Looking for Chinese short stories and their English translation

[PhilipLean]

Not sure where to put this request -

I have project to produce slowly spoken English with text in a video and I am looking for some well known Chinese short stories. My aim is to read the English translation.

My preference is to avoid the parables and value laden folk tales and to find stories that are more descriptive or use more dialog.

I have searched a number of sites but can't seem to find what I want. Maybe short passages from personal stories of people building the great wall (walls) or Chinese explorers or soldiers or courtesans or descriptions of the life of philosophers or poets. One essential criteria is that they be reasonably well known in China.

This project is in part inspired by the Slow Chinese website and the various special speed English websites.

I also intend to use a few well known (but out of copyright) English novels - my first try is a chapter from Pride and Prejudice - many educated young Chinese women have read this novel. The text video is ok, still got to fix the voice - mine.

here is an example http://phillean.com/english/slowly/pride/chapter_1.html

Please suggest some suitable texts.

[Lu]

Lu Xun perhaps? Many (perhaps even all) of his short stories have been translated into English, many are very well known, and some even have been published in bilingual editions. They're probably not available online, but should be easy to find in bookstores, either in China or specialized ones abroad.

[PhilipLean]

great suggestion

I found this page - http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/luxun-calltoarms.html

I have to check copyright issues.

[PhilipLean]

Would My Country My People by Lin Yutang be suitable ? - first published in English in 1936 and later translated to Chinese.

I have a hard copy and copies are available online - http://www.archive.org/details/MyCountryAndMyPeople

[knadolny]

I have to check copyright issues.

Rule of thumb for US publications is that anything before 1923 is in the public domain. Lu Xun's stories were all translated after 1923 so I'm not sure how that translation made it online for free. Maybe the author has put it in the public domain...not sure.

All Lu Xun's fiction has been translated in Julia Lovell's new book. However, since that was just published this year, it would definitely still be under copyright.