Jin Ping Mei and the World: Translation and Transculturation

The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University will convene a symposium on Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) in honour of David Tod Roy (1933 – 2016), Professor Emeritus of the University of Chicago, on December 5, 2019, at Harvard University. 

The conference is generously sponsored by the Fairbank Center, the Asia Center at Harvard University, the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, and the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

David Roy, Professor Emeritus in East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, was best known for his masterful translation of the Ming Dynasty classic Chin P’ing Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase). The novel chronicles the rise and fall of a corrupt and wealthy merchant, Hsi-men Ch’ing, as he pursues numerous sexual adventures. Roy's translation, a testament to his meticulous scholarship, took him three decades to complete and is recognized as a milestone in the study of Chinese literature. Princeton University Press published the five-volume series over a period of 20 years, and the final volume, “The Dissolution,” was published in 2013.