Shanghai library to commemorate famed translator

A library to commemorate renowned translator Fu Lei will open its doors in Zhoupu Town in the Pudong New Area in May, township official said.

Fu (1908-1966) was a highly regarded translator of French into Chinese who lived in Zhoupu from age 4 until 19. The library, featuring a 24-hour reading room and literature on Fu, will be a "cultural living room" on the doorsteps of local people, Zhou Jun, an official with the township government, told Shanghai Daily.

Fu is also known to many Western readers by the name Fou Lei.

On Sunday, the township government organized a 4.5-kilometer walking tour to commemorate the 111th anniversary of Fu's birth. The event attracted nearly 100 participants. The route was designed to link sites associated with Fu, including a kindergarten, a primary school and a middle school that are all named after Fu.

Fu is best known for his translations of French writers including Balzac and Voltaire.

He was born in a traditional courtyard house in Hangtou Town of Pudong. In 1912, he moved with his mother to Zhoupu, where lived and went to school until he was 19 years old.