Zhai Xiangjun (1939– 8 July 2019) was a Chinese translator and educator, particularly known for his translation of ''Gone with the Wind'' and his university-level English textbooks. He was a professor and vice chair of foreign languages at

Fudan University Fudan University () is a national public research university in Shanghai, China. Fudan is a member of the C9 League, Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University identified by the Ministry of Education of China. It is ...

and served as vice president of Shanghai Translators' Association.

Biography

Zhai was born in 1939. He studied Russian in high school and was interested in

Russian literature Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia and its émigrés and to Russian-language literature. The roots of Russian literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were composed. By the Ag ...

. However, when he graduated in 1957, none of the Chinese universities accepted Russian majors in that year, and he ended up enrolling in the English program of

, despite having had virtually no exposure to that language. Upon graduation in 1962, Zhai pursued postgraduate studies at Fudan from 1962 to 1966. He later served as professor in English and vice chair of foreign languages at the university. He translated many works from English into Chinese, including ''Gone with the Wind'', ''

The Moneychangers ''The Moneychangers'' is a 1975 novel written by Arthur Hailey. The plot revolves around the politics inside a major bank. Plot summary As the novel begins, the position of CEO of one of America's largest banks, ''First Mercantile American'', ...

'', ''

O Crime do Padre Amaro ''O Crime do Padre Amaro'' ("The Crime of Father Amaro"), subtitled 'Scenes of Religious Life', is a novel by the 19th-century Portuguese writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz. It was first published in 1875 to great controversy. Background Eç ...

'', and ''

The Autobiography of Mao Tse-tung as Told to Edgar Snow ''Red Star Over China'' is a 1937 book by Edgar Snow. It is an account of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that was written when it was a guerrilla army and still obscure to Westerners. Along with Pearl S. Buck's '' The Good Earth'' (1931), ...

'', as well as short stories by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

, and

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic ex ...

. In 1979, when Zhai was temporarily unable to teach following

dental surgery Dental surgery is any of a number of medical procedures that involve artificially modifying dentition; in other words, surgery of the teeth, gums and jaw bones. Types Some of the more common are: * Endodontic (surgery involving the pulp or r ...

, he was assigned to write a university English textbook. From then on, textbook writing became a major part of his career. His 5-volume ''College English'' and 16-volume ''21st-Century College English'' have been adopted by most Chinese universities as textbooks. In 1991, ''College English'' won the Special Prize of the National University Textbooks Award. He also assisted with editing ''Great English-Chinese Dictionary'' (英汉大词典). Zhai served as Vice President of Shanghai Translators' Association and was awarded a special pension for distinguished experts by the

State Council of the People's Republic of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...

. Zhai Xiangjun died on 8 July 2019 at the age of 80. He was survived by a son, Zhai Biao (翟飙).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhai, Xiangjun 1939 births 2019 deaths People's Republic of China translators Educators from Shanghai Fudan University alumni Fudan University faculty English–Chinese translators Writers from Shanghai Textbook writers 20th-century Chinese male writers 20th-century Chinese translators 21st-century Chinese translators