Wang Shouchang
Wang Shouchang (1864-1926), courtesy name Ziren and Xiaozhai, was a translator, official, and Literati.
Chinese name: Wang Shouchang
Alias: Wang Ziren, Wang Xiaozhai
Nationality: Chinese
Ethnicity: Han
Birthplace: Min County (now Fuzhou)
Date of Birth: 1864
Date of Death: 1926
Occupation: Translator, official, literati
Graduation schools: Mawei Shipbuilding School, University of Paris
Representative works: "The Legacy of La Traviata in Paris", "The Legacy of Xiaozhai"
Biography
Wang Shouchang was admitted to the manufacturing class of Fuzhou Mawei Shipping School at the age of 14 and was the third graduate of the class. In April 1885, he was selected with excellent results to be sent to the University of Paris in France to study law and French. During his six years of study, he ranked among the best in exams. He graduated and returned to China in 1891. Faced with the deterioration of the government and the internal and external conflicts, even though he had talents, his knowledge was not put to use and it was difficult to put it to use. Wang Shouchang's ambition was difficult to realize. He had no choice but to return to his alma mater, Mawei Shipbuilding School, as a French teacher, and then to the Tianjin Western Affairs Bureau as a translator for the Fengtian Military Administration. In 1898, the Qing government established the Beijing-Hankou Railway and borrowed money from France. In 1911, Wang Shouchang was transferred to the conference office as chief translator. During the loan negotiations with France, he spared no effort to safeguard the sovereignty of his motherland and used his knowledge of modern international diplomacy to reduce the loss of rights. After the completion of the railway, Wang Shouchang was transferred to the General Office (Director) of Hanyang Arsenal, Hubei's diplomatic envoy, and was especially valued by Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang. Later, he served as the manager of the national affairs office Zhang Jing and the principal of the railway schools in the three provinces.
In the spring of the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Wang Shouchang returned to Fuzhou and served as director of the Negotiation Department of Fujian Province, responsible for foreign affairs. During his 13 years in office, he worked conscientiously and responsibly, and every interaction with foreigners did not harm the national integrity. Later, he was pushed out and was reinstated as a French teacher in Mawei Shipping Bureau.
Wang Shouchang is generous, emotional and sincere. Not only is he proficient in law and French, he is also highly accomplished in Chinese. He spends his daily life traveling, writing books, practicing calligraphy, writing poems and painting, and is known as the "Three Wonders of Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting".
After Wang Shouchang returned to Fuzhou in the early Republic of China, he used literature to make friends in his spare time and made friends with local cultural people. He often invited literary friends to gather at the "Guangfu Shanfang" where he lived. At that time, there were famous scholars such as Chen Yan, Xie Yuan Zheng Xiaoxu, close friend Gao Fengqi, in-law He Zhendai, and Lin Shu who also translated "La Traviata". They all respected Wang Shouchang, who was known as the "Three Masters of Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting", and often came to the mountain house to carry out various cultural activities. Some were reciting poems and painting, some were talking about the past and the present, some were playing the piano to express their feelings, or some were holding pen meetings, etc., which made the old house that had been silent for a hundred years very lively. Therefore, at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, "Guangfu Shanfang" became a gathering place for local celebrities, literati, and talented women in Fuzhou.
Wang Shouchang and Lin Qinnan’s first translation of "The Legacy of La Traviata in Paris" has long been famous in the art world. Wang Shouchang also translated a volume of "A Brief Lesson in Planning" originally written by French Bolek, which was printed and published by the Shanghai Commercial Press in the 34th year of Guangxu (1908). This is an earlier translation of economics in my country. There is also a volume of "Xiao Zhai's Posthumous Manuscripts" handed down after his death. This book records various personal experiences, as well as poems and articles about interactions with Yan Fu, Lin Shu, Gao Mengdan brothers, Zheng Xiaoxu, Chen Baochen, Li Bake, Chen Yan, He Zhendai and others. It is a valuable material for studying these people. "It can make up for what our country's history has failed to achieve." The "Xiao Zhai Posthumous Manuscript" is written in Zhengong regular script by his eldest queen, with two prefaces written by Chen Yan and He Zhendai. At the end, there is a postscript sent by his nephew Wang Jingqi from the embassy in Norway, and it is signed by Li Xuangong and Lin Shilu. , published by the Commercial Press. The book is a thin volume, beautifully printed and worth collecting. "Xiao Zhai's Posthumous Manuscript" was later reprinted and is the commentary version of Zheng Xiaoxu. Zheng and Wang worked at the Han Bureau of the Wuchang Railway. They believed that the "Xiaozhai Manuscript" was more insightful than Yan Fu's and that its articles were unparalleled by those in central Fujian. Zheng Xiaoxu personally sent it to Li Xuangong of the Commercial Press and sent him 100 yuan. , please send a photocopy of the review copy. It can be seen that Wang Shouchang is very popular.
He is the editor-in-chief of "Encyclopedia of Legal International Law" and the author of "New Testament Studies", "War and Treaties", "International Law" and many other books. Wang Tieyea is an internationally renowned legal expert who has made important contributions to the construction of legal work in our country.
Wang Wenxing, the grandson of Wang Shouchang and the son of Wang Yu (aka Wang Qingding), is a famous writer in Taiwan. He is the author of "Family Changes", "The Man Who Backs the Sea", etc.