The taming of Shakespeare in Chinese
Print Edition
AS the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare approaches, China is already filled with events crossing genres and places.
For one, the Royal Shakespeare Company has started their first major tour in China, with “Henry IV” Parts I and II and “Henry V.” The triptych that explores the era of upheaval in medieval England were just staged in Beijing and Shanghai, where they were well-received.
The Chinese audience is generally less familiar with Shakespeare’s historical plays, but the fat, scruffy, boastful and cowardly knight Falstaff, Prince Hal’s partner in crime in “Henry VI” has nonetheless won over hearts and laughter despite the language barrier.
In addition to the tour, which lasts for a couple of weeks, RSC has also launched the Shakespeare Folio Translation Project, hoping to lead to a new Folio edition of Chinese translations in time to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio in 2023.
“It is RSC’s long-term endeavor to produce contemporary, theatrically-viable, actor-friendly and audience-accessible translations of Shakespeare’s plays in Chinese,” the company’s artistic director Gregory Doran explained in the open call for Chinese translators.
“We are very aware of the fine literary quality of existing translations, going back to those produced by Zhu Shenghao back in the 1930s for example. But Chinese theater-makers brought to our attention the need to continue efforts to produce contemporary translations of Shakespeare’s plays which worked well in performance.”
He added, “We believe it is important that the translations are in language that honors the variety of Shakespeare’s text but which also sits easily in the mouths of Chinese actors. They should also be readily accessible to a young Chines audience.”
The Chinese translations of Shakespeare, both in print and on stage, go a long way back, and was first published as early as in 1900s and staged in 1910s.
The earliest translators include Lin Shu (1852-1924), who were among the first Chinese intellectuals to translate and introduce Western literature, including “The Lady of the Camellias,” the Sherlock Holmes series, and works of H Rider Haggard, among many others.
Astonishingly, this translator and poet who has translated more than 180 novels from a dozen different languages speaks no foreign language at all. He always works with a partner who translates the story to him and then he writes in classic Chinese.
His translations are known for fluent and beautiful writing style and read just like a Chinese novel, yet often not too loyal to the original. In a time when Western novels were previously unseen and so different from classic Chinese novels, his translations were widely popular and often quickly sold out.
In 1904, he translated “Tales from Shakespeare” by Charles and Mary Lamb. The book became the gateway to Shakespeare for many Chinese, which Lin described as “a fantastic master of storytelling in the Western continent,” mistaken the playwright as a novelist. He later translated some Shakespeare plays, “Henry V” included.
It was much later in 1920s that Shakespeare was known and introduced as a playwright and translated into modern Chinese language. The plays were also staged, and often times, adapted to reflect social problems at the time.
For example, “The Merchant of Venice” was quite often adapted and staged to criticize abusive merchants at the time. “Macbeth” was adapted into a Chinese play to satirize Yuan Shikai (1859-1916)’s short-lived attempt to restore monarchy in a time when people demanded a republic.
In 1930, Liang Shiqiu (1903-1987) started translating the complete works of Shakespeare, which lasted for the next 37 years and lead to the translations of 37 plays and three titles of sonnets.
Later, he described it as “a long and painful” process. He still remains the only Chinese who has translated the completed works. His translations are considered most loyal to the original and among the most influential. He even explains the meanings behind word plays.
About the same time, 22-year-old Zhu Shenghao (1912-1944), started his attempt to translate the complete works as well.
He devoted his whole life working on the project and finished 31 plays until his early death at the age of 32. His translations are among the most acclaimed as he tried to play with the rhymes and rhythms of the Chinese language.
Many more translators have embarked on this journey after Liang and Zhu. There’s been a plethora of different approaches, simply because the two languages are so different. One tried to translate entirely in verses, another in classic Chinese poetry.
RSC’s new attempt focuses more on the theatrical viability of the plays, since they were written for the stage. Some of the translations will also lead to Chinese productions, such as “Henry V,” which will be shown in collaboration with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center in November.
“It is very much a two-way cultural exchange that will continue for the next few years,” said Doran.
“So what better way to celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary this year than by sharing that process with Chinese translators and theater makers, and establishing a potentially new approach to theater?”
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