Anthology of famed translator's writings published
Chen was 29 when he finished translating "The Communist Manifesto."
A collection of all the translations, writings and letters by Chen Wangdao, the first Chinese to translate the full text of "The Communist Manifesto" into Chinese 101 years ago, has been published by Fudan University, where he was the longest-serving president.
Chen was born on January 18, 1891, in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. He was 29 when he finished translating "The Communist Manifesto," which laid the foundation for the establishment of the Communist Party of China in 1921.
He began his career at Fudan as a teacher of Chinese rhetoric in 1920. He was appointed by Chairman Mao Zedong as university president in 1952.
"A Complete Collection of Chen Wangdao's Works" consists of 12 volumes and more than 4 million words. These include more than one million words from writings recently discovered in the latest research about the famous translator, educator and linguist, such as his teaching notes, translations, academic papers, essays and letters. All these materials fully demonstrate Chen's beliefs, revolutionary actions, academic contributions and educational ideas.
The collection of new historical data was made with help and support from other organizations and individuals. In April, Chen's son, Chen Zhenxin, submitted three articles which Wang had published in the National Salvation Daily between 1918 and 1919, including an article that Chen put forward regarding the reform of Chinese education during the New Culture Movement, which is of great academic value.
In addition, the latest findings of scholars who have studied Chen in the past decade have been incorporated into the book, including Chen's literature collected from various databases, Shanghai Archives, China Book Bureau, published books and private collections.
Jiao Yang, Fudan's Party secretary and chief editor of the "Complete Collection," said the book is a special gift from Fudan teachers and students to commemorate the centennial of the CPC, as well as a masterpiece of the university to contribute to society.
"Inheriting the red gene planted by Mr. Wangdao, carrying forward his valuable spirit and fine tradition, and promoting our old president's honorable and painstaking education are the duty-bound responsibilities of everyone from Fudan University," Jiao said.
