The letter of condolence written by former Premier Wen Jiabao to Cao Ying's spouse Sheng Tianmin./ Source from Beijing Times

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By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - Chinese translator of Russian literary works Cao Ying passed away in Shanghai on October 24 because of a chronic ailment. He was 93. State-run China Daily and other Chinese media outlets reported that he showed a great work ethic as he never stopped translating until the very last moment of his life.

You might think he was just an ordinary translator if you don't carefully read the media reports on Tuesday. However, considering that former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (73) wrote a letter of condolence to the bereaved upon hearing Cao Ying's death, you will soon recognize that he was not just an ordinary translator.

Eminent Chinese translator Cao Ying passed away at the age of 93./ Source from search engine Baidu

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In fact, he was. After he died, every Chinese media outlets did feature stories on him. Many people either visited the bereaved family to offer comfort or honored the memory of the deceased.

Sheng Jungfeng, known by his pen name Cao Ying, learned Russian when he was 15. Since then, he had translated many Russian literary works into Chinese for the rest of his life. In 1987, he was honored with the Maxim Gorky Literature Prize, a top honor in the Russian literary world, in 1987, the only Chinese translator to have won that award. He is most notable for being one of the main translators into Chinese of the works of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. From 1978 to 1998, he spent 20 years to translate The Complete Works of Leo Tolstoy into Chinese. In 2006, he joined the Russian Writer Association.