Zhu Shenghao as a translator of Shakespeare

The article gives an account of life and work of Zhu Shenghao (1912–1944), primarily known for his translation of the complete works of Shakespeare, the first and one of the most influential Shakespeare editions in the Chinese language. Between 1938 and 1944, he managed to translate 31 and a half plays out of the 37 plays in the First Folio. His translation, still widely acclaimed today, grants elegance to its language and musical cadence to its prosaic style and contains poetic processing in typical scenes according to Chinese lyrical traditions. Besides, Zhu Shenghao is celebrated as a cultural hero for his effort in presenting Shakespeare’s dramatic works in a brilliant translation at a critical time when China was in urgent need of learning about the Western world. According to poly-system theory, it is fully illustrated in Zhu’s case that translation does play a significant part in shaping China’s modern cultural consciousness.