A brief translation of Fougere's post...
The tale of Genji was first translated into chinese after the PRC was established. Qian Daosun translated the first chapter in magazines, and soon, the People's Literary Press of Beijing commissioned him to translate the whole work, but since he could not return his manuscript in due time, they turned to Feng Zikai, and commisionned him t translate the whole. Feng Zikai, with the help of his daughter, Feng Yiyin, completed the whole translation work between december 1962 and november 1965, and returned the complete manuscript. The publishing house then commissioned Zhou Zuoren and Qian Daosun to edit and review it, as a collaborative effort.
The pre-Cultural Revolution edition is the first complete translation into chinese.
A second complete translation into chinese was published by Lin Wenyue, a professor from Taiwan University, in International Literature. It was completed in 1978, and sent to the International Literature publishing house to be published as a whole book.
The translation by Lin Wenyue was the first complete translation which was actually published. It was also the first one translated by a woman (
).
The translation by Feng Zikai was finally published in december 1980, by the people's literary press. It is the first edition in simplified characters. An edition in traditional haracters was published in Taiwan in 1986, by Taibei Beihuan publishing house, and reedite in 2000 by Taibei Muma Literary press.
Lin Wenyue's translation was reedited in 1997 by Hongfan press.
In June 1996, the Foreign Publishing house of Inned Mongolia Autonomous Province published a translation by Yin Zhijun, edited by Fan Linsen.
The most recent complete translation into chinese is that published in 2006 by Zheng Minqian (Beijing Yanshan Press).
