In mid September, 2021, the ICSAT's autumn lecture series "New Perspectives on Sima Qian and the Shiji" began with Prof. William H.Nienhauser's remarks on translating the Shiji. 

Prof. Nienhauser has been Halls-Bascom Chair Professor of Chinese Literature since 1995 (Emeritus since 2020) at University of Wisconsin. He was a founding editor of Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) and served the journal until 2013 as co-editor. His publications include Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (2 volumes), nine volumes of translations from the Shiji (The Grand Scribe’s Records, 1994- ). In the first lecture, Prof. Nienhauser has introduced the process of translating and annotating the Shiji, specificly by showing his translation of the first section of "Chen She shijia". In the second part of Prof. Nienhauser's lectures, 28 participants presented their translations in the form of seminar, bringing up lively discussions including the question of "死国", 张楚" and "大楚", etc..

Prof. Nienhauser's lecture is the first of ICSAT's autumn Sima Qian and the Shiji lecture series, for information of following lecutres, please visit http://icsat.ruc.edu.cn/.