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Sidney Shapiro (; December 23, 1915 – October 18, 2014) was an American-born Chinese actor, translator, and writer who lived in China from 1947 to 2014. He lived in Beijing for more than 50 years and became a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He was one of very few naturalized citizens of the People's Republic of China.
Early life and later nationality
Shapiro was born in Brooklyn on December 23, 1915. He was of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. He was a graduate of St. John's University, New York.
Shapiro became a citizen of the People's Republic of China in 1963.
Career
Shapiro was educated as a lawyer and was disturbed by perceived inequalities during the Great Depression in the United States.
For nearly 50 years, Shapiro was employed by the state-run Foreign Languages Press (FLP) as a translator of works of Chinese literature. He is best known for his English version of Outlaws of the Marsh, a classic of Chinese literature. In 1958, he published an English translation of The Family, a novel by Ba Jin or Pa Chin, pen name of Li Yaotang (aka Feigan), one of the most widely read Chinese writers of the 20th century. Certain passages, notably the anarchist elements, were deleted from this edition; Shapiro later published a full translation.
Shapiro also worked as an editor for the journal Chinese Literature. Fengzi died in 1996.
Works
Selected translations from Chinese to English
- Ba Jin, The Family, Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1958
- Shi Nai'an, Outlaws of the Marsh, Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980
- Ba Jin, Selected Works, Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1988
- Mao Dun, The Shop of the Lin Family and Spring Silkworms, Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2004.
- Deng Rong, Deng Xiaoping and the Cultural Revolution: A Daughter Recalls the Critical Years, New York: C. Bertelsmann, 2005
Works compiled and edited
- Jews in Old China: Studies by Chinese Scholars, New York: Hippocrene Books, 1984; paperback edition: Hippocrene Books, 1988
Memoirs
- An American in China: Thirty Years in the People's Republic. New American Library 1979.
- I Chose China: The Metamorphosis of a Country and a Man,