Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s2.t10.15

v2.c10.s2.t10.15

Her important contribution to India-China cultural exchange is the translation of Indian literature in general, and Tagore’s works in particular. In January 1955, China Youth Publishing House published her translation of Mulk Raj Anand’s *Fairy Tales of India*. In April 1955, People’s Literature Publishing House published her translation of Tagore’s *Gitanjali*, and thanks to her elegant and concise translation, this lyric collection soon became popular in China, and its Article 35 (Where the mind is without fear) was included into Chinese textbooks for middle school. For more than half a century, at least more than one million copies of this collection of poems have been printed, attracting tens of millions of readers. In May 1958, People’s Literature Publishing House published *Collected Poems of Tagore* translated by Bing Xin and Shi Zhen, which included her new translation of *Poems by Tagore* (1942). She pointed out in ‘Translator’s Postscript’, compared with the bright scenery in *Gitanjali*, some pieces in *Poems* revealed a severe aspect of Tagore’s personality. From September 1956 to June 1959, in addition to poems, Bing Xin had also translated Tagore’s ‘*Kabuliwala*’, ‘*Subha*’, ‘*Tyag*’, ‘*Nisithe*’ and ‘*Manbhanjan*’ (short novels), ‘*The Gardener*’ (a collection of poems), ‘*Chitra*’ and ‘*The King of the Dark Chamber*’ (dramas) and some essays. On May 15 the same year, she attended Tagore’s 100ᵗʰ birthday celebration held by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and other groups. She finished the translation of *My Reminiscences* (Tagore’s memoir) before the Cultural Revolution. But the final part was lost among the chaos of that period, and this translation was not published until April 1988. She also translated works of other Indian people such as Sarojini Naidu etc.