REVIEW: The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation from a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators

Title: The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories

Editor(s): Yu Chen & Regina Kanyu Wang

Publisher: Tordotcom

Published Date: March 8, 2022

Genre: Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Rating: ★★★☆☆

REVIEW

Individual Story Ratings

- "The Stars We Raised" by Xiu Xinyu ★★★

- "The Tale of Wude's Heavenly Tribulation" by Count E ★★

- "What Does the Fox Say" by Xia Jia ★★★

- "Blackbird" by Shen Dacheng ★★★★

- "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Tai-Chi Mashed Taro" by Anna Wu ★★

- "Baby, I Love You" by Zhao Haihong ★

- "A Saccharophilic Earthworm" by BaiFanRuShuang ★★

- "The Alchemist of Lantian" by BaiFanRuShuang ★★★

- "The Way Spring Arrives" by Wang Nuonuo ★★★٭

- "The Name of the Dragon" by Ling Chen ★★★★

- "To Procure Jade" by Gu Shi ★★★٭

- "A Brief HIstory of Beinakan Disasters as Told in a Sinitic Language" by Nian Yu ★★★★

- "Dragonslaying" by Shen Yingying ★★

- "New Year Painting, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, Zhaoqiao Village" by Chen Qian ★★★

- "The Portrait" by Chu Xidao ★★★

- "The Woman Carrying a Corpse" by Chi Hui ★٭

- "The Mountain and the Secret of Their Names" by Wang Nuonuo ★★★

- "The Futures of Genders in Chinese Fiction: by Jing Tsu - NF

- "Translation as Retelling" by Yilin Wang - NF

- "Is There Such a Thing as Feminine Quietness?: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective" by Emily Xueni Jin - NF

- "Net Novels and the 'She Era' by Xueting Christine Ni - NF

- "Writing and Translation: A Hundred Technical Tricks: by Rebecca F. Kuang - NF

FAVORITE

I liked a few of these, but my favorite was "A Brief HIstory of Beinakan Disasters as Told in a Sinitic Language" by Nian Yu, translated by Ru-Ping Chen. This was the longest of the short stories, and I think that is why I liked it so much. I tend to enjoy short stories but often feel that they are incomplete or should have been expanded. I really thought this was complete and a fully fleshed out world. It was told through memories, which felt original and poignant. It made me think the most because it was about a species needing to leave their water world and find another that was suited for their biology. It turns out that Earth was their choice. I liked the way the story was told and the organization was great as well. 

LEAST FAVORITE

My least favorite would have to be "Baby, I Love You" by Zhao Haihong, translated by Elizabeth Hanlon. It wasn't the actual subject matter that I disliked. I thought it was a really interesting idea about a man who is tasked with creating a realistic game where people would raise a child. It was unique and definitely a story that made me think. However, I disliked it so much because of the portrayal of women in it. The main character and his wife did not want kids. Then, as soon as his wife saw a baby in the hospital, she suddenly changed her mind and became baby crazy. I thought that did a disservice to women who actually don't want kids.  Another thing, was that a man in the story described women basically as baby machines who's biological "need" to bear children overtakes everything. 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Overall, this was a really interesting collection of short stories. Oftentimes there is a running theme in collections such as this, but I liked how different each story felt. On a side note, I do not rate nonfiction books but did enjoy reading the perspectives on why these stories, and translated stories in general, are important, as a whole, to literature.