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Translating a Legacy
Cecilia Chien displays the promotional book that accompanies the series on King Chien.
August 20, 2010
In China, where family is top priority, Cecilia Chien’s family traces back to royalty.A West Chester University historian, Cecilia's story begins in the 10th century, when China was a collection of 10 little kingdoms. In a region of China called Wuyue kingdom, King Chien ruled his people with foresight. He devised flood control methods and added irrigation to build the regional economy. Through this and other development, the Wuyue kingdom became the wealthiest of China's kingdoms, and King Chien was heralded as the kingdom’s true founder. His family stayed in power and continued to build the kingdom’s wealth for three generations – almost 100 years.
Cecilia Chien knows this because that period in history and region of China are her areas of expertise as a scholar.
Today, she notes, the Wuyue area covers the present-day coastal provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu, the region surrounding Shanghai, which is still China’s richest area.
Cecilia, who taught at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for 10 years, re-established herself in the United States in 2005 and has made several trips back to China. Her research there into kinship and genealogy disclosed that Chien is not that common a surname. Nevertheless, at the genealogical library in China she ran into a gentleman who shared her last name; both discovered they are descendants of Wuyue’s king.
On a later trip, Mr. Chien, who was the director of a research institute devoted to the study of King Chien and his kingdom, made a request. He knew a filmmaker who was producing a film series called “King Chien of the Wuyue Kingdom,” a 28-part TV series not yet approved for airing on China’s national TV network. The historical drama would need English subtitles, and he asked if Cecilia could translate them.
“It wasn’t easy considering there was ancient terminology involved,” she notes. Thankfully, with her extensive research, she could apply her knowledge of historical figures and their titles, locations and terms. At present, she has a 300-page draft of subtitles.
The program should have nationwide appeal, she says, since imperial dramas and historical programs are popular.
“The government is interested in this research and there are many who conduct research on this time period and region,” Cecilia continues. “The government wants to expand tourism and promote King Chien’s birthplace, tombs and the architecture of the region.”
She explains that with the government turning its attention to “the economy of tourism, China is paying more and more attention to history.”
She says her book Salt and State, a study of the political economy focusing on the ruler-controlled salt industry in the Song dynasty (970-1279), would be a good lesson for today’s government, which is transitioning from a command economy (where supply and price are regulated by the government) to a market economy.
Cecilia’s fascination with history may have come through her father, who was a professor of Asian history at Central Michigan University for 30 years. He amassed a collection of more than 3,000 Chinese-language books, from the classics in philosophy and literature to a complete set of books on China’s dynasties – numerous volumes on each of the 25 dynasties.
This summer, she ensured her father’s legacy by donating 300 books from his collection to the WCU Library.
Cecilia Chien, associate professor and assistant chair of the University’s History Department, joined the faculty in 2005. She received her bachelor of arts in history from Central Michigan University in 1980 and her doctoral degree in history from Harvard University in 1994. Chien mentors students in opportunities for study and work abroad and is the co-advisor to the University’s Asian Students Association. She serves on the executive board of the Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies.
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