Tu Zhen (; 8 March 1934 – 21 September 2022) was a Chinese translator best known for her contributions to the introduction of

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

to Chinese readers. She was a member of the

Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party The Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (CPWDP) is one of the eight minor Democratic parties (China), democratic parties in the China, People's Republic of China under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. The party was offi ...

and a member of the

China Writers Association The China Writers Association (CWA) is a subordinate people's organization of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC). Founded in July 1949, the organization was initially named the China National Literature Workers Association. ...

. She was a professor at the

University of International Business and Economics (Beijing) The University of International Business and Economics (UIBE; ) is a public university located in Chaoyang, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Commer ...

. She was a member of the 7th and 8th Beijing Municipal Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

Biography

Tu was born in

Beiping "Beijing" is from pinyin ''Běijīng,'' which is romanized from , the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various ...

, on 8 March 1934, while her

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

is in

Changzhou Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhen ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

. She attended Beiping Private Mingming Primary School, Sacred Heart Girls' School and Tianjin Saint John's Girls' School. In 1951, she was admitted to

Yenching University Yenching University () was a Private university, private research university in Beijing, China, from 1919 to 1952. The university was formed out of the merger of four Christian colleges between the years 1915 and 1920. The term "Yenching" come ...

. She studied French at the beginning, but switched to English a year later. In the same year, Yenching University was incorporated into

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

during the adjustment of departments and colleges. So she became a student of Peking University. After graduating in 1955, Tu was assigned as an interpreter of the . She started to publish works in 1956, and joined the faculty of

. She joined the

in 1982 and later became a member of the

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

. She retired in 1997. On 21 September 2022, Tu died in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, at the age of 88.

Personal life

Tu was married to Mei Shaowu, son of renowned

Beijing opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...

actor

Mei Lanfang Mei Lan (22 October 1894 – 8 August 1961), better known by his stage name Mei Lanfang, was a notable Chinese Peking opera artist in Chinese theater, modern Chinese theater. Mei was known as the "Queen of Peking Opera". Mei was exclusively know ...

, he was also a translator.

Translations

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhen, Tu 1934 births 2022 deaths Writers from Beijing Peking University alumni Academic staff of Beijing University of International Business and Economics Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party politicians English–Chinese translators