Topic: The Temporal and Spatial Dimensions of the International Dissemination of Mao Zedong’s Poetry

Speaker: Li Zhengsuan (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Hebei Normal University)

Time: 14:00-15:30, November 4, 2022 (Friday)

Tencent Meeting: 179 123 030 (Meeting ID)

All faculty members and students are welcome to participate actively.

Speaker Introduction:

Li Zhengsuan is a second-grade professor at the School of Foreign Languages at Hebei Normal University, with a Ph.D. in Literature from Peking University and an honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling in the UK. He is a doctoral supervisor and a renowned teaching expert in Hebei Province. He has received 15 awards for outstanding scientific research achievements and educational research achievements in Hebei. He has led one project funded by the National Social Science Fund, one project by the Ministry of Education in the humanities and social sciences, and multiple provincial-level projects. His main research interests include British and American poetry, the translation and criticism of Chinese and English poetry, and he has published 6 monographs on studies of Dunn, Renaissance poetry, and American poetry, as well as over 10 textbooks. He has translated several works, including the English translation of Mao Zedong’s poetry, the translation of Yuefu poetry, and the translation of Tibetan proverbs, among others. He has published several related articles and teaches such courses as British and “American Poetry Appreciation” “Poetry of the English Renaissance” and “Metrics of English Poetry”. He has hosted several national and provincial first-class quality courses.

Lecture Content:

The international dissemination of Mao Zedong’s poetry has spanned 85 years, traversing Europe, America, and Asia. The translation and dissemination of Mao Zedong’s poetry represent not only the spread of language and literature but also a reflection of Chinese history and the history of the Communist Party of China. There are two main pathways for the international dissemination of Mao Zedong’s poetry: one is through sporadic translations by foreigners, which may spark interest in subsequent translators or be published as translated works; the other is through specialized publishing institutions led by foreign language publishing houses in China, after which foreign translators imitate the translations and publish them. This lecture will outline the basic trajectory of the international translation and dissemination of Mao Zedong’s poetry from 1937 to the present and briefly analyze its key characteristics. It concludes that there are primarily three modes of translating Mao Zedong’s poetry: solo translation by one person, collaborative translation by Chinese and foreign translators, and translation by foreign translators alone. It is still believed that the accuracy of understanding and expression of foreign translations of the original text needs to be improved. These translations tell the story of the Chinese revolution and construction to foreign readers, establishing the image of Chinese revolutionaries.