Preface

On October 15 ^th ，2014，President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Forum of Literature and Art，emphasizing that we must adhere to the standpoint of Chinese culture，identify with the distinctive inheritance of Chinese culture，and display the aesthetic style characteristic of Chinese cultural works．

As the lifeblood of our nation，traditional Chinese culture provides not only an exemplary source of core socialist values but also a solid foundation by which to negotiate the world's cultural upheavals．When translating our stories，our voices forthright and our spirits vigorously displayed，we translators must ensure that foreign readers will come to discover，appreciate and understand the characteristics and charm of outstanding Chinese culture and art．This is our duty as citizens and interpreters to the world．

With its ancient history and accumulated richness of implication，Chinese art records and crystallizes thousands of years of effort to concentrate the wisdom of its artists and writers making their indelible contribution to civilisation．As China reopened itself to the West，however，Chinese culture was overwhelmed by the onslaught of Western values and culture．The cultural deficit between China and the West is still surging．While works and ideas from Western countries are quickly translated into Chinese，major achievements in the fields of Chinese literature，art and philosophy are slow to translate and to transmit．

Foreign academic appetite for Chinese culture is growing insatiably．On May 14 ^th ，2017 President Xi observed in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that the principles of the Belt and Road should be seen as a way of connecting different civilizations．In pursuing the Belt and Road initiative in respect of different civilizations，we should ensure that exchange will replace estrangement，mutual learning will replace conflict，and co-existence will replace the arrogant assumption of superiority．Thus we will promote mutual understanding，respect and trust among different countries．

Translation involves not only the transmission of thought and meaning among different languages but also the cultural communication and exchange that connects languages，cultures，disciplines and regions．In the era of big data，translation is a vital cultural strategy destined to drive the Belt and Road Initiative，embodying both the function and value of its purpose and nature．

Translation as a discipline in the School of Translation Studies at Jinan University was recognised as the“Outstanding Discipline”of Zhuhai City in 2015，and awarded the status of“Key Discipline”of Guangdong Province in 2018．In recent years teachers at the School have won six research projects sponsored by the National Social Science Fund of China．

The School has also successfully prepared students to compete in the Hansuyin Youth Translation Awards，and has ranked first in a number of award winners among all the universities represented for three consecutive years．More than sixty students have won awards thus far．

To ensure that our stories are read widely，our culture understood profoundly，and our country respected deeply we gathered teachers from our School and experts and professors from universities throughout the country to translate and compile fifty works related to Chinese culture．In consultation with Jinan University Press we published Translation of Chinese Cultural Works（Series）in a C-E bilingual edition with the aim of extending the world's knowledge of the depth，ancientness，extent and beauty of China's cultural history．

Zhao Youbin
Dean，Professor，PHD Supervisor of School of
Translation Studies，Jinan University
November 10 ^th ，2019