China Radio International hosts the launch of the Chinese translation of Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's complete works in Beijing on May 5 (RACHEL RICHEZ)

When the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent Liu Yunzhi to work as a translator at the Chinese Consulate in Kolkata, India, no one had any inkling that the then 34-year-old would one day contribute to a cultural link bringing three nations closer.

It was 1969, and Liu had already learned one of India's official languages, Hindi, in preparation for his overseas posting. To keep abreast of events in Kolkata, though, he needed to understand Bengali, the official language of the Indian state of West Bengal, of which Kolkata is the capital.

After his initiation into the new language, which boasts a wealth of classical and modern literature, he read the autobiography of Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Tagore's life, which was characterized by humanism and marked by protests against colonialism and efforts to foster cultural ties with other countries including China, was as inspiring as his writing, and Liu felt motivated to read more by the author.

Some 40 years later, Liu became part of a team of over a dozen Chinese translators tasked with translating Tagore's complete works into Chinese.

In a tribute to the writer's contribution to world amity and art, that effort culminated on May 5 this year, two days before Tagore's 155th birth anniversary, with the release of 33 volumes containing a wealth of writing—novels, poems, songs, short stories, essays, letters and plays.

"It was a six-year project," said Dong Youchen, Professor Emeritus at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and lead translator and chief editor of the work. "This is the first time Tagore's complete works have been directly translated into Chinese from Bengali, the language in which he originally wrote."

The timing of the publication could not be more auspicious. With 2016 marking the 400th death anniversaries of master playwright William Shakespeare and Chinese dramatist Tang Xianzu, the commemoration of a third, younger bard underlines the richness of the world's cultural legacy and highlights China's initiative to spread that legacy further. Like those of Tagore, Shakespeare's complete works have also been translated into Chinese.

The launch also coincides with a contemporary event. On May 24, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to arrive in China on his first official visit since assuming office four years ago. The Chinese tribute to Tagore, an Indian icon, should serve to create a sense of cultural camaraderie between the two nations, which have had occasional differences.

The Chinese translation of Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's complete works (RACHEL RICHEZ)

"Chinese readers will definitely read Tagore," said Liu, who began translating works by the Bard of Bengal only after he retired in 1995. "He was a humanist who advocated peace, and he was a patriot, and these are qualities that the Chinese admire and emulate. Our two countries want peace and an end to confrontation. Tagore's works call for reconciliation. That is why they will remain contemporary and universal."

Like the works of Shakespeare, much of Tagore's writing was banned in China during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). "But, some of his plays were allowed, as they were deemed to be 'red'—against colonialism and capitalism," Liu said. Later on, Tagore's works became popular in China once again, he added.

Tagore's forefathers came from Jessore, a district in southwest Bangladesh, and the Chinese translations will also touch a chord with that country, which shares a common language with West Bengal.

An overwhelmed Delwar Hossain, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Bangladeshi Embassy in Beijing, said that the release of the Chinese translations was beyond his expectations. "I am delighted that China has given importance to Tagore's works. It is such a huge literary treasure, needing so much time and expertise, that I had never thought Tagore's entire works could be translated into Chinese," he said.

The diplomat felt that the Chinese translations will play an important role. "Though Tagore wrote primarily in Bengali, his literature is meant for the whole world," he said. "Only translations can take the Nobel laureate's writings to people all over the world. Through the Chinese translations, more people will know about Bengali literature and culture and have a better idea about the Bengali community."

Rabindranath Tagore (center) during a visit to Beijing in April 1924 (XINHUA)

Friendship Beyond Borders

Opera, both domestic and international, was a major influence on Rabindranath Tagore. So, when he visited China in 1924 and met Mei Lanfang, the Peking opera maestro, their friendship seemed predestined.

The bond that grew between the two sensitive and gifted artists has been chronicled in the biography, Mei Lanfang and Peking Opera, published by New World Press.

On May 8, 1924, members of Chinese literary and art circles staged one of Tagore's dance dramas at Peking Union Medical College Hall to honor the visiting author. Mei was seated next to the Nobel laureate, who remarked that although he was pleased to see his play in Beijing, he was keener to watch a performance by Mei.

Less than two weeks later, the Goddess of the River Luo opera was performed with Mei in the lead role. Tagore suggested modifications to the décor, and his ideas were readily incorporated.

Tagore also wrote a short poem dedicated to Mei. Composed in Bengali, it was written on a delicate silk fan using a Chinese brush. In 1961, on the 100th birth anniversary of Tagore, Mei showed the fan to friends. The four lines on the fan were later translated into Chinese.

The fan can be seen today at Mei Lanfang's former residence in Beijing, which has become a museum devoted to his memory and art.

Copyedited by Chris Surtees

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