope that this collaboration brings more Chinese literature to Malta in Maltese, and we also hope that Maltese literature gets exported to China in Chinese," Camilleri said.

"At the National Book Council we will continue to strengthen our Malta Book Fund so that Maltese and Chinese publishers have better access to public funding for works of translation," the executive chairman added.

Another highlight was the launch of Il-Problema tat-Tliet Korpi on Nov 8. This is the Maltese version of the first book of Liu Cixin's sci-fi trilogy, The Three-Body Problem, produced by Faraxa Publishing in Malta.

Translator John A. Bonello spent 10 months completing the first draft and another six months working with the editor to polish it. Bonello appreciated the opportunity to bring this incredible story into his language and looked forward to translating the other two books.

"Literature exchange is a significant channel for promoting China's voice and telling Chinese stories. I believe launching the first installment of The Three-Body Problem in Maltese and translating the other two books will open a new chapter for China-Malta cooperation in literature and translation," Yuan said.

A decades-long endeavor

Camilleri said that even though this was the first time a Chinese publishing delegation had been present at the Malta Book Festival, literature exchange between the two countries, which established diplomatic relations in 1972, started a number of years ago and has gained momentum in recent years.

The first Chinese book translated into Maltese was Call to Arms, a collection of the most important short stories by luminary writer and scholar Lu Xun (1881-1936). It was published under the title of Is-Sejha in 2003 by the SKS Publishers in Malta. Its translator was Clifford Borg-Marks, who studied Chinese literature at Peking University from 1978 to 1982, and became the Maltese ambassador to China.

"We are so proud to be the first publishing house in Malta to translate Lu Xun into Maltese 21 years ago," Joe Borg, director of SKS Publishers, told the China Daily website.

Borg's company was also the first in the country to publish the Confucian classic The Analects in Maltese as L-Analetti — Konfucju in 2022.

"In 2017, I was invited to visit Jinan to participate in a conference on Confucius. There were The Analects in many languages but unfortunately, there was no Maltese," Borg said.

He invited Sinologist Salvatore Giuffre to take on the translation. Funded by the China Cultural Centre in Malta and the Malta Book Fund, which is organized by Malta's National Book Council, Giuffre spent two years translating the magnum opus directly from classical Chinese into Maltese.

A sensation in the Maltese translation community, the book was acclaimed for filling a gap in research on Confucianism in Malta. "By having Confucius translated into Maltese, we can better understand your greatest philosopher in our language — meaning that his teachings are now part of our literary heritage," Camilleri said.

In 2023, Faraxa Publishing published Gholjet il-Qasab (Wild Reeds Hill), an award-winning novel by Shanghai author Yin Jianling. This made it the first Chinese book for young adults translated into Maltese.

Joanne Micallef, founder and director of Faraxa Publishing, expressed her thanks to the China Cultural Centre in Malta, which facilitated the copyright purchase and translation of Wild Reeds Hill and The Three-Body Problem.

"At the moment, I aim to finish the other two books in the trilogy while looking for other Chinese books that may interest the Maltese," Micallef said, adding that she wanted to introduce Chinese readers to popular children's books in both Maltese and English that her company publishes.

Boosting relations

Another China-related book that garnered widespread attention at the festival was China in Maltese Eyes, a collaborative project between Heritage Malta Publishing and the China Cultural Centre in Malta.

"When COVID-19 severely impeded cultural exchange efforts, we conceived the idea of creating the book to tell the stories of the enduring friendship between our two countries," Yuan said. "The book's editor, Fiona Vella, is not only a senior official at Heritage Malta, but also a writer with a deep love for Chinese culture."

Vella spent about two years compiling more than 20 contributions from Maltese individuals of varied backgrounds, including officials, artists, scholars, journalists, and students, who had explored China firsthand, offering a glimpse into its culture, history, and contemporary development.

Yuan said that upon its publication in October 2023, China in Maltese Eyes became an immediate hit, attracting much media attention and acclaim.

"John Busuttil, Malta's current ambassador to China, found the book 'intriguing and exquisite'. He even ordered a batch, which he intended to present to Chinese guests as a gift, underscoring the friendship between our two peoples." Yuan said. "Former Maltese ambassador to China John Aquilina, now Malta's ambassador to Brazil, contacted us for a copy after stumbling upon our Facebook post."

The center, one of the first of its kind in Europe, has been committed to fostering mutual understanding between the two nations since its inception in 2003.

Since 2004, it has offered Chinese language classes, and expanded in recent years to include courses in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2023, the center held more than 70 activities, including presenting Chinese-themed floats at the Gozo Regional Carnival, promoting traditional Chinese festivals, and holding concerts and lectures, creating a solid presence in Maltese society.

"In my day-to-day work, I can often sense that Maltese people have a great interest and affinity for Chinese culture, which gives me so much confidence and encouragement," Yuan said.

Yang Xiaoyu contributed to this story.