The Early Reception of Heinrich Heine in China (1901–1914)

Heinrich Heine's poetry began to enter China in the early twentieth century, yet the initial phase of this reception remains underexplored. This article examines the translation and introduction of Heine's works in China between 1901 and 1914. Employing a historical and philological approach, the study analyzes primary sources including published translations, prefaces, postfaces, and critical essays from Chinese journals and books of the period. It reconstructs the activities of key figures who pioneered Heine's reception: Gu Hongming, who first cited Heine in 1901; Hu Shi, who translated “Ein Fichtenbaum steht einsam” in 1913; Ying Shi, who published the first direct German-to-Chinese translations in his 1914 bilingual volume German Poems Translated into Chinese; and Lu Xun, whose early renderings from his Japanese years appeared in 1914. The analysis reveals that this early phase was characterized by indirect translation through intermediary languages, cultural adaptation of poetic imagery to resonate with Chinese sensibilities, and the crucial role of Western-educated intellectuals as cultural mediators. These features shaped Heine's initial image in China and established patterns for subsequent cross-cultural literary transmission. By illuminating this foundational period, the study deepens understanding of how Heine, as a representative foreign literary figure, was introduced, interpreted, and transformed in a new cultural context.