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A Study on the Latin Translation ofThe Great Learningin Michele Ruggieri’s Manuscipt

Li Hui

Abstract:The manuscript written by Michele Ruggieri containing the Latin translation ofThe Four Bookis held in the Fondo Gesuitico of the National Library of Rome. It is the first translated version of the Confucian Classics in a European language. This Latin translation of the first four sentences ofThe Great Learning, which is included inBibliotheca Selecta(1593) published by the Jesuit Antonio Possevino, is considered the first publication of a Confucian Classic in the Western world. This translation is based on Zhu Xi’sDaxue Zhangju,and clearly and fluently interprets the original text. The style of Latin is simple, which was intended to be close to the ancient Chinese style. Comparing the translation of the manuscript with the published edition, we can see that Possevino modified the translation of the last sentence, either because he prefered a more elegant style, or because he wanted to express in the translation his own thought regarding missionary and educational work.

Key words:Michele Ruggieri,The Great Learning, Antonio Possevino

Translation and Research of the Chinese Prose of Ming and Qing Dynasties in France

Che Lin

Abstract:Early French sinologists’ work mainly focused on the translation and research of Pre-Qin literature and Tang poetry. Until the 20th century, the literary prose of Han, Wei, Jin, Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties hadn’t attracted much attention. At present some French sinologists are interested in this little-explored area, and some introductory writings and translation of quite a few classic masterpieces fill the gaps in this study. This article attempts to investigate the achievements in France in the translation and research of Chinese prose in Ming and Qing Dynasties, mainly referring toHistoire de la littérature chinoise: Proseby Georges Margouliès as well as the work of some contemporary sinologists, such as Jacques Pimpaneau and Martine Vallette-Hémery.

Key words:French sinology, Chinese prose, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Georges Margouliès

A Literature Review of the Translation and Study ofHuainanziin the English-Speaking World

Meng Qingbo & Gao Xu

Abstract:The translation and study ofHuainanzihave a history of 130 years in the West. They have the following characteristics. In terms of the quantity of books published, there is an obvious increase during the three phases: prior to the mid-20thcentury, during the latter half of the same century, and in the early 21stcentury, with the number amounting to 58 in total. As for the types of books, translation and research appear simultaneously and include partial and full translations, conference proceedings, academic dissertations and research on various subjects. Regarding authorship, British scholars were the earliest ones who took up the translation and research ofHuainanzi, but American scholars gradually dominated the field. As far as academic influence is concerned, works by Harold Roth, Sarah Queen and John Major draw wide attention, and thus promote the overall study of the history of ancient Chinese thought.

Key words:Huainanzi, Western Sinology, literary history

The Misinterpretation of Chinese Classical Fiction of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Introduced to the West: English Versions ofThe Twin Sisters(1830)

Chen Tingting

Abstract:This paper explores the multilateral relationships among the original work, the translators and the readers of the full-length classical novelYujiaoli(玉娇梨) orThe Twin Sisters.It aims to comprehend the earlier translated versions of Chinese literature in the West from a new perspective. The western translators and readers traditionally attached more importance to the authenticity rather than literariness of the Chinese literary works. As a result, the translators reinforced the influence of moral factors and religious standpoints on translation through deliberate misinterpretation. These factors not only gave impetus to the early spread of Chinese classical novels in the West, but also enlighten us on how to tell a good story of China.

Key words:The Twin Sisters, knowledge of China in the West, translation and criticism, interpretation

From Manuscript to Publication: Chinese Characters and Phrases in James Legge’sThe Chinese Classics

Yang Huiling

Abstract:Based on a rare manuscript overseas entitledManuscript and Concordance to the Nine Classicsin the James Legge Collection of the New York Public Library, this article decodes the special system used in the manuscripts and examines the content of the manuscript. By comparing the manuscript and the published one named “The Chinese Characters and Phrases” in James Legge’sThe Chinese Classics, I explain the process from the manuscript to its publication, and analyse the changes, ideas and functions of it from the perspective ofgénétique textuelle.

