What is the deal with the number of existing books in the romance category that are being re-released with character names such as the ever-sexy Irene, Edgar, Arthur, Starlet, Evanescence, or Rainbow? The names in the original Chinese works (many found on QQ or 69shu) have had characters Chinese names changed to Western names or outright Tragedeighs (web search Tragedeigh names or find threads on Reddit and Instagram. Reighleigh Katniss is an example of a Tragedeigh name). If the Chinese author wants to whitewash his/her/their book for a 2nd salary, okay. Get paid. Realise though that it comes across as pandering to readers too lazy to pronounce a Chinese name or learn about Chinese culture, but it's their book, so they can do what they like with the book they wrote.
The problem is that cultural things like not valuing daughters while pampering sons, bride prices, and wives/children being held responsible for the financial debts of their disappeared/dead parents in no way translates to Western society. This cheap money grab of whitewashing books for 'the West' makes for a very disjointed read. We're struggling to suspend our disbelief far far away so that we can swallow a book that was previously a story about sent down girls in Mao's China being reissued with FL who's a rich New York socialite named Amber Clark. Amber is doing her civic duty by going to the Ozarks to teach philosophy to farmers and loggers kids. Americans don't do that. They go to Africa or Asia to help the poor because they think China and Africa are sun baked dust bowls. We think that because charities run adverts saying that Africans and Asians live barefoot in huts. On the other hand, reading about sent down girl made me Google to see what that is. It was middle class girls and boys who were selected (or volunteered) to go to rural China to learn real-life skills while educating the farmers and their children for the prosperity of society. Let me learn something while lying flat with an online novel, okay?
The culture, morals, sexual morals and conduct...none of the whitewashed versions alter the culture and society of the Chinese original, and when Asian morality is shoved into a Western book it doesn't work, period.
The whitewashing is a bit insulting. If you can't sound out an Asian name, then you're a functional illiterate. If you don't like Asian characters in your books, then read on Wattpad, Wordpress, Tumblr or any Western site. The Chinese whitewashing their own countrymen's work is a self-hating mess. It makes even less sense when compared to the way in which South Korea has exported its culture, food & entertainment content in its original Korean form to Western audiences. Hungary, Spain, France, EU graphic artists - they're all spreading their online creations worldwide in the original language. These whitewashings make it look like Webnovel is ashamed of being Chinese. Stupid. Own your history. Webnovel had tons of readers than migrated over from amateur fan translation blogs to finish reading works owned by Webnovel/Inkstone, etc. Webnovel had readers without whitewashing books. It would be different if it was a subgenre like Korean online writers setting books in Europe or featuring European aristocracy with its rules and culture, but written in Hangeul. It's not on that level. This is dying your hair blond and adopting a Kardashian accent...for what reason exactly?
This is shameful. Be who you are.
