YAN ZHUANG, LI YOU2026年9月29日8月，一名女子在北京的一家书店里阅读。自一个世纪前首次被译成中文以来，《简·爱》在中国已吸引了数代读者。 Zhu Zhenqiang/VCG, via Getty ImagesNearly two centuries after “Jane Eyre” first defied the conventions of Victorian England, China is requiring a new generation of teenagers to read her story.在《简·爱》首次挑战英国维多利亚时代的传统习俗近两个世纪后，中国正要求新一代的青少年阅读她的故事。The British classic has long been popular in China and was already recommended reading for schoolchildren. But this fall, ninth-grade students across the country are being required to read the novel in full, according to Chinese state media. One report in an official newspaper held it up as an anti-materialistic love story that young people could learn from.这部英国经典名著长期以来在中国一直很受欢迎，此前已经成为学童的推荐读物。但据中国官方媒体报道，今年秋天，全国各地的九年级学生被要求完整阅读这部小说。一家官方媒体的报道将其誉为反物质主义爱情故事，年轻人可以从中学习。The book, in which the young orphan Jane Eyre works as a governess in the household of the wealthy but elusive Mr. Rochester, is widely celebrated in China for its themes of independence and equality between women and men.这本书讲述了年轻孤女简·爱在富有但难以捉摸的罗切斯特家中担任家庭教师的故事，因其倡导独立精神和男女平等的主题而在中国广受赞誉。A Chinese translation appeared as early as 1925, and there have since been numerous translations and adaptations for stage and screen. A British film adaptation was shown in Chinese theaters in 1979, just a few years after the end of the Cultural Revolution, as China was reopening to foreign culture.这本书的中文译本最早出现于1925年，此后有了许多译本，以及舞台和影视改编作品。1979年，文化大革命结束仅几年后，正值中国重新向外国文化开放之际，一部英国改编电影在中国影院上映。Ping Zhu, a literature professor at the University of California, San Diego, who researches Chinese feminism and literature, said the novel is compatible with the Chinese government’s vision of women’s equality — one that can coexist with traditional gender roles and the heterosexual nuclear family. Its inclusion in the ninth grade textbook comes as China struggles with population decline and the government encourages young people to marry and have children, she said.加州大学圣地亚哥分校研究中国女权主义和文学的文学教授朱平（音）表示，这部小说符合中国政府关于女性平等的愿景——一种可以与传统性别角色和异性恋核心家庭共存的平等。她说，这部小说被纳入九年级教科书，背景是中国努力应对人口下降，且政府鼓励年轻人结婚生育。“‘Jane Eyre’ is about an independent woman, but she’s not too outrageous in her challenge of patriarchal power,” Ms. Zhu said. By the end of the novel, Jane has married Mr. Rochester and had a child. “All these things are what the Chinese government wants the younger generation to do,” Ms. Zhu said.“《简·爱》讲述的是一个独立女性的故事，但她在挑战父权制力量方面并没有做得太过火，”朱平说。在小说结尾，简嫁给了罗切斯特并生了一个孩子。“所有这些都是中国政府希望年轻一代去做的，”朱平说。Published in Britain in 1847, “Jane Eyre” was striking for its depiction of a poor young woman insisting on her independence, dignity and equality in a society in which women — particularly married women — had severely limited legal and economic autonomy.《简·爱》于1847年在英国出版，其引人注目之处在于，它描绘了一位贫穷的年轻女性，在一个女人——尤其是已婚妇女——法律和经济自主权受严重限制的社会中，坚持自己的独立、尊严和平等。The novel has long been celebrated in China for its feminist themes, with state media often quoting Jane’s declaration to Mr. Rochester: “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart!”这部小说长期以来因其女权主义主题而在中国受到赞誉，官方媒体经常引用简对罗切斯特的宣言：“你以为，就因为我贫穷、低微、不美、矮小，我就没有灵魂，也没有心吗？你想错了！我的灵魂跟你一样——我的心也跟你完全一样！”夏洛特·勃朗特所著《简·爱》1896年版插图中的简·爱和罗切斯特。 De Agostini Editorial, via Getty Images“Jane Eyre” was progressive in its 19th-century context but some contemporary feminists would view its idea of liberation as limited, Ms. Zhu said.朱平说，《简·爱》在19世纪的背景下是进步的，但一些当代女权主义者会认为其解放理念存在局限。