The issue of rewriting has aroused heated debate in the translation field. Is a translation the loyal transfer of the original or a literary creation from the partnership of the translator and the author? The English version of The Garlic Ballads (translated by Goldblatt in 1995) provides a fine example of rewriting. Comparing it with the two Chinese versions (published in Taiwan in 1989 and mainland China in 2009 respectively), the authors of this paper observe subtle disparities and connections reflected on a translator’s subjectivity in literary creation and cultural dissemination. It is thus claimed that a responsible translator should have a fine taste for literature and serve as the partner of the author for the success of the work in a foreign language and culture.