Biographical note

Su Tong rose to international acclaim after Raise the Red Lantern, a film adaptation of his book Wives and Concubines, won the 1993 BAFTA for best non-English language film. He was joint winner of the 2015 Mao Dun Literature Prize, and his earlier novel The Boat to Redemption won the Man Asia Literature Prize in 2009. Olivia Milburn is professor of Chinese language and literature at Seoul National University. In 2018, Milburn’s translation work was recognised by the Chinese government with a Special Book Award of China, which honours contributions to bridging cultures and fostering understanding. James Trapp has had a long career promoting Chinese language and culture in UK schools. As well as new versions of the Art of War and Daodejing, his translations include Shadow of the Hunter, Longevity Park and Old Kiln. Much of his work revolves around integrating the study of Chinese language and culture, and breaking down barriers of cultural misunderstanding that still persist. Haiwang Yuan is Professor Emeritus at Western Kentucky University in the US, and Guest Professor of English at Nankai University, China. He is a writer, translator and translation consultant. He has authored and co-authored many books, including Tibetan Folktales, Tales from the Other Peoples of China, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Other Tales from the Han Chinese and This is China: The First 5,000 Years. Among two dozen of his translations are Songs from the Forest, There is a Fish in the Desert, Open-Air Cinema and Illustrated Stories of Chinese Characters for Children. He has consulted on the translation of two Sinoist Books titles.