The kind of feminism depicted in the novel has long been supported by the Chinese Communist Party, Ms. Zhu said. It is at odds with how the party sees more modern kinds of feminism, like the #MeToo movement, she added, “or the kind of feminism that teaches women to not marry and not have children — that is a feminism they cannot accept at all.”朱平说，小说中描绘的那种女权主义长期以来一直受到中国共产党的支持。她还说，这与共产党对更为现代的女权主义（如#MeToo运动）的看法不一致，“或者那种教导女性不结婚、不生孩子的女权主义——那是他们完全无法接受的女权主义。”In recent years, the Chinese government has restricted some other portrayals of romance and relationships.近年来，中国政府对其他一些关于爱情和人际关系的描写也进行了限制。The authorities have detained dozens of writers of Boys’ Love, a genre of gay romance novels written largely by and for straight women, that state media said could shape young readers’ ideas about sexuality.当局拘留了数十名“耽美”作家，这是一种主要由异性恋女性创作并面向异性恋女性读者的男同性恋爱情小说，官方媒体称这类小说可能会影响年轻读者的性观念。Regulators have also sought to rein in a popular genre of micro-dramas about wealthy executives falling in love with less privileged people, urging creators to avoid glorifying marriages to powerful and wealthy people.监管机构还试图限制一种广受欢迎、讲述富有高管爱上地位较低者的流行微短剧类型，敦促创作者避免美化与权贵富豪的婚姻。State media has suggested that novels like “Jane Eyre” offer young readers an alternative to what they call superficial love stories. An article in Beijing Daily, an official Chinese Communist Party publication, argued that teaching literary classics like “Jane Eyre” could help children “establish a more balanced value system.”官方媒体表示，像《简·爱》这样的小说为年轻读者提供了一种替代他们所谓“肤浅”的“爱情故事”的选择。中国共产党官方出版物《北京日报》的一篇文章认为，教授《简·爱》等文学经典有助于孩子们“树立积极人生观”。Chinese readers have long found their own meanings in Jane’s story.长期以来，中国读者一直在简的故事中寻找属于他们自己的意义。Vicky Li, 46, read “Jane Eyre” when she was young and saw something of herself in its heroine. Years later, she said, she shared the novel with her daughters, now 13 and 15, because she wanted them to become independent and courageous.46岁的薇姬·李（音）年轻时读过《简·爱》，并在女主人公身上看到了自己的一些影子。她说，多年后，将这部小说推荐给了现年13岁和15岁的两个女儿，因为她希望她们变得独立勇敢。Ms. Li said she was happy to see the novel included in the textbook, even if some might think Jane did not embody the modern idea of a strong woman. “Given the historical context in which she lived, the choices she made were truly groundbreaking — a profound act of defiance,” she said.薇姬·李表示，她很高兴看到这部小说被纳入教科书，即使有些人可能认为简并不符合代女强人的理念。“考虑到她生活的历史背景，她做出的选择确实是开创性的——这是一种深刻的反抗行为，”她说。The novel itself complicates the idea that Jane ultimately submits to convention. She leaves Mr. Rochester rather than become his mistress and returns only after inheriting a fortune. Mr. Rochester has lost his estate and his sight, dramatically altering the balance of power.小说本身也让“简最终屈服于传统”这一论断变得复杂。她离开了罗切斯特，而不是成为他的情妇，并在继承了一笔财产后才回来。而罗切斯特失去了庄园和视力，这极大地改变了他们之间的权力平衡。Wang Sirui, 30, pointed to Jane’s refusal to become a mistress — even if it meant starving to death — as a key moment that showed the character’s commitment to independence.30岁的王思睿（音）指出，简拒绝成为情妇——即使这意味着饿死——是一个关键时刻，展现了该角色对独立的执着。“The core of the work lies in the message that a woman must make choices based on her own will and values, rather than succumbing to various temptations,” said Ms. Wang, who first read the book when she was 13.“这部作品的核心在于传达了这样一个信息：女性必须基于自己的意愿和价值观做出选择，而不是屈服于各种诱惑，”王思睿说，她在13岁时第一次读了这本书。Ms. Zhu said the Chinese authorities may ultimately have limited control over what messages young people take from “Jane Eyre.”朱平说，中国当局对年轻人从《简·爱》中获得什么信息，最终的控制力可能是有限的。“Literary works, especially these great literary works, they’re always very rich, and they’re open to millions of ways of interpretation,” she said.“文学作品，尤其是这些伟大的文学作品，内容总是非常丰富，可以有无数种解读方式，”她说。Yan Zhuang是时报驻首尔记者，报道突发新闻。Li You是一名新闻研究员，为时报报道中国大陆的新闻。翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。