Cao Ying: Translator into Chinese of Tolstoy's Works of Fiction

Cao Ying's words touched many people, and some of them called him soon after to express their admiration for him and for what he had said. Cao Ying has never lost his conscience throughout changing political climates. In 1957, Mr. Fou Lei, a well-known translator who had translated most of Balzac's works into Chinese, was labeled a "rightist" due to being upright by nature, and having spoken words which some considered "undesirable". The authorities asked Cao Ying to write an article denouncing Mr. Fou Lei and showing his own political standpoint. However, Cao Ying had never forgotten that during WWII, when he worked for the Epoch Weekly, Mr. Jiang Chunfang had often sent him to Fou Lei's home to obtain news releases on the situation on the USSR-Germany battlefield, which Fou Lei had recorded from a French radio broadcast. The news was then published in the Epoch Weekly. Slowly, Cao Ying and Fu Lei, 15 years his senior, became friends. Cao Ying knew that Fou Lei utterly detested Fascism, and as a Chinese patriot, not as an enemy of the people, so he declined to write a word against him.

In 1997, Foreign Languages Press and Shanghai Far East Publishing House jointly published the "Tolstoy Fiction Series".

In 2002, Taiwan Trojans Cultural Undertakings Limited published the original translation of the "Complete Fiction of Tolstoy" in 12 volumes.

In March 2003, Mr. Andrey. V. Krivtsov, Consul General of Russia in Shanghai, presided over a ceremony to celebrate Cao Ying's 80th birthday. Some prestigious Chinese professors and translators working in Russian literature were also invited. The Consul General read the congratulatory letter from Mr. Igor A. Rogatchev, the Ambassador of Russia in China, and a distinguished sinologist. The letter said:

"You are the bridge which connects the hearts and emotions of the peoples of the two great neighboring countries. You have introduced to the Chinese people the works of Tolstoy and Sholokhov, two world famous masters of literature. Your rich talent enabled them to belong not only to Russia. We are sure that honorable Chinese readers will also admire the two simple and significant Chinese characters - 草婴 (Cao Ying) - now associated with his inestimable but arduous work, cultural talent, and a deep understanding of Russian culture".

Two months later, "I and Russian Literature -Sixty Years of Translation", an anthology by Cao Ying, was published. It collated his major articles and papers on the study of Russian literature, together with records of his interviews with reporters. In its preface entitled "Why I Translate?", Cao Ying wrote: "Through my personal experience during the Cultural Revolution, I am well aware that the minority dominating the majority and deciding their fate according to their own will is the source of miseries that human beings have suffered, and it is the reason also for the catastrophes which have occurred many times. To eradicate these tragedies, we must foster noble feelings among the people, set up equal relationships in society, and encourage mutual respect, namely humanitarianism, among the people.

"Only through extensive ideological, academic and cultural exchanges can we end the closing of borders, insularity and arrogance. I do literary translation, have always done it, and will continue to do it for this purpose".

On November 19, 2004, the Chinese authority hosted an event entitled "Academic Discussion on Cao Ying's Literary Translation" in Shanghai. This discussion conference attracted many noted Chinese and Russian writers, translators and scholars. The Russian Consul General and official Chinese representatives attended as a mark of respect. When they consider the 12-volume translation of Tolstoy's fiction rendered into Chinese by Cao Ying, they experienced a mixture of admiration, gratitude and shame. A Russian sinologist spoke for many in his praise: "In this world, Mr. Cao Ying is the only one who has translated Tolstoy's complete fiction into another language". In the same year, the Shanghai Literature & Art Press published the translation of the "Complete Fiction of Tolstoy" in 12 volumes.[ I could find no reference to this on Bing]

2006 was the Year of Russia in China, and honored 14 other famous scholars who had contributed to the spread of Russian culture. Cao Ying was awarded the "Maxim Gorky Medal" for his outstanding contribution to the spread of Russian literature in China. Cao Ying said: "Russian literature is as broad as its territory. It depicts not a moment or a family, what it cares for is the whole of the Russian Nation and the whole of humanity". In that year, Cao Ying was enrolled as an "honorary member" of the Russian Writers' Association.

In 1986, as a mark of his high prestige, Cao Ying was elected Chairman of the Shanghai Translators' Association, the meeting-point for the finest of Chinese translators. Two years later, he became a Deputy Chairman of the China Translators' Association. In addition, he was awarded the title of "Senior Translator" by the CTA in 2002.

Cao Ying has preferred to be a freelance translator ever since the 1950s, rather than a worker for any single organization. This has given him the freedom to decide for himself which translations to work on, rather than receiving instructions about where to apply his talents. The result of this decision is that he has lacked a regular salary, and had to live on modest income for his translating work, and also been unable to acquire the academic titles beloved of all Chinese intellectuals that tend also to determine their amount of salary, size of apartment, and social status.