University opens institute of Chinese classics translation

Shanghai University inaugurated a research institute dedicated to the English interpretation of Chinese literary classics on Sunday.

Aimed at helping more people understand traditional Chinese culture, the new Institute of Bilingual Chinese Classics is led by Zhao Yanchun, a professor at the School of Foreign Languages at the university.

One of the objectives of the institute is to translate a bounteous treasure of major Chinese classics in the coming years, said Zhao, who leads a team of more than 20 teachers and postgraduates in Chinese literature research at Shanghai University.

"We hope the institute will become a platform for high-quality English translation of Chinese classic literature. We would like to see these works appreciated in lands beyond China," he said.

Zhao, who is also president of the International Sinological Studies and Education Association, is renowned for being an expert in translating Chinese classics, especially ancient poems and verses.

Throughout his career, Zhao has translated and published over 20 traditional Chinese literature works, including The Book of Songs, which comprises some 300 poems dating back to 700 BC, Tao Te Ching, a Chinese Taoist philosophical classic, and The Analects, a collection of sayings attributed to Confucius and his disciples.

Among his recently published works are translations of poems by four renowned Tang Dynasty (618-907) poets, Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei and Bai Juyi, and translations of odes and elegies by Qu Yuan (c.339 to 278 BC), one of the greatest poets of ancient China.

Zhao's translation style, which is centered on retaining not only the original meaning of a classic, but also its form, rhyme and even artistic conception, has won him extensive acclaim in the field of translation and sinological studies.

Pan Wenguo, a distinguished professor in translation at East China Normal University, described Zhao as "a pioneering force in the translation of Chinese classics".

"Zhao's endeavors to retain the poetic charm of the originals of Chinese classic literature, both in form and meaning, has blazed a new trail for Chinese literary translation," Pan said.

In the foreword of his latest published work, Shanghai University professor Cui Xiliang commended Zhao for his skillful handling of Qu Yuan's poems.

"I once rejected the idea that poetry can be translated, but after reading Professor Zhao's translations, I now believe this can be done," he said.

"His translations brim with beauty and elegance, and have a lingering appeal of poetic charm."

Zhao said he considers translating Chinese classic literature a "historic mission" to regale the international community with the beauty and artistic value of Chinese literary works.

Zhao, who still spends 13 to 14 hours a day doing translation, had previously detailed his methodology for Chinese literary translation in his 2005 book A Reductionist Approach to Translatology.

"I hope more people will join this mission of creating a blossoming field of Chinese classic literature on the international stage and spread knowledge of traditional Chinese culture to more foreign readers," said Zhao.