Key word:manuscript,Manuscript and Concordance to the Nine Classics,James Legge,The Chinese Classics

From Lhasa toEncyclopaedia Britannica: Thomas Manning and Sino-British Relations in the 18thand 19thCenturies

Lawrence Wang-chi WONG

Abstract:Described by Charles Lamb as “a man in a thousand,” Thomas Manning developed a very strong interest in China at a time when there were less than a handful of British who had studied Chinese. By different means and channels, he learned the Chinese language, and then went to Canton (Guangzhou), Hué in Annam(Vietnam), and Calcutta to look for an opportunity to enter inland China. Between 1807 and 1816, he occasionally translated for the East India Company in Canton. In 1811, he successfully reached Lhasa, Tibet, becoming the first British ever to reach this sacred place. He was one of the four translators when the Amherst Mission was finally sent to China in 1816. Despite his legendary life, Manning has not been much studied by historians of Sino-British relations. Based on newly available material, this study examines the life of this “eccentric” genius, redrawing his unique and uneven path as a Sinologist in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Key words:Thomas Manning, Sinologists, Sino-British relations, Canton Trade System

The Far Eastand the Construction of a Multifaceted Picture of Late Imperial China

Song Lijuan

Abstract:The Far East, which was founded by John Reddie Black (1826—1880) during 1870 to 1878, was an important English periodical issued in Yokohama, Japan and Shanghai, China. However, most of the copies of this periodical are collected in the European and American libraries, making it hard for Chinese academia to see and study them. This paper aims to examine the contents of the periodicals in order to explore the two-way communication between Chinese and Western literature and culture in the late Qing dynasty. Firstly, taking the Far East, especially China as its theme,The Far Eastpublished more than one-hundred field photographs shot in China, which enabled it to be the most representative pictorial work released in the late Qing dynasty. Moreover,the photos of city views matched up with the narrations of “Wandering in the Far East”, making it a unique cultural product of exchanges between China and the West. Secondly,The Far Eastalso published a considerable number of translated Chinese traditional literary works, which to some extent promoted the introduction of Chinese classical literature into the West. Finally, photos and literary works published inThe Far Eastformed a kind of intertextual relationship between pictures and texts, and thus constructed a multi faceted picture of the late Qing dynasty at its reign.

Key words:The Far East, “Wandering in the Far East”, “huwen” (intertextuality), multifaceted picture of the Late Qing dynasty

The Images of Chaozhou Women in the Late Qing Dynasty in Adele M. Fielde’sPagoda Shadows

Nie Li

Abstract:Official church archives rarely recorded anything about 19thcentury Chinese women believers.Adele M. Fielde (1839—1916), an unmarried female missionary of the American Baptist Missionary Union,focused on 16 Chinese church women’s autobiographies and other women’s account in her bookPagoda Shadows,which is rare historical material. Miss Fielde had engaged in women’s work in Chaozhou for more than twenty years, and was very familiar with the local women’s living conditions and situations. This paper focuses on the images of Chaozhou women depicted inPagoda Shadowsand explores how and why the author constructed and presented such images.

Key words:Adele M. Fielde, Late Qing dynasty, Chaozhou, Images of Chinese women,Pagoda Shadows

Research on the Relationship of Japan’sQiuyangCollection andLegend Told by Old Fogy

Zhang Mingming

Abstract:Legend Told by Old Fogyis an additional volume ofQiuyang, which is one of the three official history books of Ryukyu. As it was spread mostly in the form of manuscripts, the title ofLegend Told by Old Fogymight have been added by later generations, who neglected its relationship withQiuyang, leading to the loss and complexity of the versions.Legend Told by Old Fogyis mainly a collection of myths, legends and unofficial records of history, characterized by a unique literature, which is different fromQiuyang. Studies on the versions ofLegend Told by Old Fogywill help to clarify its internal relationship withQiuyang, and can also reveal its literary characteristics and values.

Key words:Legend Told by Old Fogy,Qiuyang, Chinese Classics Overseas, Ryukyu