Part I: Harold Acton’s Pioneering Contributions to the Translation and Introduction of Chinese Literature to the West

Abstract:

Harold Acton (1904–1994), the renowned British aesthete and writer, spent seven formative years in Beijing during the 1930s, where he immersed himself in Chinese language, traditional drama, poetry, and popular culture. Driven by a deep appreciation for Chinese aesthetics—particularly Peking Opera as a source of “aesthetic nourishment”—Acton played a significant role in bridging Eastern and Western literary worlds through his translations and scholarly efforts.

This talk explores Acton’s key introductory contributions to Chinese literature in English. It highlights his collaborations on landmark anthologies, including Modern Chinese Poetry (1936, with Ch’en Shih-Hsiang), which introduced emerging vernacular poets of the Literary Revolution to Western readers, and Famous Chinese Plays (1937, with L.C. Arlington), a foundational collection of traditional Chinese drama. Particular attention is given to his acclaimed co-translation (with Ch’en Shih-Hsiang and Cyril Birch) of Kong Shangren’s masterpiece The Peach Blossom Fan (Tao Hua Shan), a poetic historical chronicle of the Ming dynasty’s fall, first published in 1976 and praised for its vivid evocation of romance, political intrigue, and cultural tragedy.

Additionally, the lecture examines Acton’s translations of cautionary tales in Glue and Lacquer: Four Cautionary Tales (1941, with Lee Yi-Hsieh), as well as his extensive but posthumously recognized work on Popular Chinese Plays—a vast selection of 38 classical plays spanning Peking Opera and Kunqu, featuring iconic works like “The Drunken Concubine,” and “Wu Song Fights the Tiger.” Through these efforts, Acton not only made accessible major genres of Chinese literature—drama, fiction, and poetry—but also fostered greater cross-cultural understanding, leaving a lasting legacy in the global appreciation of China’s rich literary heritage. The discussion will assess his aesthetic approach, editorial refinements, and enduring impact on Sinological translation studies.

Speaker’s Bio:

Guan Xingzhong is a Professor of Translation and Intercultural Studies at Beijing Language and Cultural University, he has been teaching and conducting research in translation for over twenty-seven years. His extensive publication record includes three textbooks, two scholarly monographs, and over forty articles in leading international and Chinese journals. His work has appeared in prestigious publications such as The Translation Review, Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series–Themes in Translation Studies, Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, China Translator’s Journal, and the Journal of Foreign Languages (Shanghai). He is also the author of The Pursuit of Beauty by an Aesthete: A Study of Harold Acton’s Manuscripts of Popular Chinese Plays.

Part II: “That Ideal Synthesis of the Arts”: Harold Acton from Florence to China

Abstract:

Sir Harold Acton (1904–1994) arrived in Beijing in 1932, driven by a long-standing fascination. As he later reflected in Memoirs of an Aesthete (1948), his imagination had been “nurtured on Chinese history and art” for years before his arrival. This lecture explores how Acton’s life and work were shaped by his deep appreciation for China, tracing the origins of this passion back to his family’s Florentine art collection and his mother’s interest in Chinese travel and literature.

Drawing on new findings from the photograph and book collections at Villa La Pietra, this talk examines Acton’s immersion in Peking Opera and his relationships with key figures of Chinese cosmopolitan society—including the painter Prince Pu Ru, and colleagues at Peking University. By analyzing his collaborative translations of plays and tales, we can better understand Acton’s pioneering cross-cultural approach. Ultimately, his legacy and the donation of his estate to New York University stand as a testament to an “openness of mind” that remains a vital invitation for global dialogue today.

Speaker’s Bio:

Francesca Baldry is the Collection Manager for the Acton Collection at Villa La Pietra, NYU Florence. She holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Florence and has extensively worked in museums in England and Italy. Her research focuses on the Age of the Grand Tour, on the history of collecting, the history of conservation, on the history of 19th and 20th c. gardens, and on early 20th century costumes. She is the head of the Digitization and Cataloguing project for the Acton Photograph Archive and has recently dwelt with the process of decolonizing museums, suggesting new perspectives to appreciate European Collections that include non-European works of art. Since 2025 she is one of the researchers of the project “Florence in Global Asia”. Currently she is co-curating with NYU students an on-site exhibition at Villa La Pietra entitled “Behind the Mask. Between Performance, Disguise and Identity” (April 22 – October 2026) that will include a session on the Peking Opera.

Introduction by Tansen Sen, Director of the Center for Global Asia, Professor of History, NYU Shanghai.