The Department of Translation and the University Library System held the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Translation Archive of The Chinese University of Hong Kong’ cum opening ceremony of ‘The David Hawkes Papers: An Exhibition’ on 1 February. Officiating guests included Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Leung Yuen-sang, dean of Faculty of Arts; Mrs. Jean Hawkes; Prof. Chan Sin-wai, chairman of the Department of Translation; Prof. John Minford, professor, Department of Translation; and Dr. Colin Storey, University Librarian. The event was also one of the celebratory activities of the 40th anniversary of the Department of Translation.

The archive preserves and makes available rare first-hand materials, such as manuscripts, notes and letters, etc., of famous translators. It also contains digital resources like video and audio interviews. The archive is conceived of as a local and international resource. It will focus initially on translation between Chinese and English, and will be expanded to cover other languages.

The late Prof. David Hawkes, known for his masterful rendering of the first 80 chapters of The Story of the Stone, is a renowned translator of Chinese literature. His papers have been donated to CUHK by Prof. John Minford, Professor Hawkes’ literary executor, to become the first important collection of materials deposited in the archive. The exhibition is held at New Asia College Ch’ien Mu Library from 1 to 14 February, and from 2 to 20 May.