"High above the silvery ocean winds are gathering the storm-clouds, and between the clouds and ocean proudly wheels the Stormy Petrel, like a streak of sable lightning. ...It's the storm! The storm is breaking! Still the valiant Stormy Petrel proudly wheels among the lightning, o'er the roaring, raging ocean, and his cry resounds exultant, like a prophecy of triumph…Let it break in all its fury! " Gorky's impassioned Stormy Petrel, a classic essay of high school Chinese textbooks has inspired generations of Chinese young people. Its Chinese translator, Mr. Ge Baoquan, is an alumnus of Great China University, the predecessor of ECNU.
Mr. Ge Baoquan (1913-2000)
On February 15, 2013 falls the birth centenary of Mr. Ge Baoquan, a famous translator and expert in Russian-Soviet Literature, On May 11, ECNU held Mr. Ge's 100th birth anniversary. Mr. Ge's wife, Liang Peilan, nephew Sun Ge, friends as well as scholars from ECNU, Fudan University, Nanjing University, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Yinlin Publishing House and ECNU Publishing House attended the anniversary. At the anniversary, ECNU Publishing House made the debut of the new edition of Mr Ge's work Cause of Chinese and Foreign Literature.
"Although Mr. Ge has left us for years, his spirit and achievements still benefit later generations. While recalling Mr. Ge, we should learn more from his meticulous and rigorous attitude toward translation and doing research work, a good tradition of ECNU spirit, to bring glory to our alma mater, "said Ren Youqun, Vice President & Vice Chairman of the University Council, during his speech at the anniversary.
Ren awards a certificate to Liang Peilan, who donates a Russian set of Complet Works of Leo Tolstoy to ECNU.
Mr. Ge began his study in Great China University at the age of 15. Although majored in economics, Mr. Ge was very fond of literature. To read more foreign literature works, he spent much time in learning foreign languages and became good at English, French, Japanese, Russian and Esperanto. His capability in foreign languages made a good foundation for his future study in foreign literature and translation. The tolerant atmosphere and rich sources of the University provided him space to absorb knowledge and display his talents. It was at Great China University that Mr. Ge first began his career of translation.
A group photo after the anniversary.
In 1932, Mr. Ge graduated from Great China University. As a prestigious translator and expert in Russian-Soviet Literature, Mr. Ge has written abundant works about Russian-Soviet Literature including Lectures on Russian-Soviet Literature and completed excellent translations such as Selected Poems of Pushkin, Selected Poems of Shevchenko and Gorky on Literature. Those works and translations have become text books for most Chinese to know about the Russian Literature.
With brilliant works and translations of Russian-Soviet Literature, Mr, Ge has won lots of awards in translation and literature from home and abroad. In February 1987, Université de Paris VIII and Moscow State University awarded him honorary doctor respectively because of his fantastic contribution to the introduction of the Russian-Soviet Literature to the Chinese people.
Written by: Liu Jinyu
