The Collected Memoirs of Wu Tingfang (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Tianjin Translation Center
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-06-01
Features: Mr. Wu Tingfang (1888—1985) was a distinguished modern Chinese diplomat. Since assuming the position of Secretary of the Presidential Palace and the State Council in Beijing in 1912, he held various posts, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, as well as Judge and Vice-Chancellor of the Permanent Court of International Justice. Engaged in diplomatic negotiations for over half a century, he witnessed a series of major events in China's foreign relations and earned a high reputation internationally. Starting in 1960, at the invitation of the East Asian Institute of Columbia University, Mr. Wu spent seventeen years and $250,000 to complete an oral memoir in English, totaling 11,000 pages. This lengthy memoir covers historical facts of diplomacy, politics, military, economy, and culture in old China, with extremely rich content and serving as an invaluable primary source for the study of modern China's foreign relations. In 1981, Director Liu Danyan of the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, visited Mr. Wu Tingfang through Ambassador Chen Luzhi and Mr. He Qizhi to discuss the publication of a Chinese translation of the memoir. Mr. Wu readily agreed and wrote a preface for the Chinese edition. Subsequently, the Translation Committee of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Tianjin Translation Center) was commissioned by the Institute of Modern History to establish a translation team led by Mr. Yuan Dongyi, which took full responsibility for the translation of the book. The translation team began work in July 1982. Over sixty people participated in the translation and proofreading, most of whom were scholars from universities and well-known public figures. The translation and proofreading were conducted with strict seriousness throughout, not only striving for fluent and faithful expression to the original text but also repeatedly verifying historical facts to ensure accuracy. The translated volume was published in May 1983, with the thirteenth volume completed in 1994, making the entire work 6 million words. After the publication of the Chinese edition of Mr. Wu's memoir, it sparked significant response both in China and abroad, receiving praise from historians, diplomats, and the broader intellectual community. It was widely regarded as a major contribution to the study of modern Chinese history. However, due to the book's immense length, it was difficult for the general reader to complete. To address this, Ms. Wu Junzhen, the daughter of Mr. Wu Tingfang, visited China in 1994 and discussed with the Tianjin Translation Center the publication of an abridged version to meet the needs of the general public and promote the dissemination of the book. Given the strong continuity of the historical facts recorded in the memoir and the complex and intricate evolution of many events, the abridement was a challenging task. After repeated study, the principle for the abridement was determined as follows: maintain the main thread, preserve the hierarchy, retain major events, and keep the text unchanged. This meant largely retaining the original framework and chapter structure, focusing on key historical events, highlighting critical aspects, and striving to preserve the author's mindset and writing style. Except for converting phrases like "the next day" or "two days later" into specific dates, the abridged version remained entirely in Chinese. The abridement is a condensed version of the entire work, not a partial cut, and it retains the essence of the original in a comprehensive manner.