Author: Fan Pen Li Chen

Fan Pen Li Chen edits and translates works connected to Chinese religion, literature, and popular narrative. Journey of a Goddess is the shortened form of Journey of a Goddess: Chen Jinggu Subdues the Snake Demon, published by SUNY Press in 2018. Chen edited and translated the volume and also wrote its introduction. The book presents the first English translation of a novel preserved in a 1753 reprint, possibly of a Ming dynasty work, together with excerpts from two related plays. Across these texts, the goddess confronts a snake demon while her story draws together ritual tradition, vernacular fiction, performance, and regional religious culture. Chen's arrangement lets readers compare how the same sacred figure changes across literary and theatrical forms rather than treating one version as definitive. Journey of a Goddess therefore represents both translation and comparative scholarship, making previously inaccessible material available while explaining the cultural setting in which Chen Jinggu's legends developed.