U.S.-Born Chinese Author Sidney Shapiro Dies at Age 98

Oct 25, 2014 07:20 PM EDT

Sidney Shapiro, then 84, looks through the window of his apartment in an ancient courtyard house in central Beijing in this September 13, 1999 file picture. Shapiro, a famed US-born translator who was one of the few Westerners to gain Chinese citizenship

(Photo : Reuters) Sidney Shapiro, then 84, looks through the window of his apartment in an ancient courtyard house in central Beijing in this September 13, 1999 file picture. Shapiro, a famed US-born translator who was one of the few Westerners to gain Chinese citizenship and become a member of a high-level parliamentary body, died on the weekend in Beijing, his granddaughter said. He was 98.

Sidney Shapiro, an American-born translator who gained fame and glory in China, died in Beijing last weekend at age 98, according to his granddaughter Stella Guo.

Known as Sha Boli, "friend of China," the Jewish Shapiro was born in New York and came to China in 1947. He became an unlikely Chinese legend. One of a few number of Westerners to gain full Chinese citizenship, he became a member of the high profile parliament advisory Chinese People's Political Conference in 1983.

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Shapiro learned Mandarin in the U.S. Army during World War II. He married a well-known Chinese actress, Fengzi, and stayed in China following the Communist revolution, raising a family. He was bestowed the rare honor for a Westerner, Chinese citizenship, during the height of the Cold War in 1963.

Shapiro worked five decades for the state-run Foreign Languages Press, or FLP. He was well known for translating Chinese works into English, including the classic "Outlaws of the Marsh" and modern works by Mao Dun, Ba Jin, Shi Nai'an and Deng Rong. The Translators Association of China gave him a lifetime achievement award.

Saying he was too much of a maverick to join the Communist Party, he said he had "the greatest respect for the party, and fully supported its principles and goals" in "I Chose China," also issued as "My China: The Metamorphosis of a Country and a Man," his 1997 autobiography.

Shapiro was a critic of U.S. policy. Following U.S. condemnation of human rights in China in 2006, he said American democracy that was won through long-time struggle started "going downhill in the 20th Century." More recently, he especially criticized secret surveillance conducted in the U.S.

In an email sent announcing Shapiro's death, his granddaughter said she was blessed with memories of "his quirky humor, wonderful stories, great taste in music, appreciation of old movies, his American-Jewish heritage, energetic debates, love of new technology and so much more."

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