Translator's Pudong homes renovated
A bird’s-eye view of the former residence of translator Fu Lei in Pudong before the renovation started at the weekend。
Widely known as a master translator of French into Chinese, Fu Lei’s roots in Pudong are less well known.
That is set to change with renovations of two of his former residences under way.
Fu, best known for his renditions of Honore Balzac, was born in 1908 in a traditional courtyard house in Hangtou Town, Pudong, where he lived until 1912.
Built with 36 rooms, the house has fallen into disrepair and only 15 rooms are left today, most of which are in quite dismal condition. The wooden frame and gable roof however, remain in tact.
The layout of the dwelling is quite unique. It was listed for preservation in 2010 and the township government drafted a renovation plan in 2012, but at that time the building housed 17 families and four of them refused to be relocated, according to Wang Shuhua, director of Pudong Fu Lei Cultural Research Center.
Renovation work did not start until last Friday.
The remaining structure is to be reinforced and the missing part rebuilt with up-to-date wiring and drainage.
According to Cao Yongkang, director of the International Research Center for Architectural Heritage Conservation at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, one of the biggest challenges will be rebuilding the missing parts.
“We have to restore it to its original look,” he said.
Not only a great translator, Fu was also renowned for his strict family values.
Fu told his eldest son Fu Cong to remain rational and humble, and not to be blinded by success in their published letters, which remain popular today.
In April next year, renovation of another of Fu’s former residences in Pudong’s Zhoupu Town will also be completed and will become a memorial hall to Fu, according to Zhoupu official Zhou Jun.
In 1912, Fu moved with his mother to Zhoupu, where he grew up and went to school until he was 19 years old. Tucked away in a lane, the dilapidated dwelling with part of its roof missing was granted protected status in 2010. It was near to collapse when renovation started last year.
“Fu is important to Pudong. His spirit will live on and thrive through the two renovations,” said Sun Yu, deputy director of Pudong’s publicity department.
Fu studied art and literature in Paris from 1928 until 1931. He began translating in the 1940s. He is renowned for translations of French writers, including Romain Rolland, Balzac and Voltaire.
In recognition of his outstanding translations of Balzac, he was elected a member of the Society for the Study of Balzac in France in the 1960s.
