American-born translator dies at age 98 in Beijing

[Randy W]

American-born translator dies at age 98 after an eventful half-century as a Chinese citizen

CCTV documentary - You Bring Charm to China- Falling in love with phoenix

 

Sidney Shapiro, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1915, is an author and translator who has lived in China since 1947.

 

He is the oldest member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

 

A Yale law graduate, his first contact with China was as a member of the US Air Force during World War II.

 

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He arrived in Shanghai in 1947, where he met his future wife, Feng Zi, one of China's best-known actresses.

 

For nearly 50 years, Shapiro was employed by the State-run Foreign Languages Press as a translator of works of Chinese literature.

 

He has translated more than 20 books including Ba Jin's Family, Mao Dun's Spring Silkworms and Zhao Shuli's literary works.

 

The Outlaws of the Marsh, one of the most important classics of Chinese literature, was translated by him and won him China's highest translation reward in the 1970s.

 

Shapiro became a Chinese citizen in 1963 and in 1983, he also became a National Committee member of the CPPCC.