Reformative and transformative activisms in pseudotranslation in late Qing China: how mediality and publishing contexts shape cultural intervention

This article examines how publication form and institutional context shaped the articulation of pseudotranslation in late Qing China. Through a purposive comparison of three political pseudotranslations in book form and three periodical cases, it distinguishes political orientation from the publishing practices through which that orientation was framed and rearticulated. Transformative activism denotes intervention directed toward systemic political change, whereas reformative activism seeks change within the prevailing order. The book cases, Free Marriage, How Many Skulls, and A Prophecy, combine explicit anti-Qing positions with work-specific paratextual and institutional framing. The periodical cases are more heterogeneous: Preparations for Constitutional Reform articulates reformative activism; The Strange Case acquires reformist significance chiefly through editorial contextualization in Shiwu bao; and The Shadow of the Female Butterfly reflects literary and commercial priorities. Newspaper publicity for the same political books shows how explicit anti-Qing formulations recede while civic, educational, and literary values become more prominent. The article argues that mediality lies in the publishing arrangements that authorize and frame pseudotranslation. As works move across print contexts, these arrangements can reshape both translational authority and political meaning.